Having people stand in line three times in one night is not an ideal party vibe. It takes a long time for people to move through a customizable bar, even more so when you have lots of options. Iād consider combining the taco and nacho bar for dinner and doing passed appetizers or something simple during cocktail hour.
I also agree with what others have said about nachos for an appetizer and then turning around and having tacos right after seems odd. And nachos during cocktail hour will be messy with people standing and mingling.
Was at a wedding where the tables went one by one. They took a photo with bride and flgroon then went to buffet. Solves multiple issues. Pics with all guests are taken, food lune doesn't get bunched up.
Bundtini bar - I'm not sure what this is.
Nachos are messy, which isn't ideal when I spent time to look nice. Glad to hear the tacos have toppings - I was at a wedding where this wasn't really an option on the tacos. They also run the risk of being messy.
Make sure you have food for them, my sister is vegetarian and we went to a wedding once and I had to watch her survive off a plate of beans and iceberg lettuce despite the couple saying there would be options
ETA: I see in your comments there will be fajita veggies, make sure you order more of this so other guests donāt get to it first and leave your veg friends with nothing.
Do you have an option for those two on the tacos? Pulled Oyster-Mushrooms with bbq-rub do perfectly as "pulled pork". And even other guests will like it :)
How about the late night snack though? Also will the nachos be vegetarian as well?
Finally since itās all buffet, is there a way to make sure that the vegetarians will have enough fill of their food and not have to worry about other guests eating a majority of it?
As a vegetarian myself Iām not loving this plan at all.
I hope youāll have tons of tables for the cocktail hour! Iād imagine nachos while standing would get messy. And in my mind the nacho bar and taco bar would be very similar: all the same toppings with just a different type of ādelivery system.ā I think Iād be less excited about dinner if it was essentially the same as the appetizer, if Iām honest.
Please please please make sure buffet is at least double sided. I run corporate. events and our rule of thumb is every time a guest has to pick up a spoon or tongs. It takes extra time. I love a taco bar, but between all the topping and condiment options thereās a lot of stopping to scoop. This takes more time than people realize. My mom and my sister have both gone to weddings in the last year that had taco bars that had just one spot to walk up and self serve. In one case it took two hours for them to be able to get up from the table to get dinner. This is a crowd pleasing option that I think weāll go over well, as long as it set up to keep the line moving. Have fun!!
The question is what is your audience's opinion about Mexican food? And are your vegetarians good with their options? It really all hinges on those two questions. If you still have time to adjust, do an informal survey of some of your guests. Tacos and nachos tend to be well loved but not known to be a formal event food in part because they're a bit messy.
I did a survey of my family, bridal party, and future SIL and they loved it. My two friends who are vegetarian also loved it. Maybe Iāll add forks so they can make burrito bowls.
This is the key piece of information! No way am I chancing nachos and tacos when dressed up. But I love a good burrito bowl!!
Side noteā¦ are the ingredients between the nachos and tacos dissimilar enough to feel like two separate things?
You should keep the nachos / tacos both for the meal ( since the toppings are somewhat similar ) find a different appetizer .. maybe some Mexican corn cups and mini flautas or empanadas
As long as there is ENOUGH food and itās something that generally picky eaters wouldnāt mind, I really donāt think it matters! Iāve had mediocre food at some weddings and still had the best time
Iām doing something similar! I have a buffet taco bar (cooked onsite) and for the appetizers weāre doing a very dramatic chips and salsa bar. Anyone who knows us, knows that we live and breathe Mexican food here so no one shall be surprised and everyone we have told loved our choice!
I also love the idea of a Bundtini bar! Weāre getting a vintage heart cake for us to cut but doing a dessert bar for easy grabbing. I have read countless posts where cake is the biggest regret bc so much gets wasted. I will be having mini Bundt cakes and a variety of other desserts as well.
Donāt overthink it - your food plan sounds lovely!
Your food plan sounds awesome! Who wouldn't love loaded nachos, fancy tacos, bundtinis, and chicken tenders? It's like you've got all the bases covered for a delicious feast that caters to everyone's cravings. Don't stress too much; people will be too busy munching and enjoying themselves to worry about anything else!
I would have to wait for the late night snack because chances are I can't eat some of the toppings on the nachos or tacos nor would I eat them because they are to messy.
The nacho bar can be customized with no meat, the taco bar has fajita vegetables, black beans, guac, ect. And the late night snack will have a ton of French fries!
No we only have 2 vegetarian guests, both of who love to add black beans and donāt like tofu which was the vegan meat option. Also my best friends go to drunk snack is fries so I believe they will both be happy.
