How To Host A Potluck
Hosting a potluck can be a lot of fun. It takes a little planning and preparation to make everything go off without a hitch. By following a few simple guidelines, you’ll greatly increase your chances of a successful potluck and, more importantly, spend a lot less time on organizing and going back-and-forth with the other participants.
Decide on a Location
Most of the time this will be predetermined. You may have a potluck at work, or at church. Even then, you may have a choice of rooms to use, or at the very least some flexibility on where you set up.
Walk the location. Think back on some potlucks that have worked well and some that haven’t. What can you implement to set yourself up for success?
Things I consider when choosing a location are how easy it will be to walk around and get the food and where do I have outlets. Everything else you can usually work around. It doesn’t hurt to check on where the closest sink is for doing dishes, and if there’s a fridge on the premises to store food before you eat and leftovers after.
Create A Sign-Up Sheet Or Assign Dishes
My best advice is to plan your potluck well ahead of time. Yes, sometimes the most amazing ones are very last minute and thrown together, but as a rule, you want to give people a little time to prepare.
What to bring to a potluck is an important decision. Some of us have a handful of favorite recipes that we rotate through. Others may need a little extra help or encouragement. And then of course there are always participants best put in charge of drinks, ice, or chips. And that’s okay.
The better you know your fellow cooks, the easier it will be to assign certain dishes or types of dishes. If you don’t know your participants well, I recommend a sign-up sheet.
With a sign-up sheet you want to be specific, or you’ll end up with three different rice dishes, four potato salads, a bunch of desserts and little else.
Start by determining how many people will participate. Create your main categories like meat, sides, salads, and sweets for example. Add several spots under each category, and request that each participant include what dish they plan on making. This will encourage your fellow potluckers to mix things up and avoid duplications.
Send Out Reminders
As the organizer, it’s your job to make sure everyone is ready for the potluck. You don’t want to be obnoxious, but it’s helpful to send out reminders to sign up for the potluck and then two or three reminders leading up to the potluck. I like to do one a week or so before the event to give everyone plenty of time to grocery shop and one the day before.
Get organized ahead of time by collecting emails or cell phone numbers on the sign-up sheet. Let your participants know the emails or text messages are coming.
Keep it fun and stay flexible. Things happen. People change their minds. That’s okay. Being organized helps you manage any last-minute hiccups with grace.
Be Prepared
Last but not least, make sure you are prepared for any eventuality. For me, that usually means having a few extra serving spoons and dishes on hand. I double check on electricity, outlets, and bring a cooler full of ice.
Last but not least, I make sure I include a time buffer or have someone on standby to go run to the store to grab whatever else we may need. There always seems to be something. The person in charge of napkins decides to make a batch of broccoli salad instead. Or the one who promised to bring drinks doesn’t show up. It happens. Don’t make a big deal about it. Send someone to the store to grab what you need and enjoy yourself. Life’s too short to hold potluck grudges.
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