Graduation party food for 50, 100 or 150 guests (with costs)

For a graduation open house, serve two main dishes that hold on a buffet for hours, two or three cold sides, rolls and a dessert tray: pulled pork sliders and baked mostaccioli with potato salad, cole slaw, tossed greens and cookies is the classic. On our Buffet Menu 1 that costs $18.99 per person at any headcount, so $949.50 for 50, $1,899 for 100 and $2,848.50 for 150 before settings, delivery and 9.25% tax. A tray spread you set out yourself comes to about $17.62 a person. Below are the menus, the totals and the add-ons, so you can budget before you call. Our guide to feeding 50 people covers the general portion rules; this one is specific to graduation parties.

Plan for an open house, not a dinner

Graduation parties run three to five hours and guests arrive in waves: grandparents at the start, the graduate's friends late and hungry. That changes what you order.

• Pick food that holds. Pulled pork, mostaccioli, fried chicken and baked beans taste as good at hour three as hour one in a chafing dish. Skip anything that needs to be eaten the minute it lands.
• Keep a cold table out all afternoon: cheese and sausage, vegetables, fruit, so people who come between waves have something.
• Count realistically. Invited 120? Plan for 100 to eat, but order a little over. Running out at a graduation party is the thing people remember.
• Dessert can be simple. Cookies, brownies and a cake from elsewhere. Nobody needs a plated dessert at an open house.

Menu for 50 guests

Buffet Menu 1, $18.99 per person, two entrées, three sides and bread, portioned for 50:

• BBQ Pulled Pork and Baked Mostaccioli
• American Potato Salad, Creamy Cole Slaw and Tossed Mixed Greens
• Assorted Dinner Rolls & Butter

Food: 50 x $18.99 = $949.50. Plates, napkins and silverware (see Plates, Napkins & Silverware): 50 x $1.50 = $75. Chafing dishes for the two hot dishes: 2 x $17 = $34. Subtotal $1,058.50, or $21.17 a person. Add Assorted Home Baked Cookies, 40 count, $45. Delivery from $40 and 9.25% tax are extra.

Menu for 100 guests

Same menu, with a third hot side because a bigger crowd wants more on the plate: swap Tossed Mixed Greens for Baked Macaroni & Cheese, and add a cold table.

Food: 100 x $18.99 = $1,899. Settings: $150. Three chafing dishes: $51. Cold table: Cheese & Sausage Tray with Crackers, 120 pieces, $79, and Fresh Vegetable Crudités, $59. Dessert: two trays of cookies, $90, and Brownies, 35 count, $59. Subtotal $2,387, or $23.87 a person before delivery and tax.

Want fried chicken as the second entrée instead of mostaccioli? Pan Fried Chicken is on the same menu at the same price. Want both? A third entrée is a tray order; ask us for the price when you request a quote.

Menu for 150 guests

At 150 you are feeding a neighborhood, so lean on the dishes that stretch and keep two serving lines moving.

Food: 150 x $18.99 = $2,848.50 for the same two-entrée buffet. Settings: $225. Three chafing dishes: $51. Cold table doubled: two Cheese & Sausage Trays, $158, two Fresh Vegetable Crudités, $118, and a Seasonal Fresh Fruit Display, $74. Dessert: three trays of cookies, $135, and two of Brownies, $118. Subtotal $3,727.50, or $24.85 a person before delivery and tax.

For a party this size, one server to keep the buffet stocked and the trash under control is worth considering: $35 an hour with a four-hour minimum, $140, plus a 20% service charge on staffed events. Staffed parties need 14 days' notice.

The tray option: 50 guests for pick-up

If you would rather set it out yourself and skip the delivery fee, order trays and pick them up in Yorkville. Most trays serve about 20.

• Three trays of BBQ Pulled Pork, $285, with three trays of Slider Sandwich Buns, 24 each, $36
• Two large trays of Baked Mostaccioli, $150
• Two trays each of BBQ Baked Beans, $98, Creamy Cole Slaw, $110, and Tossed Mixed Greens, $98
• Cookies, $45, and Brownies, $59

Total $881, or $17.62 a person for 50. Double it for 100 ($1,762), triple for 150 ($2,643). Add $1.50 a person for settings and $17 per hot tray for chafers. Tax is extra.

Price summary

Our prices, before delivery (from $40) and 9.25% sales tax:

• Buffet Menu 1, food only: $18.99 per person. 50: $949.50; 100: $1,899.00; 150: $2,848.50
• Buffet Menu 2 (adds chicken marsala, piccata, pot roast, pork chops): $19.99 per person. 50: $999.50; 100: $1,999.00; 150: $2,998.50
• Plates, napkins and silverware: $1.50 per person. 50: $75; 100: $150; 150: $225
• Chafing dish: $17 per hot dish
• Tray spread, pulled pork and mostaccioli: about $17.62 per person. 50: $881; 100: $1,762; 150: $2,643
• Cold table for 100: cheese and sausage $79, vegetable crudités $59, fruit display $74
• Iced Tea, Punch or Lemonade: $89 for 50 servings with cups
• Server, optional: $35 per hour, four-hour minimum, plus 20% service charge

Book early for May and June

Late May and early June weekends book first. Drop-off orders need three days' notice and staffed parties 14 days, but good dates are gone long before. Once the school confirms the ceremony date, ask for a quote and hold it with a 25% deposit; the balance is due seven days before. We deliver to backyards, park pavilions and halls in Yorkville, Oswego, Plano, Plainfield, Aurora, Montgomery and Naperville. The graduation party catering page has more, or call or text (630) 553-9533.

Questions

How much food do I need for a graduation party of 100?

On a per-person buffet the kitchen portions it for 100, so you only choose the dishes. On trays, where most serve about 20, order five to six trays of each main across two mains, and four to five of each side.

What is the cheapest way to feed 100 at a graduation party?

A pulled pork and mostaccioli tray spread picked up in Yorkville, about $17.62 a person, with no delivery fee. A Buffet Menu 1 buffet is $18.99 a person, portioned for you and delivered.

How far in advance should I order?

Three days minimum for drop-off, 14 for staffed, but book the moment the date is firm. May and June weekends fill months out.

Can you keep the food hot for a four-hour open house?

Yes. Each chafing dish is $17 and comes with two sternos and a water pan. Tell us how long the party runs and we will plan the number.

Do you deliver to parks and backyards?

Yes. Give us the address, a phone number for the day and a note about shade and power. Each town page shows its delivery fee, from $40.