As someone who rarely eats meat, a nacho bar, taco bar, and fries sound like a great food to meal! Easily customizable, filling, tastyā¦ iām not getting all the comments about vegetarians...
the food isnāt fancy, but Iām assuming your wedding is more on the casual side and the menu works! although, I did like the recommendation of doing the nacho and taco bars together and doing cups of elojete and other Mexican tapas for the cocktail hour. easily eaten foods are best for cocktail hour. That way people can mix and mingle without worrying about messy Nachos.
eta: oh! I also recommend having forks available, so people can eat their tacos as a taco salad or bowl or whatever so itās easier/less messy.
People are being totally out of line with you. I ensured everyoneās dietary restrictions were handled for my catering but I also fully believe that an option that accommodates a persons choices is all they can expect. Until someone offers to pay a premium for you to have a non tofu, plant based mock meat option, you can ignore that. You are not just providing iceberg lettuce and a single portobello mushroom.
If anything, try to ensure your vegetarian friends get to the food on the early side so they can get enough veggie stuff. You donāt need to do anything more complicated to ensure TWO people get to eat enough.
Depends on how the "Bars" work.
I went to a wedding that did "Build your own taco" style dinner, and tables went one by one through the line. It was a wedding of about 150 people, and I was at the table that ended up being called last to get our tacos. By the time we walked up to the taco bar, the bride had already had the first dance, the dollar dance, and the music was starting to play for the overall evening. It took so long for the families to all get their tacos that we sat there for almost 2 hours waiting for our turn.
Needless to say, it wasn't a fantastic experience for us, so I am definitely cautious to say it's a good idea. That and people were incredibly scared to spill taco stuff on their nice clothes so most people didn't eat much at all.
Those sound like good ideas! I know for our wedding we had 3 different buffet lines for a wedding of 75 people. Everyone went through those pretty quickly, but 1 buffet for 150 people was painful!
Nachos and tacos are very similar (I mean I love both but im not eating tacos if I started with nachos). Is there a salad?
Yes there is a salad option š
Having people stand in line three times in one night is not an ideal party vibe. It takes a long time for people to move through a customizable bar, even more so when you have lots of options. Iād consider combining the taco and nacho bar for dinner and doing passed appetizers or something simple during cocktail hour. I also agree with what others have said about nachos for an appetizer and then turning around and having tacos right after seems odd. And nachos during cocktail hour will be messy with people standing and mingling.
Thank you for the insight! Iāll ask my caterer what other options there are.
Was at a wedding where the tables went one by one. They took a photo with bride and flgroon then went to buffet. Solves multiple issues. Pics with all guests are taken, food lune doesn't get bunched up.
Bundtini bar - I'm not sure what this is. Nachos are messy, which isn't ideal when I spent time to look nice. Glad to hear the tacos have toppings - I was at a wedding where this wasn't really an option on the tacos. They also run the risk of being messy.
They are mini Bundt cakes!
Will there be other desserts too, or just those? (I'm thinking of vegans and celiac folks.)
I do not have any guests with those dietary restrictions, just 2 vegetarians!
Make sure you have food for them, my sister is vegetarian and we went to a wedding once and I had to watch her survive off a plate of beans and iceberg lettuce despite the couple saying there would be options ETA: I see in your comments there will be fajita veggies, make sure you order more of this so other guests donāt get to it first and leave your veg friends with nothing.
Do you have an option for those two on the tacos? Pulled Oyster-Mushrooms with bbq-rub do perfectly as "pulled pork". And even other guests will like it :)
Tofu was the option and they said they didnāt like tofu, so asked for different bean options. That pulled pork option sounds amazing though
How about the late night snack though? Also will the nachos be vegetarian as well? Finally since itās all buffet, is there a way to make sure that the vegetarians will have enough fill of their food and not have to worry about other guests eating a majority of it? As a vegetarian myself Iām not loving this plan at all.
I hope youāll have tons of tables for the cocktail hour! Iād imagine nachos while standing would get messy. And in my mind the nacho bar and taco bar would be very similar: all the same toppings with just a different type of ādelivery system.ā I think Iād be less excited about dinner if it was essentially the same as the appetizer, if Iām honest.
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Please please please make sure buffet is at least double sided. I run corporate. events and our rule of thumb is every time a guest has to pick up a spoon or tongs. It takes extra time. I love a taco bar, but between all the topping and condiment options thereās a lot of stopping to scoop. This takes more time than people realize. My mom and my sister have both gone to weddings in the last year that had taco bars that had just one spot to walk up and self serve. In one case it took two hours for them to be able to get up from the table to get dinner. This is a crowd pleasing option that I think weāll go over well, as long as it set up to keep the line moving. Have fun!!
The question is what is your audience's opinion about Mexican food? And are your vegetarians good with their options? It really all hinges on those two questions. If you still have time to adjust, do an informal survey of some of your guests. Tacos and nachos tend to be well loved but not known to be a formal event food in part because they're a bit messy.
I did a survey of my family, bridal party, and future SIL and they loved it. My two friends who are vegetarian also loved it. Maybe Iāll add forks so they can make burrito bowls.
