Potluck Planning

Tips for Your Next Pot Luck

When it comes to potlucks most often we simply think that we bring a dish and that's it. However, there's more thought that goes into it if you want a successful potluck and want people to come back the next time you have one. Follow our simple tips below to have a successful potluck event for any size or occasion.

Since you are planning the potluck you need to decide if you want to manage it using paper sheets or online. We suggest you do everything online to have a successful potluck. Creating a potluck online starts HERE and is very easy.

You need to know your guests. Some guests may have certain eating requirements (allergies, gluten-free, vegetarians, etc.). This may be by choice or health reasons. A good percentage of your family and friends may be vegetarians. Make sure you have enough variety so everyone can participate and have an enjoyable experience.

Be very specific when creating food assignments. This includes what type of food and the quantity. For a recent "Dinner for Parent/Teacher Conference Night", we had a Soup and Salad theme dinner provided for our teachers by the PTA. Based on the numbers we were expecting, we knew we needed 10 Crock Pots of Soup of different varieties. We also knew that some of our teachers were vegetarians and some teachers prefer vegetarian soup. When creating our sign up online we had eight crock pots of soup of any variety and two vegetarian crock pots of soup. Click here to see how we did this.

Do you have picky eaters? If you will be having little kids attend the potluck, create some food assignments that will cater to their needs. You can even create a special table that is specific to them that has their food on it. At the beginning of the potluck, make sure you announce who the table is for. You could even put a sign on the table that says it is for little kids only, "For Kids 8 and under".

Having a theme for a potluck is very common these days. Our church has an annual Chili potluck every year. It is very well attended and there are all sorts of chili varieties.

Make sure you have eating utensils, serving utensils, cups, plates, napkins, ice, drinks and condiments. I've been to some potlucks where everyone brings their own eating essentials. You'll need to decide what you will have there already and what you want your guests to bring. We have found that it is usually best to provide disposable eating utensils. This will save you time and will help the cleanup process.

Prepare for the unexpected. The most common issue is that someone does not show up or they forget to bring something (utensils). To avoid a big disaster, make sure you don't put all of your eggs into one basket and have a backup plan. For example, if you need 24 cans of beverage, make sure you split it up into two 12 packs or just make sure you have some water & ice handy.

Get help setting up for larger events. With our online system you can create "Help" tasks for things that you need done prior to the potluck and after the potluck. This could be setting up the tables and chains, the buffer line, decorations, welcome greeters, etc. Don't forget you will also need help cleaning up afterwards. This could be cleaning dishes, wiping down the tables and chains, sweeping the floors, etc. The last thing you want is to be cleaning up by yourself. If you have all of this setup online, people can see where you need help and will sign up.

Sending out reminders prior to the potluck is essential. Our online system will do this automatically for you. This takes one more item off of your plate that you have to worry about.

Does someone have special needs? Make sure you have plenty of seating room for everyone. This goes back to our "Know Your Guests".

Make sure you have room for the food. As your guests start to bring their food items, make sure you have plenty of room in the oven, refrigerator and freezer. In the case of our potluck we had for our parent/teacher conference, you can have them bring the entire crock pot and then plug into an outlet. If you do this you'll need to make sure you have enough outlets for each crockpot.

Don't be afraid to delegate. Depending on the size of your potluck, you may need to have help. Don't be afraid to ask for it and delegate tasks to them. Most people like to help and want to be assigned a task.

Pass the salt, please! There are some items that belong at the line table and there are some items that belong on the table where your guests are sitting. Some of those items are salt, pepper, butter and a picture of water. There may be other items, but you'll need to decide for yourself what those are.

It's time to start. Don't be afraid to speak up to get everyone's attention. If you are in a bigger setting, make sure you have a speaker & microphone. It's a lot easier.

Have children go first. If you don't have a separate line table for kids, it is suggested that you have the parents with kids go first so they can get them situated. The parents will then be able to get relax and get their food (at least for a little bit).

Desserts are always a favorite. Depending on the occasion, you may want to put the dessert out at a later time once everyone has had a chance to eat their main course. You will find that kids and teenagers will often only eat dessert.

Do you have any special guests? If so, have them go first. If you have elderly persons, have them go first as well. This shows respect for them.

In bigger potlucks you may have line servers. This is usually the case if you need to make sure everyone gets certain food. It would be a shame during a Thanksgiving Potluck that you ran out of turkey because the kids took all of it. Make sure you recognize your line servers for their time and support.

Make sure you have a minimum of one trash can. Place trash cans in several areas depending on the size of your potluck. Paper products will fill up a trash can very fast, so be sure to have spare trash can liners available and that someone is making sure the trash cans do not get too full and cause a bigger mess.

Send out "Thank You" notes after the potluck. This should be for everyone who attended, brought food and helped with setup and cleanup. You can this one of two ways. For a more personal touch, you can send a thank you note in the mail. However, most people will appreciate any type of a thank you note. Simply use our online system to send an email to everyone who signed up for the potluck.

The next time you need to organize a potluck, be sure to use these tips for a successful event. You can get started by clicking HERE

Posted by: Shauna DeBuck on 09/24/2013 06:30 AM MST

Plan a Potluck With Sign Up Oasis

Create A Free Sign Up Sheet
We Email Your Guests
Your Guests Sign Up Online 24/7
We Send Reminders via Email

Learn More Create A Sign Up

Recommended Recipes

Cafe Rio Beef Enchiladas

These beef enchiladas will be the hit of any pot luck and they are super easy to make.