Here in Texas. We slap everything on a grill. Chicken, Brisket and Sausage. Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Beans, Pickles, Onions, Jalapenos, Bread. Nanner Pudding or Peach Cobbler.

But, then there are very few Vegan beings in my neck of the woods.

Your menu sounds like a variety to me and a lot of work as well.

You wouldn't want to know how much I'd simplify things. :)

Whoo- that is a ton of work!

One thing we serve (but doesn't sound as involved as your menues) is "Walking Taco's"

It consists of taco meat (browned hambuger with taco seasoning), doritos, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and salsa.

You slightly crush then slit open a single serve size of Doritos (slit the sack open down the side - it gives a bigger opening). Add a scoop of taco meat, a squirt of liquid cheese, and add toppings they desire. If they want sour cream - just stir a fork in the sour cream and stick it in the bag - that is easier than trying to put a blob in the bag.

Everyone loves these!

I too would simplify things. Here we have a great hometown deli and we order some stuff from them. Like the broccoli and cashew salads, coleslaw because everyone likes them Does the menu have be elaborate or could it be sandwiches and salads and deserts. Here they serve alot of bars. Sandwiches are usually turkey/chicken or ham on buns with butter. Simple, but people like it. How many are helping? Personally I think your menu is good. Who pays for this and how much per person are you allowed. Drinks? Punch and coffee? Goes good here.
PS What is a HS Regiment?
Do people expect alot, is it buffet, sit down, Here buffets go over great: especially at graduation time. People come and go.

I agree--that menu needs to be simplified. Too many choices, IMHO.

You may want to go over to the "Recipe Exchange" and send a SOS out to lindac. She often cooks for large groups and is very helpful. Also here's a website that may should give you some ideas and help with amounts you will need. If not, it's still fun to look at.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dayle's Growlies for Groups

Thanks for the replies! Yea!

This is High School Marching Band (HS Regiment). They compete during the fall and we travel to the different schools where the competition is held.

IÂm so thankful that you all are agreeing with me to simplify. I will have a budget, but it is not very much. Last year DrumLine (just 50 kids) was just $2.00 per student, per meal. In addition to the main meal, I also need to serve a "hearty" snack.

These kids arrive at the school at 8:00 a.m., practice, load the busses, arrive at the Comp site, practice some more, perform, then wait for awards  they get back to school at 11:00 p.m. ItÂs a long day, but the kids *love* it. There is food at the sites for purchase, but some of these kids would go hungry if we didnÂt feed them.

Here is another menu I shared with the production manager: Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs, broccoli cheese casserole, and home-made Rice-A-Roni (much easier than it sounds). Her response? "Well, my son will starve". Sheesh ThatÂs when I said "Maybe IÂm not the right person to head this committee"  but no one else is volunteering... :-\

The salads sound nice. So do the other choices but they are loaded with carboydrates. Being a diabetic I'd have to avoid the sandwiches, ziti, cantaloupe, rice bowls, pasta and potato salads. Of course not everyone is diabetic but there are plenty of pre-diabetics and people following Atkins and South Beach type diets. I don't think the world should conform to us but please keep the Mandarin & Caesar salad on the serving line! So many funtions I've been to have potato & pasta salad or "desert type" salads that I can't partake in.

(BTW, am I invited?)

Are you saying you'll be feeding those kids/parents at 11 at night? How about cookies and a mug of warm milk? LOL!

That's awfully late to be eating a big meal. Kids like pizza--you could do a variety and have a lettuce salad or veggie trays and something yummy for dessert. I just have a hard time wrapping my brain around eating dinner at almost midnight!! To say nothing of having to stay and clean up afterwards.

Sounds like plenty. Am I invited?

These ladies have given you some great ideas. I have never headed anything like this..I am a chicken. I just join in and do what I am told... Good luck to you. I will be thinking of you and hoping all the best for you!!

I completely agree with you. It almost strikes me that someone was in competition with another for who could serve the bestest, most complicated and the greatest of variety to present! - but I don't know the players.

I completely agree with you. A nice meal offered is ALL that anyone ever expects and is so appreciated, they don't expect to be offered a restaurant menu *LOL

If this wasn't a kind of competition of some sort between some people, I just can't imagine the effort that people were willing to go to - it doesn't seem like this is the type of informal function that the lavish, varied menu suits at all.

The baked zeti with and without meat sounds terrific for for ease of prep for that night - not everyone eats meat and this is something that could be done way, way ahead of time and frozen, but then they ALL sound delicious to me. I wish I was going, it would be a great night to not cook and still have a great meal :)

Let us know how it goes!

Get a big iron kettle, set over a fire (preferrable out-of-doors LOL) and make chowder.

Chowder recipe:

Brown ground meat. While browing, throw in diced potatoes, chopped onions, diced carrots, chopped celery, and a little garlic.