This is the key piece of information! No way am I chancing nachos and tacos when dressed up. But I love a good burrito bowl!! Side noteā¦ are the ingredients between the nachos and tacos dissimilar enough to feel like two separate things?
Here is the menu: Nacho Bar: chips, queso blanco, chorizo, Gomez salsa, corn salsa, mango salsa, guac, pickled onions, and Baja sauce. Taco bar: chicken, carnitas, beef, rice, beans, fajita vegetables, corn, 3 salsas, sour cream, and 2 sauces.
You should keep the nachos / tacos both for the meal ( since the toppings are somewhat similar ) find a different appetizer .. maybe some Mexican corn cups and mini flautas or empanadas
As long as there is ENOUGH food and itās something that generally picky eaters wouldnāt mind, I really donāt think it matters! Iāve had mediocre food at some weddings and still had the best time
Now I want nachos
Iām doing something similar! I have a buffet taco bar (cooked onsite) and for the appetizers weāre doing a very dramatic chips and salsa bar. Anyone who knows us, knows that we live and breathe Mexican food here so no one shall be surprised and everyone we have told loved our choice! I also love the idea of a Bundtini bar! Weāre getting a vintage heart cake for us to cut but doing a dessert bar for easy grabbing. I have read countless posts where cake is the biggest regret bc so much gets wasted. I will be having mini Bundt cakes and a variety of other desserts as well. Donāt overthink it - your food plan sounds lovely!
Thank you! We are also going to have a mini heart cake to cut as well. Your wedding sounds like itāll be so much fun!
I feel like tacos and nachos are low key the same, otherwise sounds great!
Your food plan sounds awesome! Who wouldn't love loaded nachos, fancy tacos, bundtinis, and chicken tenders? It's like you've got all the bases covered for a delicious feast that caters to everyone's cravings. Don't stress too much; people will be too busy munching and enjoying themselves to worry about anything else!
I love this, it sounds perfect for a good night! The late night snacks are amazing, and hit the spot.
I would have to wait for the late night snack because chances are I can't eat some of the toppings on the nachos or tacos nor would I eat them because they are to messy.
We have a burrito bowl option with rice if someone is worried about a taco, does that help?
It's probably less messy and yes that would help.
What about vegetarians?
The nacho bar can be customized with no meat, the taco bar has fajita vegetables, black beans, guac, ect. And the late night snack will have a ton of French fries!
No vegan meat options? Ahhh yes just French fries what every vegetarian loves
No we only have 2 vegetarian guests, both of who love to add black beans and donāt like tofu which was the vegan meat option. Also my best friends go to drunk snack is fries so I believe they will both be happy.
So it sounds like you are already pretty set on the menu and not really needing much feedback thenā¦?
Iām confused, Iām open to feedback but I believe they were trying to imply I didnāt have food for my guests with dietary restrictions.
As someone who rarely eats meat, a nacho bar, taco bar, and fries sound like a great food to meal! Easily customizable, filling, tastyā¦ iām not getting all the comments about vegetarians... the food isnāt fancy, but Iām assuming your wedding is more on the casual side and the menu works! although, I did like the recommendation of doing the nacho and taco bars together and doing cups of elojete and other Mexican tapas for the cocktail hour. easily eaten foods are best for cocktail hour. That way people can mix and mingle without worrying about messy Nachos. eta: oh! I also recommend having forks available, so people can eat their tacos as a taco salad or bowl or whatever so itās easier/less messy.
People are being totally out of line with you. I ensured everyoneās dietary restrictions were handled for my catering but I also fully believe that an option that accommodates a persons choices is all they can expect. Until someone offers to pay a premium for you to have a non tofu, plant based mock meat option, you can ignore that. You are not just providing iceberg lettuce and a single portobello mushroom. If anything, try to ensure your vegetarian friends get to the food on the early side so they can get enough veggie stuff. You donāt need to do anything more complicated to ensure TWO people get to eat enough.
Plenty of weddings donāt even offer a late night snack option, this is an extra perk. Kinda rude to set higher expectations for something like that
Depends on how the "Bars" work. I went to a wedding that did "Build your own taco" style dinner, and tables went one by one through the line. It was a wedding of about 150 people, and I was at the table that ended up being called last to get our tacos. By the time we walked up to the taco bar, the bride had already had the first dance, the dollar dance, and the music was starting to play for the overall evening. It took so long for the families to all get their tacos that we sat there for almost 2 hours waiting for our turn. Needless to say, it wasn't a fantastic experience for us, so I am definitely cautious to say it's a good idea. That and people were incredibly scared to spill taco stuff on their nice clothes so most people didn't eat much at all.
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Those sound like good ideas! I know for our wedding we had 3 different buffet lines for a wedding of 75 people. Everyone went through those pretty quickly, but 1 buffet for 150 people was painful!