Forty minutes from the unit, no ladles
The team arrives at a barn venue for a 200-guest sharing-platter wedding. The kitchen equipment is unloaded, and the sous chef realises the long serving boards are still at the unit, along with two of the induction hobs, because the van was packed for a plated menu from habit.
Someone drives back. Or the team improvises. Either way, the first hour is spent solving a packing problem instead of prepping. And it will happen again, because the list that was used was the same generic list pinned to the wall for every event.
The list lives in one person's head
What you need to take depends on a lot of things at once: the dishes, the service style, the number of guests, what the venue already has, whether there is power for your equipment, and what the hire company is bringing separately.
- Generic packing lists cover the basics but not what changes between events.
- Venue facilities vary: one has a full kitchen, the next has a field and a generator.
- Kit is shared between events on the same day, and nobody allocates it in advance.
- Returns are not checked, so you find a missing item when the next event needs it.
Your most experienced person carries all of this and does it well. The problem appears on their day off, or when there are three events at once.
Menus also change after the kit has been thought about. A client swaps a plated dessert for a dessert table ten days out, and the function sheet is updated, but the packing list pinned on the wall does not know that dessert tables need stands, platters, signage and a different set of serving tools.
The cost of what gets left behind
A return trip costs fuel and a person's time on a day when you have neither to spare. Improvised service looks improvised. Buying a replacement locally because you cannot get back is money spent on kit you already own.
When kit is not allocated in advance, two events on the same day can both need the same equipment, and that is only discovered while packing. Items not checked back in go missing slowly, which you notice only when stock runs short at a busy weekend.
Packing lists built from the event itself
- Your kit is listed once: owned items with quantities, and what each dish and service style needs per so many guests.
- Venues have a profile: kitchen facilities, power, water, access, and anything they provide.
- When an event is confirmed, the packing list is generated from the menu, service style, numbers and venue, minus what the venue or hire company supplies.
- Kit is allocated to events by date, so a clash between two events shows up days ahead, not in the loading bay.
- The loading team works from the list on a tablet or printout by van and crate, ticking items as they go.
- On return, items are checked back in, and anything missing is noted against the event.
| Input | Adds to the packing list |
|---|---|
| Sharing platters for 200 | Serving boards, extra tongs, platter stands |
| Field venue, generator only | Hobs, water containers, extension leads, lighting |
| Evening food station | Station counter, heat lamps, signage |
| Venue has full kitchen | Removes ovens and prep tables |
Your experienced packer's knowledge becomes the rules, so others can pack from the list and they can check it.
A different loading morning
The loading team picks up a list that is specific to today's events. The chef sees the kit list alongside the menu and can check it the day before. If a new starter packs the second van, they can do it without asking every five minutes.
Kit returns are checked, so shortages appear before the next event rather than during it. Over time, you get a clear picture of how much of each item you really need, which helps when deciding whether to buy or hire.
Could this be you?
- Someone has driven back to the unit for forgotten kit in the last few months.
- Packing depends on one or two experienced people.
- Two events on the same day have needed the same equipment.
- Kit goes missing and you notice only when you need it.