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100 people lunch for cheap

post #1 of 28
6/21/09 at 6:07pm
Thread Starter 
I have this opportunity to cook lunch for 90-100 people for a fixed price - basically the less money I spend on it, the more $$ I make.
What would you do?

thanks!
:)
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post #2 of 28
6/21/09 at 6:55pm
I would make a meal that impresses them or I would do it. Money isn't everything but your reputation is.......................Bill
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post #3 of 28
6/22/09 at 5:06am
EXTREMELY VAGUE QUESTION

What age people, what type people(mid class. upscale etc) majority gender. Buffet, sitdown? Budget constraints? One cannot make a blanket decision unless all facts are known. Amount of time your putting in.:lol:
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post #4 of 28
6/22/09 at 5:42am
Thread Starter 
Well, yes, but you can often do something impressive and creative on a budget - that's what I was talking about, not how to cut corners.
Right now I'm thinking doing an Israeli pita bar type lunch, with schnitzel, falafel and israeli salad.
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post #5 of 28
6/22/09 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
It's an office lunch for a travel company. Buffet, a few vegetarians.
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post #6 of 28
6/22/09 at 5:45am
Thread Starter 
Oh and the fixed price I was talking about is about $10/ person ($1000 total)
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post #7 of 28
6/22/09 at 6:10am
tabbouli or Israeli salad, hummus, caponata, made dolmas....there are good brands out there wholesale, Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, huge green salad....maybe fattoush, I would not make falafel unless you have a deep fryer on site. Consider fillo "casserole" for lack of a better word......either cheeses (tiropete) or greens and cheese, or ground meat (birok sp?) or chicken?........someone serving to limit piggies.

Personally, I'd look at leaving out meat and making a total vegetarian meal...

Lots of pitas, pita chips, flat breads, interesting breads......


Make it look flush and huge.......presentation is more important.

I hope you are not providing the beverages, if so consider mint tea or Arnold Palmers.

Paper goods? Desserts? All the piddly addons will keep cutting the bottom line.

Hopefully you have linens, risers, large platters/bowls/baskets, props......I'd pull out the lemons, lemon leaves, copper/brass shtuff.
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post #8 of 28
6/22/09 at 6:33am
Thread Starter 
thanks!
I'm pretty sure they will want meat...
The set up (linens etc) is all theirs, it's a very casual office lunch - they get it catered every Thursday, getting food from different people.
With falafel - i'm pretty sure I could make it in my kitchen and bring it, it doesn't have to be hot. But skipping it altogether is probably a good idea :)
I will make sure to as about paper goods, that's a good point.
I'm not providing drinks, and will have to ask about desserts...
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post #9 of 28
6/22/09 at 2:14pm
dolmas, cuke sauce, fattoush salad, hummos, meat in fillo.....either ground lamb/beef or chicken.....lots of breads. Good profit margin.
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post #10 of 28
6/22/09 at 3:33pm

I would say you're on the right track already Anna. Keeping the expensive protein to an acceptable minimum and making interesting vegetarian dishes, bound to make you more$$$ and impress the client.

Chicken satay is an inexpensive skewered dish served with a spicy peanut dip. You dont need to use chicken breasts, as thighs are actually more succulent and much cheaper. I have a spot-on recipe if you want it. It would seem to go reasoably well with the above too
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post #11 of 28
6/23/09 at 5:52am
watch having sate on buffets.....I've had the delightful experience of guests filling plates with the meat skewers.
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post #12 of 28
6/23/09 at 12:32pm
I dont understand the point
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post #13 of 28
6/23/09 at 12:39pm
Shroomgirl means she had a bunch of greedy pigs eat all the satay and not touch any thing else at the buffet ruining it for everyone
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post #14 of 28
6/23/09 at 12:50pm
Seriously :suprise:

I know they're popular. But A) I have never known the rest of the buffet to be ignored because of satays. And B) ...I'm sure i had a B) but its gone

Actually i've just thought of a B) If the rest of the buffet lives up to the satays, No problem :rolleyes:
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post #15 of 28
6/23/09 at 12:56pm
ALWAYS set up the buffet with the "expensive stuff" at the "end", start with bread, then starches/vegetables/salads, and finally, the proteins.

