Thought this might be a good resource for a graduation party question…looking for ideas for places that would cater a grad party. I would like to have all of the food cold if possible so I don’t have to deal with warming trays. Maybe sandwiches or finger foods with salads and fruit/veggie trays? Thanks in advance!
This is pretty location specific, but many markets will cater this type of cold food.
costco and BJ’s would be great options but you would have to pick the food up yourself. A lot of local supermarkets and restaurants even pizza places cater for parties as well.
I would google “catering” and the name of your town and see what you find. That’s what I do when I need food for engineering events. I’ve gotten cold and hot items. A lot of places have online catering menus you can look at.
This is a very regional question. Check your local grocery stores that have deli departments. Many will do party trays. I’ve gotten that exact type of stuff for big events very nicely done from local boutique grocery stores.
Would you be willing to indicate the general area in which the party will be held? That will help posters give you better responses.
We ordered trays of food from Whole Foods for a graduation event in Boston. Lots of choices and very good.
We did the same at Harris Teeter in Winston Salem. Again…excellent.
If you are willing to pick up the foods, check out you grocery stores…most have good options.
I concur that Whole Foods does nice food platters. They are a cut above most others.
We’ve used Whole Foods too with good results. A couple other high end groceries in our metro do a nice job too.
Where do you live? I can reccommend a great place in Nassau County LI, but it won’t do you much good if you live in CA.
Whole Foods here will deliver the platters too for I think $20 too.
If you want to step it up a few notches renting a food truck for a party is really simple though pricier. I went to a graduation party with a food truck last year and the host and the guests were very pleased.
We hire a food truck for ours. They do everything - soup to nuts: salad, artisanal pizzas, gelato and cappuccino.
I almost hired a crepe place. They set up a cart, and offered many choices of food. They are in Miami.
I never thought of Whole Foods. I used an Italian grocery store, known for fresh fruit and bakery. For years I’ve bought their miniature pastries, e.g. cannolis and eclairs.
I live in Southern California. “Taco guys” are very popular here. They are very reasonable, bring everything, set up in your backyard, and every one loves tacos.
Would also be helpful to know your expected party size in terms of guests and your budget. Whole Foods may be a great option but not helpful if you have a smaller budget!
So if you could share your:
geographic area
of guests
Approximate budget
If you want to keep your food “cold” you might also think about how you’re going to do that - will you be setting up the food inside (with air conditioning) or outside? For how many hours? Will you be able to frequently refill/change out food???