Covid food serving ideas diy

Hi!! Off the top of my head, I would suggest wrapped silverware already at the guests’ seats to eliminate touching other’s napkins. I think masked servers are ideal if that is possible. Another thought is two different lines with same food options to minimize crowding. We did a plated dinner and if possible, if masked servers with gloves plated the meals and took to the tables would be safe. Hope this helps ❤️

Have you looked into plexiglass options? As far as Buffet style A lot of people have someone serve and put the food on others plates that way they’re not passing around the same utensil to grab food.
I think the typical 6 feet apart, sanitizer, and garbage disposal around should do the trick. It’s outside so you probably don’t really have to enforce masks if you do that’s totally up to you, but outside is always better.
They even have these food plate covers specifically for what you’re trying to do and they’re only$7.99 for six pack on Amazon!That way you could just keep all of the food already portioned out on plates and top them off with these or whatever

I'd plan for masked servers and request guests to wear masks too while in line, along with not crowding the line, hand sanitizer before grabbing a plate, silverware at each place setting, "you touch, you take," etc. I'd just not suggest serving the food yourselves - it does seem like a great way to be able to greet everyone, but could also hold up the line with people who want to say more than just hi to the two of you!

I am also doing a casual backyard BBQ at a private home, but I did hire a BBQ restaurant to do the BBQ. They are handling the rewrapped silverware and disposable plates. Originally I also wanted a serve yourself option (honestly, I wanted to leave food out and just say eat when your hungry, vs a formal meal) but thanks to covid I had to pivot a bit. Instead we are having open seating (Seat yourself) but are asking everyone to please keep there seat once they choose it. Then the caterer will call up to the buffet by table and serve up.

If you did want to have the food catered but not have a server, I would order in bulk things that are yummy at room temp (pulled pork, potato salad, eat). have your disposable silverware wrapped and placed at each seat with disposable plates/napkins. Then everyone can go up and serve themselves onto there own plate!

Hot food at serving temp won't be a problem with covid. Room temperature things prepared in advance could be. So I see no advantage to box lunches.
But you do not want bunches of people breathing on it. If you routinely, safely, cook for this size group, that is not a problem. The several weddings and parties We went to either rigged clear plastic of the kind you buy for putting on furniture or car seats, or bought a roll of Commercial size saran wrap, to make see thru barriers. If you have more than 30 or so people ( a Thanksgiving size) You would be best with 2 for serving and cleanup, college students, or neighbors are fine. Their whole job is the food, and no cleanliness issues of going back and forth, without extra sink and washing space, and you being appropriately sociable as you gulp down a mouthful to go help serve someone. Doing your own cooking is fine if you know what you are doing. It is the actual serving and most immediate clean up that is your needy time. And the worst thing is for lots of others to keep stepping in, then out, then in. All to be helpful. Depending on the menu, the numbers, and cost, you may want to rent a steam table for the day,, they are a help.

When’s the wedding? I’d consider how much covid will be a concern now that people are getting vaccinated. You may not have to make very many adjustments.

Do not DIY any cooking especially during covid. Also no venues allow food that doesn't come from a licensed caterer. If your guests are cooking, they won't be able to enjoy the wedding while they are working.

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We are having a diy backyard wedding next weekend and this is exactly what we are planning to do.

We have little desserts in plastic cups with lids. For cocktail hour (we won't have cocktails but do a coffeebar instead) I prepackaged snacks and put a cute personalized sticker on it.

We'll have hand sanitizer everywhere and I wrapped napkins and silverware in cellophane.

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Hi, our wedding site has no problem for us to DIY whatever we want, including food and homebrew, but thanks.

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We haven't settled on a date but looking like the fall. Because we forgot about LANTERN FLY season which will start in a month and a half probably until sometime in September ugh. Like covid wasn't enough in 2020, this started up last year too!

It is true! Lot of changes even in the last week or two. On the other hand, there's also chance for things to change bad again. I'd rather be a bit prepared tbh even if we don't have to do the precautions in the end. Most of our guests are pretty conservative as far as covid goes (lotta people started getting vaccinated already including fiance, me, and both sets of parents) though there are a handful of anti-vaxxers. Either way we want it to be safe for everyone.

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So finally booked the venue! We had a change which will be better in the end I think.

We have TWO steam tables, I am in love lol. I was thinking about what to do- one problem I thought about was serving spoons. Most of our crew will be vaccinated, but there are a handful of anti-vaxxers, merp. I can hire a person to serve (might do this anyway? but some friends are already offering help- I'm DIYing it) but an idea I had was to give everyone their own serving spoon. That would help reduce the contact. IDK. I have to figure out the menu, steam table might lean me in a lil different direction.

Another nice thing about the dining area is there are about twice as many tables/chairs as projected guests, AND enough picnic tables outside for everyone to choose where they want to eat. So amazing social distancing. We can also open all the windows inside if need be (mid-October wedding, hopefully not TOO cold)

BTW whomever was the person who said "no venues allow food that doesn't come from a licensed caterer", um, no? We found probably 25-30 in our search (103 venues contacted) that did not including county/township parks. It's no problem at all for us, and in our contract. We did have to buy liability insurance, it was about $100 so np (we needed anyway since having booze).

View Quoted Comment There are many venues that do not require a licenced caterer. It depends where you live.

View Quoted Comment Health regs-real health, not local licensing- a spoon that has touched one food cannot be used for another food. Giving each person their own serving spoon would mean giving them 6 serving spoons and 2 tongs each. No. As long as the spoon for a hot item stays in the food when you lay it down, it is not growing anything. When people go for a break, after every one is served one, all spoons go in your industrial dishwasher, 10 min and you put out a second set. We usually put utensils through a sterilizing wash, or in near steaming water, every half hour, regardless of use, because every half hour is memorable. If every server wears gloves, with cookout type stuff, you will want to buy a case of 72 plastic disposed tongs, 5.5-6.6 ". For under $20, it will really cut number of major utensil swap offs. You can do a bunch of something, then toss in the to-be-washed when you finish a bucket or platter. Remember, you are not trying to eliminate a single bacteria on a single item. Just colonies that take time and can be defeated by doing things on a schedule. Those are what makes people sick.
But 2 steam tables means two lines if needed for hot things, and is practically glory. Then your servers set up for the next thing while keeping a seconds line open. One of you will frequently check, not on line serve, if you want to talk to people and enjoy things.

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Thanks @Judith for all these thoughts.