Is it cheap not to cater?

[Itrtttyy]

it’s a significant birthday and a function room is being hired out 4-6pm for around 40 guests then afterwards carrying on in nearby (nice) pubs. The function room place serves food as do a few nearby pubs.

Does the event need catered (a buffet)?

Yes - YABU
No - YANBU

I would love it if it was twister or pass the parcel.

It has been made clear to bring no gifts and that there is no food.

You can't just expect 40 folk to stroll up to a pub un announced particularly at a weekend

Can you not just book the function suite from 7pm and have a proper party

Yes. Well before, given 4 is the starting time.

Well they'd have lunch at lunchtime and then want dinner from around 6. Which makes the gathering seem a bit odd and pointless. Most people would expect it to start at 7 with the buffet, which would be in lieu of dinner. open from about 7.30/8.

I’m sorry but I think that is cheeky fuckery. You’ll put up decorations on the pretence of it being a party, everyone will turn up with gifts having not eaten and then they’ll be told it’s not actually a party but just a pub crawl and if they want any dinner they’ll have to buy their own.

It’s like inviting everyone to your house for a party and when they turn up you tell them there isn’t a party, relieve them of their gift and shut the door in their face! It’s preposterous.

I think the night will naturally thin out quite quickly, so that part of the plan will work well.

What significant birthday is it? I could imagine a young behaving 30 year old maybe thinking it’s appropriate planning, but most adults I know have attended significant birthdays before and know how they operate.

People are going to be hungry! No ones going to have dinner before 4 and they probs last ate at lunch. Wouldn't you be better hiring the function room from 7pm? If a party starts at 4 you at least need to provide sandwiches etc

Atleast have some nibbles and drinks there... and a cake. If not..why bother? People will definitely expect it. Personally I would not eat anything btw 4-6 but I would be miffed not being offered something to drink.

I still don't understand the function room part. What are you hiring it for? What will people be doing for those 2 hours. Just sitting around in a hired hall for 2 hours would feel anything but festive if there wasn't even a drink or a few crisps to occupy yourself with.

Yes it's very strange. No one is going to have lunch and then dinner before 4 pm. I don't think this has been thought out!!

I agree. Feeding guests(Regardless of the time) is just a basic part of hosting imo. It’s not optional imo.

scrap the function part as it doesn’t actually seem to serve any kind of function. Just do the pub bit. Or if you’re a guest, I’d just attend the pub crawl bit.
At least people have been told in advance that there’s no food!

Recipe for idiotic drunk people.... So lunch at normal time (say 1pm) then no food but alcohol from 4 - 6pm with the expectation of more drinking (still no food) to follow? You need food to help your body cope with the alcohol - this 'party' sounds like a student pub crawl event in freshers week!

A friend of mine. I do know what’s happening - she’s hired a function room between 4pm and 6pm and then afterwards we’re heading to another nearby bar and so on. There is no food but you can order at the bar.

She’s a friend of almost 35 years so I didn’t want to be too harsh in the OP and tried to be vague, but I can’t believe she’s not having any food. I live quite far away so checked what time the buffet would be out to work out whether to have a late lunch or whatever, and she said there is no food, but did, rightly, remind me it had said so on the invitation.

I get the impression that the OP is one of the guests & is somewhat doubtful about the idea.

Edited because of cross-post - see the OP’s confirmed. I’d be wary of ordering food at one of the pubs in case I got left behind when everyone moved on.

Is your plan that people join you in the function room so you can eat together before drinking? If that’s the case, then word it like that. I’d be fine with that as a guest.
But if you’re inviting people as “this is my party” then I’d get a load of starters/ nibble bits at the very least.

To be fair, guests have been told no food and not to bring gifts.

Id tell people your not catering. You need bowls or crisps, pretzels on table and do big slices of cake.

This party will live on in legend as the worst birthday party ever. If anybody even turns up, that is.

the fact that you are inviting them to a function room implies you will have food, seems odd otherwise. If you had elected just to meet at the first pub people wouldn’t expect it

There will be drinks and plenty of them - it’s a function room in a pub where people can order food.

So it’s just the meeting point then? And then people go home/go on a pub crawl/go off to a restaurant/pop into a takeaway? It’s not a party and it doesn’t warrant an invite beyond a, ‘It’s my 25th. We’re meeting upstairs at the Fox and Hounds at 4pm for a few drinks before heading off to The Norks and Daffodil for a swift half, followed by shots at the Bishop Brennan. If you’re still standing it’s back to ours for pizza and absinthe’.

It’s not a great plan. And by the time everyone has arrived, said hello and mingled and had chance to consider food they’ll be rushing to order and eat before the function room slot ends. Then all the guests carrying on after will just be pissed sooner. Your friends plan is weird

So, the room is being hired for tables. What is the woman expecting them to do for 2 hours in this room? Sit and chat?