# No kitchen or prep area available at event



## Guest (Mar 7, 2013)

We are a new catering company and have just been hired to cater a small surprise birthday party at a bar. The theme is 49er tailgate. There will be no kitchen or private prep area available for us to use. In fact, the only sink we will have available to us is in the bathroom. We haven't been in business long enough to purchase a catering van yet. The party venue is upstairs, bar is downstairs. 

We were hoping to do a tailgate themed menu  consisting of sliders, sausage sandwiches, nachos and chili in polenta cups, in addition to some cold items. Everything will be cooked ahead of time but the hot items are not easy to put together without kitchen/prep facilities. 

Any ideas on how we can prepare the hot items. Or is it easier to offer cold alternatives?

Thanks

Ronda


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Having trouble understanding your current operation, youre not telling us much.

You stated youre a new caterer. How new?

Like...no-experience-hey-lets-start-a-catering-company new?

The events I worked rarely had the luxury of a kitchen.

As caterers it's up to us to be able to work in virtually any situation, that's why we try

to be self contained.

But there are limits, and it's up to you as caterer to spell those limits out to the client, based

on what you know you can and cant do with your equipment, vs the menu.

Cuz theyll have you spinning lobster tails from spaghetti if it suits them.

Where does the client expect you to stage? If theres no other space available except the

serving area, then that is where you unload to, set up, and prepare for service.

How many people attending?

And what "hot items"  do you think need a prep area or kitchen to prepare?

The items you listed seem doable enough.

-Meez


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

We are a new catering company and have just been hired to cater a small surprise birthday party at a bar. The theme is 49er tailgate. There will be no kitchen or private prep area available for us to use. In fact, the only sink we will have available to us is in the bathroom. We haven't been in business long enough to purchase a catering van yet. The party venue is upstairs, bar is downstairs.

_Bring water in large cambros or coolers. 6-8" tables. You don't tell us how many people or how much food, but a couple of 8' tables usually are enough for a "small party". large cutting boards._

We were hoping to do a tailgate themed menu consisting of sliders, sausage sandwiches, nachos and chili in polenta cups, in addition to some cold items. Everything will be cooked ahead of time but the hot items are not easy to put together without kitchen/prep facilities.

_What's not easy to put together? What type of sliders? Bring a microwave, rent cambros...._

Any ideas on how we can prepare the hot items. Or is it easier to offer cold alternatives?

_Yes cold items are easier if you don't have stoves/burners/cambros etc......unless there's a budget to rent it all. You've got a pretty big list of menu items....a suggestion is to have a mega nacho bar and have only one or two additions hot, have chafer for those items._

Thanks

Ronda

_You are welcome_


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

For the love of God please do no use the bathroom sink to wash anything but your hands. I strongly recommend you bring your own water as shroom suggested. 

What kind of catering company do you have, how long have you've been running it, and where do you normally host your events?


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## davehriver (Jan 13, 2012)

To expand on an item previously mentioned. You can make a hand wash station by putting hot water in an drink cooler and putting a small dish pan under it.  I would only wash hands in bathroom if I used the bathroom and then I would wash them again.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Well you can use a bathroom sink in a pinch to dispose of waste water, waste "juice" like from your green beans etc, then treat it

as though you used the restroom--wash and sanitize!

But bathroom as a fresh water source? Um... just plain NO.

As a caterer, I always...letta-me--saya-thata-again.....ALWAYS brought 2 or 3 bottles of hand sanitizer--and used them liberally.

You can squirt it on a rag and sanitize surfaces too.

And I always brought 1 or 2 5 gal buckets of fresh water,(to pour in chaffers, and other uses) and 1 or 2 5 gal empty buckets

for waste, all with lids of course. Always brought my own trash bags too, with frames to hang them on.1 4ft prep table, and

whatever work tables I needed that the client didnt provide.

Self-contained.

I generally didnt try to wash/sanitize equipment/utinsels on location--sealed em away for later, and always had extra cleans

on hand....

OP you comin back? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Folks!!!!

Rent a Cambro hand wash station.  This has everything in one unit--hot water, cold water, waste water storage, soap, paper towels.

Rent or buy a 10 x 10 canopy, this will be enough to put in a few banquet tables plus have the bbq under the shade.

Do this and charge, do this and your guests will be impressed by your professionalism.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Oh well...if you're gonna do that...yeah! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif


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## deenja69 (Mar 7, 2013)

I can see no reason why the water coming out of a bathroom tap is any different than the water coming out of a kitchen tap. They come from the same source. Depending on weather and your region, those little pop-up canopy's work well as a staging area. I've done alot of outdoor events with a good BBQ and a Coleman Stove or the Japanese portable gas burners. Invest in a Trestle table and clean your gear at you base of operations. Many other suggestions on this thread are quite valid but as you didn't give much details we are all just stabbing in the dark with ideas.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

> I've done alot of outdoor events with a good BBQ and a Coleman Stove or the Japanese portable gas burners.


As have I,and likely most of us, and as you said, we're stabbing and brainstorming.


> I can see no reason why the water coming out of a bathroom tap is any different than the water coming out of a kitchen tap. They come from the same source.


The problem isnt what's coming out of the faucet, it's the area _surrounding _the faucet. Namely the bathroom itself. Just not a good sanitary place to get water for anything

even close to public (not to mention paid) consumption, even if it's to be boiled. I wouldn't even use a public bathroom to source water for chaffers, unless I simply had

no choice, and I feel that would be my fault for not having the foresight to avoid it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif


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## smork (Aug 27, 2012)

deenja69 said:


> I can see no reason why the water coming out of a bathroom tap is any different than the water coming out of a kitchen tap. They come from the same source. Depending on weather and your region, those little pop-up canopy's work well as a staging area. I've done alot of outdoor events with a good BBQ and a Coleman Stove or the Japanese portable gas burners. Invest in a Trestle table and clean your gear at you base of operations. Many other suggestions on this thread are quite valid but as you didn't give much details we are all just stabbing in the dark with ideas.


where do you work?


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## sput801 (Feb 2, 2011)

You'll need to rent prooffers and do what caterers know as proofer cooking. Sterno, must. Good luck. No one said catering comes complete with a kitchen, you just have to make one.


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