When the meat is browned, toss in cans of vegtables - whatever people brought. Everyone brings a couple cans of vetables, whatever they would like to see in the mix. The master chef empties cans of whatever shows up into the chowder (unless in his opinion, it would ruin the mix). Add water if necessary. Heat to boiling and serve.

Suggested spices: Chili powder, black pepper, a wee bit of red prpper, salt. Spices can be left out and sdded by each diner to his/her taste. There will laready be considerable amount of salt from the canned vegtables.

This is a really big cast iron kettle, ok.

After reading some of the posts and finding out this is a marching band etc, I really would keep it simple. I agree, 11pm is a tad late for a heavy meal. Sandwich, soup/chili/ snacks are better. When my DD was in marching band, her instructor would not let the kids eat heavy at all. And the support group took all the food to the parades and competition to feed them. Also, please find help to clean up. Do not try to do everything yourself. But at only $2.00 per person, ask for donations, paper plates, silverware, cups, punch. Talk it over with the leader, and other school personal. You need to protect yourself if something goes astray. Is this served at 11pm and to the mom who complained her son might go hungry, she is in charge of the clean up committee.

I say Iowagirl really understands the meaning of simple! I like that sort of thing

Different parts of the country have different habits in food.
Around here I can just about tell you what will be served before getting there. If it is kids you most likely will have sloppy-joes, chips, fruit salad, a pickle and cookies.

The only thing that makes it tough at all is hauling all those buns w/o squishing them! It is something that is easy if you are serving "when they show up" throughout a stretch of time.

In place of the fruit salad you could have fruit cups (with a variety of cut fruits) and veggie cups (with a variety of cut veggies.)

If you keep it simple, it will be easier to get volunteers in the future.

I am a mom of Marching Band students (in fact, all 4 of our kids are/were in the High School marching band).

Perhaps you could send out a questionnaire to find out about dietary concerns. I know we do that, and have students with allergies, and we also have one or two vegetarians every year. Having this knowledge ahead of time makes planning the menu's easier. You don't need to plan the whole menu around 2-3 kids, but you can plan substitutes for those few children who have allergies or dietary restrictions.

Personally, I think giving many choices just makes more work for everyone involved, and probably leads to having too much food being wasted. Also, giving the kids choices will slow down your serving process.

We are not eating at 11:00 p.m.! So sorry to be confusing! ThatÂs what time the kids get back to school, but we travel with the kids and feed them at the event.

We usually eat the main meal around lunch time (anywhere from 11:00 a.m. Â 2:00 p.m. depending on the performance time) and then give the kids a hearty snack late afternoon.

You have all given me some great ideas and more important  belief that IÂm not way out of line. IÂll be going to the meeting this evening and telling them what I will (and will not) do and if that is good enough for them, then IÂm happy to head the committee.

Thanks everyone!

Jeri

I think you are wise to make it simple. That menu you described in your first post... sounds like more than $2/person. Someone was forking out some bucks from their own pocket to cover that!

I've been involved with a project that required feeding about 200 people twice a day for a week. But our situation was different, we didn't have to travel with the food. The fact that you need to travel with the food is another reason to keep it simple. Lately I volunteer to prepare food for gymnastics events (three meals a day for about 30 people all weekend). But I don't plan the menu. I just do what I'm told. ;o)

Knowing teens, I second the pizza! It's so easy to find a chain location in the town you're traveling to that will DELIVER the pizzas to the site. That's be my kind of plan! If you call ahead, they can probably give you one heck of a deal, too. Prepare small bags of fresh fruit and/or vegies to serve with it. Kept in a cooler, they can just be pulled out for each meal or available for snacks. When I take sliced oranges to my kids' events, they are gone fast. I'd have lots of fresh fruits that keep available, apples, bananas. These are teens, I'd find easy foods they like, with nutrition also a priority, and convenience and cost, but NO priority on the themed menues fit for a wedding reception.

Chili is good with toppings each kid can fix it up the way they like.

Maybe baked potatoes. You could load the oven up with those and have a lot easy. Individually wrapped in foil and kept in a cooler for hot food, they'd be good a while, wouldn't they? Serve with choices of toppings. Next to pizza, my teen likes baked potato bars.

Different flavored chicken wings- kids love those.

I'm curious how this works out for you, too. I'm sure the majority of your booster parents will agree: keep it simple. There are always a couple who like to show off, but speak up for common sense and I bet the majority will back you.

I was in a marching band that traveled to competitions like that. Leaving at 0.early and arriving home very late. It was the best time, I loved every minute of it! What committed parents to organize good food for the kids! I wish I was going!

I would simplify it ever more. I like the idea of a taco bar with hard and soft tacos. Kids can put on whatever they like. Maybe the pasta dish as well and salad.

Here is a link to some good recipes and the amounts needed to feed a crowd.

Anne

Here is a link that might be useful: Feeding a crowd