Catering for adults at kids parties

[Notmycircusnotmyotter]

What's normal in your area?

Today's party was in a hall. For adults, there was assorted soft drinks, crisps, chocolate brownies and takeaway pizzas.

Last weekend there was crisps, cake, soft drinks and a lot of canned cocktails / cava / beers. This is the usual (kid in reception so we've had around 15 parties).

Tomorrow is a soft play party so the host - if same as others - will put a card behind the cafe for adults to order whatever hot or cold drinks they want.

Im planning my child's party. What goes down well for adults in your area? I'll definitely provide alcohol - would be an outlier to not do so at an afternoon party round here.

Parties round here usually provide cans of soft drinks for adults and some kind of snack like biscuits and crisps. If its over a meal time then trays of sandwiches.

We provide sandwiches, soft drinks and tea and coffee for parents. Never been to a child’s party with alcohol on offer although I doubt many would take up the offer if we did as everybody has to drive to the parties and usually only 1 parent.

We always ensure that no guest parent spends anything so whoever hosts does pay the cafe bill.

Here it's very normal for there to be a big box of vegetarian samosas for the adults if the catering has been done by the host. If it's at a soft play type place where they provide the party food then it is not expected for adults to be given food.

edited to add, the adults would normally have tea or coffee or some of the kids squash over here. I've never been to a kids party where there has been alcohol.

Gosh that’s not the norm when my kids were younger. In fact there’s only been one party that I recall the parents getting anything! And that was a woman who is famous and threw an amazing party for her kid and invited siblings and the parents and it was kinda OTT but in a good way. Any other time there’s no provision for parents and if at something like a play centre you just got and paid for your own coffee or whatever. And my kids went to a private school (so presumably no shortage of money).

Most of the community hall-type parties I've been to have not had a lot for the parents - maybe teas/coffees or soft drinks, then a vague invitation to grab something from the buffet once the kids have finished (there's always loads left over). Very rarely had specific food for adults, and only one or two with alcohol, which were at the kids' house rather than a venue.

At the local soft play their parties include tea/coffee urns for parents (they'd have to pay more for fancier coffees from the café) and hosts can pay extra for a platter of cookies for parents. But I usually go not expecting to be fed.

OP must live in a very affluent area.

I want to go to the parties with samosa and flat breads and chicken legs!

Here it's help yourself to the sausage rolls and carrot sticks the kids don't eat (don't expect to get near a party ring though) and maybe a cup of tea will be provided, depending on the set up.

Parties in someone's house are the only type where parents get catered for specially, and the only time alcohol is offered. Funny how different it is regionally. We are rural and poor though 😁

What’s with the Liverpool comment?

Very few parents offer adult food at any parties my kids have ever been to. And I've never expected it. When they're too young to go without parents, you do need to sit at the soft play or whatever, but I'd just buy a coffee.
If you were hosting it at your house, then I'd just offer drinks and let them pick at the kids' buffet.

The parties ive been to the food was only for the children

I have 3DC between 5-10yrs and I can only recall 3 parties where adults have been fully catered for. One of them was a huge bash with lots of stuff going on and lots of drinks and some snack boards for the adults, one was just tea/coffee/cans of drink and some pastries and one was a lovely family from the Philippines who held a proper family party and we were all very much expected to eat from the buffet. It was amazing food and a fabulous party. It generally is not expected in our local area to cater for parents or siblings. The best we normally get is a party held in the social club where they'll open the bar but you'd be expected to pay for your own.

I held my DD 6th party in soft play and they offered a sandwich platter for adults but it was about £20 to feed 7 adults and I figured most adults can survive 2hrs without eating!!

I have no idea. Somehow the booze for parents at kids parties made me think of Liverpool. Prejudice I suppose. Sorry.

Party at our home, adults catered for. Party at a venue but bringing own food, maybe some biscuits or pastries and leftover kid food, party at a venue where food is supplied, no food provided but they can buy. I did offer hot drinks at one soft play party but barely anyone took advantage of it.

No booze!

Im in central London. Generally some beer / wine for adults! Maybe some snacks. Obviously no one driving, so not an issue with that.

We are home counties. Lots of reception parties this year. It's tea, coffee, biscuits/cake and some sandwiches maybe if lucky. Soft drinks and sometimes a bit of booze.

Booze and catering was more a thing at small parties for one year olds/ two year/ three year olds at home than hall parties for the whole class. I guess because a one year olds party is more for adults than the actual baby!

I quite like a chat at a party but will also be good when they are drop offs!

For the Gdcs’ parties I used to make stacks of mini sandwiches with the crusts cut off. It was always the adults who scoffed them!

Two other guaranteed favourites with parents (retro chic!) are sausages* on sticks, and a cheese and pineapple ‘hedgehog’.

*I buy best quality fat ones, and cut into thirds. I have also had a plateful of these vanish in the blink of an eye at a smart alfresco lunch party at a chateau in Burgundy. I had taken a couple of packs of frozen sausages to serve as ice packs, and it seemed a good way of using them up.

I must be one of the "remembered" parents then. The most I have done for parents is bottles of water and cans of soft drink. I also nearly always do take away food per child, so no leftover for adults either. If a buffet then the adults will have the leftovers but most parents dont want to touch it after children have raked through it 🤮

It is crazy to be catering for parents as well as the kids.

Scouser here.
Last 5 parties have all catered for adults, my own DC included. Parties at rugby clubs with outside activity and disco are full buffet, often done by caterers. Because of the venue people are free to buy their own booze. These parties are also big for the kids football crowd. They seemingly like a drink.
Church hall parties are often the Costco buffets and pizza, alongside fruit and cake selection. (My favourite personally, I love a Costco spread!)
Soft play parties where the food is provided onsite, usually adults pick at left over nuggets and lukewarm pizza.

Juice is provided, not canned drinks.
Parties at the home are typical party food and a hot dish for adults, so chilli/curry with rice and chips. Always cake.
Never known alcohol served at a soft play, I’ve personally never offered booze at my kids parties or seen it offered at church hall but maybe my crowd are boring bastards. I certainly am.
Also every party including my own have included a veggie/vegan/GF options for cakes and a few other things just incase someone arrives who can’t eat most of the food available.

My experience has been nope, it was Y3 until people really started to drop and go.

Wow this all sounds insane to me! And expensive!

Round here it’s just party food (the same as the children are offered) and soft drinks (again…same as the children!)

They’d be free to purchase their own food and drink at the venue if they wanted to, but the party host wouldn’t be expected to pay for that!

When did children’s parties become this competitive? 🤯

We always had parties at soft play, halls etc. Didn't specifically cater for parents, food was there for everyone to help themselves.

This seems to be another thing that varies wildly (I expect because everyone in an area just copies everyone else).

My experience was it was 50/50 in Reception, the odd parent in Year 1, and entirely drop and go by Year 2 unless the party venue was at sufficient distance that some parents stayed to save themselves the journey back and forth.

Phew! Yes I think it’s due to be like that here. Already some drop & go in Reception (always those with 2 kids, the Reception one being the younger).

We've been to so many birthday parties and food is never provided for the adults unless it is a family gathering. At most, food gets passed around the adults if the kids don't eat it or if there were extras. If it's self catered, then maybe there is a case of pop for the grown-ups to help themselves. Parties can be expensive and its for the children not for the adults, in these cases.

Just don't, the party is for the children.