I loved the movie Oceans 8. It has a great cast but from an event planning standpoint – it has a great moment. The scene where Sarah Paulson’s character is talking about the need for a nutritionist on hand because of all the special request foods made me think of all the pitfalls that feed a large crowd can bring. I wanted to highlight the 3 main pitfalls that I have seen at events.
- Food Allergies – Peanuts and Gluten are the most common food allergies that we hear about. I will often ask for food allergies in my event registration and then work around them as I can. Most adults with food allergies take responsibility for themselves. I worry about this more with children. In a buffet line, I will post the ingredients under the dish title.
- Cultural Restrictions – Beef and Pork are the cultural issues that come up most often. This is easily solved by having a chicken or fish option. This is why beef and chicken are often the main dish choices at events. It covers 80% of the average population.
- Vegetarian and Vegan – Vegetarian is often an easy item to fill with a pasta dish. Vegan is harder but not impossible to accommodate if you have enough of them. I look closely at the target demographic of the event that I am hosting before choosing to eliminate these option.
One thing to remember that unless you are hosting the Oscar after party or the Met Gala – you cannot please everyone. Work within your means to accommodated who you can and apologize when you can’t. Showing that you have made an effort to include everyone will go a long way.
What is the biggest food issue that you have faced at an event?