NEVER put the high food cost items at the beginning of the buffet line!
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post #16 of 28
6/23/09 at 1:20pm
I've put staff on "popular items".....just sayin' it happens and if you are working from a budget standpoint having 6+ sates a person can be a PIA....especially for the person skewering the meat.

Cocktail parties I'm more apt to have stationary and passed, sates would be on the passed section or at a manned table.
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post #17 of 28
6/23/09 at 1:37pm
OK, ignoring the rest of the buffet was too strong a point. However, just about anyone that has ever worked any buffet has seen the greedy little blackhearts that just cherry pick the choice items x 5. I swear I had a woman walk away with a whole cheesecake "cause she couldn't stay till the end" . Out the door she walked with a plate of food and a cheescake. I couldn't get to my chef fast enough. He caught up with the woman down the hall, I heard her yell some things and he came back empty handed. Seems she was well connected to the Board members of the country club:mad:


sorry for ranting/hijack...kind of a pet peeve
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post #18 of 28
6/23/09 at 1:46pm


Excellent point.


Sorry Anna we seem to have veered off the main point.

As Pete mentions tho, Fill them up with plenty of breads and salads and keep the protiens towards the end. I works a treat
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post #19 of 28
9/9/09 at 6:20am
Thats a great idea about keeping proteins at the end. I'm definately going to use that one....
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post #20 of 28
9/9/09 at 7:00am
Don't think I'd do schnitzel on a middle eastern menu;). We used to do an Italian buffet spread, and the meat dish was a cold grilled rosemary/lemon/garlic chicken breast platter with a garlic lemon 'aioli'. You could easily adapt that to a mid-eastern spice palate. Easy to do, not awfully expensive,looks pretty, and can mostly be done the day before!
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post #21 of 28
9/9/09 at 7:04am
either at the end or stand there and dole them out.....works too.
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post #22 of 28
9/9/09 at 8:52am
Absolutley, nothing wrong with salads arrayed on platters instead of large bowls at the beginning of the buffet.
Everyone loves salad.

Cucumber Chickpea salad
Fasolia khadra lil salata
Lemon garlic potato salad
Rice and vegetable salad
Brown lentil salad
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post #23 of 28
9/10/09 at 2:00am
In terms of portioning, skewered meats arent a bad idea. However, if time and labour are a factor, you can still use the diced meats sans skewers.

Can be utilised the same way as a wet dish, and of course, if you starch it up with carbs, they can also be very filling.

Just my call. However, $10 per head in my part of the world isnt particularly a high per pax.
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post #24 of 28
9/10/09 at 6:54am
nope, unless the guest count is HUGE. Or it just makes sense at the time.....
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post #25 of 28
9/13/09 at 10:55am
What mushroom girl is emphasizeing is less hand labor. Another point with buffets is use 7 inch salad plates instead of 9 or 10 inch. You put less on them . People are strange, thay dont want others to see them go back so many times to the buffet in particular woman. Always rolls and bread display first, then salads, then a lot of starches, potato. rice, pasta, vege then protein and carver if any.
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post #26 of 28
9/16/09 at 2:27am
Actually, It's a biggest for my experience 90 to 100 guest.
I remember I served soup, meat like chicken, mixed vegetables,
fish, salad and fruit juice. At least within a budget, you can serve
also lamb because some guest are allergic in chicken or seafood.
I think five dishes are enough, it's just that you have to be creative.
Good luck!
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post #27 of 28
10/28/09 at 12:11am
Wow very pleasant idea. I love the Idea on this one. Instead of 7 use 9-10, Or maybe 12. Great post. Thank you.
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post #28 of 28
11/5/09 at 2:50pm
Well it is always the phenomena the more you invest the more you get..so i really appreciate you trick to earn and i think this is the best way to earn something.
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