AIBU to have a party with no food

[legoqueen]

Landmark birthday & have around 70 people invited to an evening in a pub. Starting at 8pm, DH & I have decided to provide some drinks & nibbles but no 'buffet', mainly due to logistics not cost. Another friend did this & with the late start it worked fine, but one guest has expressed horror surprise at this - views please.

I don't have an issue with no food as long as it is clear on the invite.

I'd prefer that to a home prepared buffet that has been sat in the hosts kitchen then the venue unrefrigerated for hours on end. That never ends well.

Most people I know normally eat with their families at about 7pm

Yes, and the key word there is ‘families’, because when children are involved you generally eat earlier. That doesn’t change the fact that 8pm is an adult dinner time. It’s when dinner parties typically start, it’s the busiest time at a restaurant dinner service, and if you state it as the start time of your party you are signalling to your guests that they can expect to be fed.

The pub that doesn't serve food?

Do these exist?

*A pub that doesn't serve food

A finger buffet at very least with alcohol.

I think i’d leave after an hour if there was no food, sorry!

Just let people know there won't be food. I don't go to parties expecting to be fed.

I think the start of dinner time depends a bit on your lifestyle. We both work from home and have a 12 yr old we generally eat anytime between 5.30 and 7 depending on what we have being doing in the day, who has eaten what when and whether we are hungry or not. 8pm is not normal dinner time in my life ever.

Drinks party starting at 8 is fairly normal if their are nibbles that are more than a bowl of crisps/peanuts. I don't see the issue as long as you are clear that there is no buffet, they are usually all orange food anyway which is in my view both naff and calorie laden.

@RB68 what time would you invite guests for a dinner party, though?

prob 7 for 7.30 - countree folk

Even if you usually eat at 7,7.30, surely an average adult can hold out until an hour later under occasional circumstances?! I like to eat at 8 but hold out much later all the time! Proper creatures of routine some of you!

I don't go to parties expecting to be fed. I do. I would expect some food to be available, it doesn't need to be a full meal or a massive buffet, but I would expect some food to be laid on in case guests feel hungry during the course if the evening. Thats just normal hospitality, and I've never been to a party where no food has been served.

My partner and I don't drink, so a party in a pub with no food starting at 8? We would stay for about half an hour, if we came at all, because drunk people are awful when you're sober.

What are these nibbles you keep mentioning? Without knowing what they are no one can say if you’d need to provide more food or not. Are we talking crisps and peanuts? Or things like cocktail sausages etc? I wouldn’t like to go to a party that has alcohol and no food. But that’s because I’m a greedy fucker and love to snack. I also don’t drink much so the food is my favourite bit. Then again, I don’t have friends so my only experience is kids birthdays or family when growing up.

What sort of pub won’t provide food?!

As a guest I've had this in both directions... turning up as evening only wedding guests, we'd taken the precaution of having dinner first, but there was ten tons of food there when we arrived at 8.30 ish as per invitation.

And the reason we'd eaten first was because the year before we'd been invited to a wedding for 7 pm, not eaten first - mainly because we'd been working, getting organised, and travelling all afternoon - but also naively thought 7 ish is about evening meal time, there's bound to be something to eat.

About 3 chips and a tiny bowl of mayonnaise to dip them in at about 9.30.

DP and I were in nearby takeaway by 9.45. Thank god it wasn't a country house wedding. I can remember a guest actually passing out due to lack of food at one of those!

Landmark birthday & have around 70 people invited to an evening in a pub

I am washing my hair that night thankfully.

Since when did a piss up in a pub become a party?

I think " drinks parties" do still exist. But the host pays for the drinks normally. Guests may bring contributions.
OH and I host a small cocktail type party every year on Christmas eve. A small affair. Guests arrive at 5pm and leave by 7.30pm.

And the more time people spend eating, the less time they spend dancing!

People won't be dancing in a pub, they'll be sat round drinking (and eating).

I went to an evening reception where the food ran out before most of the evening guests had any, because the all day guests charged in and piled their plates up, having only just finished their wedding breakfast meal.

Well it isn't a party is it? It's just 'going to the pub' 🙄

Actually I was at a party a few months ago and the host,being slightly Persiminous, catered for 50 and not the hundred guests, under the assumption that what the pub laid on per person would be enough.

It wasn't, it ran out within about 10 mins and most of the guests ended up in the McDonald's across the way.

If you do do it without food, you need to tell people, so they can eat before hand. The expectation as you can see from most folks is that a party is catered.

If you do lay anything on, do be aware people eat a lot more than you'd expect, especially if they have been drinking. Feeding 70 folks would take a lot of food.

To be honest, if the issue isn't financial, I'd pick a different venue, this one doesn't sound suitable. I've also never heard of a pub that doesn't cater. It's highly unusual.

Just let people know there won't be food. I don't go to parties expecting to be fed.

^this

Make sure you call it "drinks"

BUT People always enjoy food. If you want it to be a good do you need to lay on food. I would be happy with pork pies, nice mini sausages, cold cuts, french stick, mini pizzas, mini quiche, chicken drumsticks, breadsticks & crudites & dips, cheese & biscuits. Sarnies are always a bit meh. Lots of mini cakes. Nom.

So long as it was clear on the invite then I wouldn't find this odd at all. I'd probably go for dinner beforehand and then on to your party (though might turn up a little late).

I'm older now, so my entertaining has changed significantly, but when I was in my 20s a "party" meant turning up at a house to drink and dance and the only food would be pretzels etc. maybe some crudites and a bowl of dip.

Sainsbury's also do various platters.