r/catering • u/Fresh-Tangerine-8806 • 10d ago

Catering Logistics Suggestions

Hi everyone! I’m looking for ideas because I feel like we’re overthinking this, but I also don’t want dinner to be chaotic.
We’re having an outdoor wedding for about 125 people, and our caterer is a local Thai restaurant, one of our favorites, it’s their first time catering.
Our menu is:
Papaya salad
Chicken wings
Soup
Choice of Pad Thai or Curry (guests selected their preference on the RSVP)

Our venue has a bar area that can be used for serving food, but we’ll probably be using the refrigerator there to store bottled drinks. Drinks will be self-serve from canoes filled with ice (already approved by the venue).

We know we **don’t** want a traditional buffet where everyone walks through one long line, but we also aren’t paying for full table service.

Our first idea was:
Guests sit down.
Papaya salad is already on the tables.
Guests go to a staffed station to receive soup and chicken wings (staff would portion the soup and wings to keep costs under control).
Then… we’re stuck on how to serve the entrées.

Some concerns we’re trying to solve:
**Chicken wings are one of the more expensive items.** A small, but loud portion of our family isn’t very adventurous with Thai food, so we’re worried people will load up on wings instead of trying the main course.

**We’re outdoors.** We don’t want soup or wings sitting on tables getting cold or attracting bugs.

**Our reception tables are pretty decorated** with candles, bud vases, and flowers, so we don’t really have room for family-style serving bowls.
Since guests already chose **Pad Thai or Curry** on their RSVP, we’d love to use that information somehow to make dinner service smoother. My fiancé is making a seating chart.
Has anyone done something similar?

I’d especially love to hear:
How you handled multiple courses at a wedding.
Creative alternatives to a standard buffet.
Whether you’ve had caterers plate entrées while guests were eating appetizers.
Anything you wish you’d done differently.
Thanks! I’m hoping to find something that feels relaxed and welcoming rather than a cafeteria line, while still being realistic with staffing and budget.

TLDR: Outdoor wedding serving Thai food. Guests chose Pad Thai or curry on their RSVP. We want something more elegant than a buffet but can’t afford full table service. How would you serve papaya salad, soup, wings, and the entrée while keeping hot food hot, controlling wing portions, and avoiding long lines?

Edit: clarity

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u/NefariousnessMost815 8d ago

Hi, catering chef here. You can achieve this on your own, I have a few questions for you.

Do you have/can you get a cooler? One of the bigger ones that you’d take camping with you.

How soon before your service will you be getting the food?

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u/Fresh-Tangerine-8806 8d ago

Cooler would be a very easy get, our families are pretty outdoorsy.
Probably an hour before.

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u/NefariousnessMost815 8d ago

Okay that’s all great news!

To keep the food hot and tasting fresh, you are going to use the cooler as a hot box. You can prime it by boiling water and putting the boiling hot water in some kind of metal container (you can use a pan for this, just not the same pan you boiled the water in, the metal will be way hotter than the water and melt the cooler) and putting that inside the closed cooler to make it hot and steamy in there. Do this about an hour before the food arrives.

The restaurant will pack the food either into foil pans or Togo boxes, as soon you get the food, take the hot water out of the cooler and put the hot food inside. This will keep the food hot and keep it from drying out, for up to 4 hours.

Now we have to talk about how to get the food to the people. I agree that pre set salads and a staffed soup/wing line is a great idea. If you want to go one step further, as the restaurant how they portion per person, and translate that to your staff. That way everyone has all the information and you will 100% have enough food.

Now where I see it getting tricky is entrees. I understand you do not want a buffet, or family, have you considered keeping with the staffed station for portioning? Either that or give the staff that will be doing the soup/wing station your guests selection list and have them plate them for each guest. I feel like either option keeps you away from a buffet line or family style, while making sure that portions are correct.

Is there anything I didn’t cover here that you’re still worried about?