I'm going to throw a BBQ for my workers at work. I need to provide for about 200 people on the 4th. I'm thinking hamburger/hotdogs etc. I've got $300 to spend and I want to stretch it as far as I can. Has anyone done something like this before?

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

I, of course, immediately leapt to the conclusion that you were going to build a trebuchet and hurl a barbecue grill. Doh!

$300 doesn't sound like much for 200 people. Where are you doing this? What are you using for cooking? It could take a long time if you don't have multiple grills and cooks. Are you providing drinks? Can you make it into at least a partial potluck, where folks brings salads and sides while you do the meat?

With 200 people, you'll have to have some menu options. Veggie dogs, for instance. Possibly something without pork. And so on.

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Cum catapultae proscribeantur tum soli proscripti catapultas habeant.

Many times! thanks.
the best thing to do is buy in bulk, do you have a cash and carry store where you buy food stuff in bulk? this works out a lot cheaper and make sure you buy plenty as you always get those who just go for one thing and not care about others, if there are going to be vegetarians there you need to find out how many and cater for them too as they wont be too pleased just eating salads!
make potato salad.
coleslaws
tossed salads
rice salads
as a basic thing.
plenty of bread rolls ,meat stuff, fish, vegetarian dishes ie: quorn.
the list is endless
plenty of refreshments too not just beers.
I'm sure others will contribute to this!

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people. Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last and enjoy each others company as this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

*A rock is for life not just for throwing*

That's a pretty big day, and unless they are working on the 4th or otherwise committed to be in attendance, can you be certain that many will show up?
(This is one of the slowest days of the year for restaurants, BTW.)

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*

Timing is important. I recommend sometime before 1960.

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Life is like a box of chocolates. All of your choices are bad for you.

For memorial day, they did hot dogs, regular and beef/turkey for about 180 people.

I'm thinking of burgers, but, I only have two plug in grills at my store.

I can get a lot of produce cheap, but I will have to cut it up myself. We're open from 10 to 7 that day, so if I get in early, I can cook for the 12 to 3pm lunch times.

I figure a hot dog and a burger per person?

Soda: $70.59 (124 cans / 100 waters)
Hamburger patties: $63.96 (200) / $120 (200) (better quality)
Beef Hot dogs: 24.98 (100)
Hot dogs: 11.98 (100)
Hamburger buns: $49.13 (200)
Hot Dog Buns: $22.41 (200)
Cheese: $11.89 (120)
Condiments: $9.98
Chips: $41.96 (200)
Plates: $10.

$238 / $296

My concern is freezer space and ability to cook because it may be that I have to do it all myself. I like chips because they won't go bad.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

See if any friends can put some of the food stuff in their freezer or if any staff that live near you can do it, you never know they might volunteer to help out on the day.

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Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people. Admiral Hyman Rickover.USN.

"Make the most of every day like it could be your last and enjoy each others company as this will make good memories for when we pass". chrissy

*A rock is for life not just for throwing*

Only flip burgers ONCE!!! Otherwise you get dried out,overcooked burgers.Wait 'til the juices have risen,then flip & add cheese.

Pet peeve of mine,I've seen too many good burgers ruined that way.

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"An armed man is a citizen
An unarmed man is a subject"

Robert A. Heinlein

Are you out of your mind?! I thought Chuck's advice was good.

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Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.

It's going to be hotdogs, sodas, chips and something else. I can't possible cook 200 burgers and not have the store smell like BBQ for 10 days afterwards.

Either way, I have to go get some stuff tomorrow.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Wrong. Cook on each side just long enough to sear and lock in juices; then long enough on each side to finish cooking, getting perfect crosshatch of grill marks if you've done it coorrectly.

Dried out burrgers are from over cooking, not over flipping. I could make a burger that is flipped 20 times and still be juicy, as long as it isn't over cooked.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I do this about 2 or 3 times each summer. At least one of those times each year is for 100+ people. Once you get that many guests, getting help with the cooking and having multiple grills (or one really big one) becomes critical.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I too at first thought this was a request for contests; such as The Boss Toss, The Analyst Lift, Pin the Tail on the VP, etc.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

You cook 'em your way,I'll cook 'em mine.My knowledge of cooking burgers (& any other food) comes from my family,who've been in the restaurant business for 3 generations now.

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"An armed man is a citizen
An unarmed man is a subject"

Robert A. Heinlein

Like Trebuchet and Farmerjumperdon I immediately thought of cabers, shots and disci.

And I will respectfully disagree about one thing. Searing doesn't lock in any juices. See On Food and Cooking by McGhee (great book). What it does (if not carried to charring) is encourage the Maillard reaction that browns the meat and adds lots of flavor.

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The Devil offered me power. I told him I preferred aperture.

It's been canceled. Not enough people were showing up and I'd have to do it all myself.

Next week, we've got about $900 dollars for them to spend this summer.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Not enough people were showing up and I'd have to do it all myself.

Should you change your mind and try this again, I suggest you hold a pot-luck picnic. It'll be a lot less expense and work for you and it can be a lot of fun.

The thing is, corporate gave us $1,000 for stuff like this. So I might as well spend it on them.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Myth, the locking in juices hypothesis have been disproved in every test done.
The reason for doing the searing is the aroma's that caramelizing the surface creates.

Getting the crosshatch is a nice æsthetic plus though.

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An emperor without enemies, a king without a kingdom, supported in life by the willing tribute of a free people.

Ral,

Around here a cooked pig used to run you 120 to 180 dollars depending on size and who does it for you. Novelty factor alone is a big one there. Though the last time I checked the price it was 15 years ago. BUT it worked everytime.

Five times, three different companies. Everytime it was somebody looking for an idea within earshot of me. *I* learned it from partying in the Philipines just how much bigger a kick in the pants a pig will give a party. It's like a keg, only less people die on the way home.

I even got a chance to cook two whole full grown pigs once. But those were raw. You have to start cooking them at two in the morning if you want to eat at a descent time the next day. And I mean the pigs have to been cooking at 2 in the morning, not, "let's start getting ready at 2 in the morning"

That was at one of the green houses I worked at. We had enough folks to knock back two pigs. Looked up how to do it, (in a book no less) so I had the ears and tail and such covered in foil for most of the process.

Okay, I'm doing the rare (for me) happy hour thing as I had to be the designated grown-up yesteday for the blowey uppey stuff. Folks brought the big guns out last night. It was like D-Day. I'll explain when I'm soberer.

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"The beauty of that discussion of averages is that you don't have to be an expert in Apollo or in photography in order to see where this time study "analysis" breaks down. You just have to be, well...not an idiot." -JayUtah