Food Stations - Thoughts?

We are doing food stations and I am totally excited about it. This is our menu:

Cocktail Hour Passed apps:

Kale and Veggie Dumplings

General Tso Meatballs

Cocktail Hour Nosh Station:

Crudite Display

A beautiful display of assorted meats, artisan cheeses, roasted

vegetables, breads, crackers, hummus, honey, fruits and olives

Food Stations:

Caesar Salad shooter station

Pasta station

Mashed Potato station

Carving station

Asian station (food served in take out boxes with chop sticks)

Chicken and Waffle station

Dessert Station:

Our kid's favorite desserts labeled as "Sample Kid's Favorite"

Hey Bridget!! First off, I love me some food stations! What you've got here sounds awesome, but it sounds a little light, at least to me. I don't know if that's what you're going for, but with salad and potatoes coming in champagne flutes or martini glasses, it makes me feel like the portions are a little small.

Again, just my opinion, and I like to eat a lot, but that's what I'm thinking. I like the variety, but if you could add or switch one out another station offering something a wee bit more substantial, I think you'd be golden.

Why the green tomato station? I feel like that's really cool, but I've never heard of it!

So fun! I think they sound great. If you were concerned, maybe offer a station with more protein or carbs to be more fulfilling? Or add something else to the green tomato station, like mushrooms or okra?

I would swap out the green tomato station for some other cooked veggie - or see if they can add other veggies to that station. That is a really specific food that I dont think many people would like. I would try it, but I am somewhat adventurous with my food. I would also swap the sweet potato mash for regular. I love sweet potatoes, but I know more people enjoy regular. And the people that are picky eaters probably wont eat grits or sweet potato mash so having regular has more of a mass appeal.

I wouldn’t do the fried tomatoes 🍅

It seems too light and I don’t know how many people would actually eat it.

I’d suggest a heavier station, maybe another meat 🍖 🥩 or protein option.

I'm concerned with the serving. How is someone supposed to get a fork into a champagne flute to eat the salad? Think functionality over presentation.

I also feel like you just need more. Every stations wedding I've been to has had 8 plus stations, or else it isn't enough food or variety.

I agree with the PPs that this doesn't seem like enough food or that it is substantive enough to be a meal. I also agree with the previous PP about offering more general crowd-pleasing food instead of fried green tomatoes and sweet potatoes. How do you eat a salad out of a champagne flute? They are so thin and don't offer a lot of room for a good sized portion of food.

We are also doing stations! I think it’s so fun to offer a variety. I like your options, but I agree you need something more substantial. We are doing a pasta station, a carving station with prime rib and roast chicken, and a taco station (appetizer salads will be served at the table). I think a guest should be able to make a full meal out of any station if they don’t want a mix of different foods, or have a little of everything. I feel like your stations are more appropriate for cocktail hour, when people are just looking for a snack or starter instead of a meal. I’d suggest eliminating the fried green tomato station and adding another entree type station (Tacos? Sliders? Grilled cheese?)

I think the martini glass and champagne flute presentations sound cute, but I agree that suggests small portions that are more appropriate for cocktail hour.

Thanks everyone for the input! I will say that I double checked the contract and the salads come in wine glasses and not champagne flutes. So I was a bit off there.

I can see switching out the sweet potatoes for mashed for the overall crowd, I just really love sweet potatoes but it would be a shame if nobody else could enjoy them. The green tomato station is actually one of the caterer's standard stations and I personally grew up eating those so I thought that would be fun, but I can totally see why this may be a niche item.

Another idea I am tossing around is doing the Carving station, a Pasta station, and a Waffle station (chicken included)
Then I would do either the starch station with mashed potatoes and grits OR the salad station, but have it out and ready during cocktail hour along with the cheese and fruit

I think part of what I struggle with is making sure everything has something to go with it. Like the Carving station I feel like should have a "side" of some sort. So like the potatoes or grits, but then I really like the salad idea so I am a bit torn. I am trying to find the best combination of food stations so that it keeps everyone full and happy without breaking the bank and having every possible station there.

Also, is something like a Waffle station weird when people will be drinking beer and hard liquor? Or am I thinking too far into it?
I suppose I could do something like a Taco station or something instead of this, too

One of the issues I see if that there is only one meat and it is beef. The issue arises as not everyone is eating beef now a days. Perhaps adding a fish or chicken would help. I would also add regular mashed potatoes with the starch bar.