Is it normal to pre-order food at a friend's barbecue?

[JohnnieFedora]

I went to a friend's house last weekend for a BBQ and it was the strangest set upnjbe ever known.

You had to let host know what you wanted cooked for you... So you had to say "1 burger, 3 skewers" that kind of thing
They cooked exactly and only what was ordered and have it to you on a plate.

Never ever seen this before! I know it's not normal... Bit so bizarre!

Much better than a bunch of wasted food going in the bin it also means they know what to buy

When did you have to pre-order, before they bought the food, or when they were putting it on to cook?

Just interested.

I wish my in-laws would do this instead of cooking forty kebabs and thirty chicken legs for six people and then telling us all off when there is loads left over.

BBQs are so overrated anyway; I’ve rarely been to one where the meat was not overdone/uninspiring/dry; and it’s not like I don’t know any good cooks- I really do- but the food is often disappointing. The salads are the best bit by far.

We tend to over cater, but happy with leftovers, but we’d probably say, who wants a burger? Rather than do loads of only 2 people want them….

no no you had to say what you wanted and they only cooked that. no "extras or anything. So if a total 5 sausages, 3 drumsticks and 8 kebabs were requested, thats exactly what got cooked.

They asked us a few days before hand - and had the exact number cooked up.

it was just the strangest set up I've ever known. Everyone w as given what they ordered and then had the salads and drinks that the other guests bought along. They did the meats and breads. I did alcohol and 1 side dish, the others brought salads and soft drinks one family brought dessert etc

Nobody else coming asked "How many cans / pints / helpings of sides / slices of cheesecake would you all like" and then only brought exactly what was requested and I have never ever known anyone to host a bbq by pre-order.

I've hosted and been to many a BBQ and if there's a lot p leftover, peoplel take them home with them or they get used the next day etc.

oh well you go to the wrong bbqs ha ha

Oh in that case it's a really bizarre rubbish idea.

Was there a spreadsheet involved to really enhance the relaxed ambience?

Yep, following your update. Weird.

We tend to buy a load of stuff fresh and then pop on what people ask for, often in kind of courses, so we just keep adding more as we go and everything is served hot, our BBQs can mean eating for ages, with frequent calls of anymore for anymore as the chef steps up to the BBQ. Usually add a little extra each round as we are cooking. We then have a mix of cooked and uncooked leftovers - works for us.

Not normal unless you’re vegetarian in which case they should just cater for you.

That’s even more weird then! How do you know how hungry you’d be on the day or what you fancied? Have they hosted before?

Oh I forgot! My Mum took loads home with her too! We love BBQ leftovers for days! 🤣

It sounds quite practical, really.

It’s bizarre, when we host we just cook and put it all out for people to help themselves, make their own burgers and ketchup, help themselves to salads etc.

Sounds fair enough. They don't want to just block the BBQ cooking tons of something nobody actually wants.

They probably hosted before and ended up with excess uneaten cooked meat. That you probably can't that much nice with. I guess chicken you can have cold but burgers are only nice eaten fresh.

You could've asked for two of everything. I don't think they would be minded as long as that's what you could eat.

I've had so many poorly cooked or gone cold BBQ food that I tend to avoid them.

Having only what I want cooked fresh seems much more appealing than picking amongst shitty cold leftovers.

It's just been you calling her bitchy, not "most of the rest of us".

You've been calling her bitchy on several posts now. No-one else has.

Honestly, I’ve been to so many at this point (I’m not young!) and rarely had a great meal 😂 Meat is meat though. I like it, but it’s still the same meat whether it’s cooked on a BBQ or in an oven. The salads are great though (provided people have gone beyond iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, which in my experience, they usually do!) Cous cous with roasted veg; feta with watermelon and mint; potato salad with interesting additions…. All much more exciting and appealing to me than sausages, burgers, kebabs and chicken drumsticks!

I like the idea of letting them know what you might fancy as it is annoying when all the burgers go for example and you haven't had one. However, the ideal for me would be provisions of extras too.

Very stingy of the “host!”

For the rest of people who don’t start threads encouraging bitchy responses about their friends bbq

my mistake

Sounds like a good idea to avoid food waste. But I agree with others - not usual and if I was hosting I would definitely do a few extras.

One of my brothers always does this.

But always does a second round and has loads of food.

He's just not going to cook it if it won't be eaten.

I think it's a useful way to find out roughly what to cook but odd to stick to it rigidly. Did they offer a menu or did you all just list your favourite bbq food?

I think they are either struggling a bit financially and wanted to buy exactly with no wriggle room or just very tight - I certainly wouldn’t do this