With life finally getting back to normal and summer events in full swing it's always a good idea to be prepared to host and entertain your friends and family! Below we breakdown on our top tips for never running out of stock and always being prepared for last minute gatherings when it comes to hosting.
Designate an Entertaining Cabinet
Whether it's in your kitchen, storage closet, or utility room designate a cabinet or two to all of your summer dishes and plasticware. This includes cups, plates, napkins, silverware, tablecloths, straws, and ice buckets
Store like items near like items. Take all plastic silverware and contain each utensil type in a labeled bin. Store all plastic glassware together, as well as all plates and bowls together. This will help maintain organization, minimize clutter and help anyone who's unfamiliar with your home find exactly what they're looking for if needed.
If you don't have a ton of space to keep the summer entertaining dishes in its cabinet year round make sure you store everything together within the same bin to ensure you know exactly what you have and what may need to be replaced the following summer.
Containment is Key
When it comes to storing the items in your cabinet we highly recommend taking everything out of its original packaging and put it into a clear bin with a label. This will save you time when it comes to setting everything up.
Once it's time to set up for the party set up a drink station and a dinnerware section. The drink station should be separate from the food and dinnerware to avoid chaos when people are grabbing their food. Setup a utensil holder that will hold all plastic silverware and napkins to keep everything in one place by the plates.
Keep the Menu Simple
It's easy to get carried away with all of the delicious summer salads, vegetables, meat and sweet treats, but it can make for an overwhelming time for the host, and even the guests! If you're having a themed party stick with that theme for the food to eliminate any second guessing of what else you should serve. If you're hosting a traditional BBQ stick with the summer essentials salads, fruit, grilled vegetables and meat. It does not have to be a complicated menu to be a delicious meal!
Categorize Your Drink Station and Coolers
We touched on this above, but keeping your drink station and coolers away from the food will help avoid any traffic when people are trying to get their food, assuming you are setting it up buffet style.
Have plenty of ice available with a scooper to avoid spreading germs! If you're using coolers for your drinks be sure to label each cooler so people can easily find what they're looking for. If you're setting up a bar, it's great to show all the options on the top of the bar so people know what they can choose from. We recommend only doing this for wine and liquor. Keeping beer and hard seltzers in a cooler of their own will open up space at the bar.
For more fun tip and tricks be sure to follow us on social media (@shipshape.organization) for more summer fun ideas. If you're needing some inspiration or help planning and setting up for your summer hosting and entertaining schedule a consultation with us here!