Please reply quickly. I am in the process of evaluating caterers and need some feedback. For a catered event including the following (this is an example): Mixed Green Salad, Pasta Salad, Grilled Veggies, BBQ Baked Beans, Grilled Salmon and Tri-Tip; all stems, non-alcoholic beverages (water, soda, iced tea), tables, chairs, tents, etc. The total per person would include all applicable tax and gratuity. There is NO CORKAGE and there will be TONS of wine...

After some discussion with Mike Harris and a suggestion from a couple of attendees we have decided to keep the costs down and turn this into an Old Fashioned Picnic with Burgers and Dogs. How does that sound?

And some salad(s) &/or some green/veggie type products to that menu & it works for us!

It's all about the wine. And, a simple picnic-type deal is good enough.

P.S.: can you also have some turkey burgers as part of the plan. Wife does not eat red meat.

Thanks, Brent!

Sounds great.

I think the overall plan is this: burgers (both turkey and beef), dogs (both turkey/chicken and beef), green salad, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, cornbread and cookies/brownies for dessert.

and a little wine to wash it down?

Ok...I have been quite dissatisfied with the response I have gotten from caterers. They all want to charge me way too much for this event ($60-$75 per person). Here is what I have been working on of late: simply renting the stuff we need, hiring a grill master and doing this ourselves. I have been in touch with a couple of rental places and the average rental cost for chairs, tables, stems, decanters, a grill, linens, dump buckets, umbrellas is betwen $15-$20 per person. For an additional $20 per person, I figure we can have a ourselves one helluva feast. What say you to $40.00 per person and the only things you have to bring are wine and yourself?

Sounds real good to me. Do we all take it in turns to run the grill?