How to Keep Your Company BBQ from Being Meh

Photo by Pariwat Srisuwan on Unsplash

In my very first job out of college my company hosted a summer BBQ in our parking lot.  It doesn’t sound appealing, but it was a lot of fun.  They rolled in the In N’ Out Truck, set-up backyard games and had some music playing in the background.  It was a fun and memorable 2-hour lunch.

Sometimes all it takes to make a great company BBQ are the basics…. food, beverage, entertainment, and employee camaraderie. 

Now planning these parties can be easy BUT people have tendencies to make it more complicated than it needs to be.  So this resource is all about keeping it simple while zhuzhing it up. 

This way you can enjoy the planning process AND the event with minimal stress.

LOCATION

Outside locations like parks, parking lots of your offices, rooftop of the parking structure, patio of a restaurant can all work.  Sometimes a unique venue makes for a great draw to attend, but really having a 2-hour lunch is the best draw. 

Outside is ideal if the weather allows for it, but too much heat or rain, or a hurricane 😉 can really put a damper in those plans.

FOOD

A traditional BBQ includes:  BBQ chicken, ribs, burgers with sides of corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, fruit bowl/skewers and grilled veggies.  How to zhuzh it:

• Add those incredibly hot BBQ sauces to chicken wings or ribs and spotlight the employees that can handle the heat

• Include tofu and veggie skewers, Impossible or Portobello Mushroom burgers, but make sure to have a vegetarian/vegan option (expect a minimum of 5% of people to be vegetarian)

• DIY burger bars are great when you add in unique toppings

• Corn on the cobb can have soooooo many different toppings, create a ‘How Do You Top Your Cobb’ station

• Other gourmet sides:  grilled artichokes, balsamic grilled brussels sprouts, Green Goddess potato salad, Watermelon Feta and Mint salad, broccoli slaw salad, and more. 

 Ask your caterer for unique options and visit recipe websites for ideas.

BEVERAGES

If the BBQ is hosted during a business lunch hour, then non-alcoholic beverages are the best way to go.  The more you can make the beverages interactive while not creating a large line, it will definitely be a favorite. If this is a weekend affair then add a lil’ somethin’ to the below ideas.

• Lemonade making station.  Have a basic lemonade base, then either blend or have people muddle the mixings with a mortar and pestle to then add to the base.  Great mixings could be:  strawberries & basil, cucumber & mint, lavender cardamom, and more.  Provide a good mix of fruits, herbs, and vegetables that are easily mashed (and make sense for lemonade).

• Mocktails are another great option.  Virgin cranberry sangria, pina colada, blackberry virgin mojito, watermelon margarita mocktail, etc.

• Craft sodas with unique flavor pallets or root beers could be a great option.  Throw a dollop of vanilla ice cream in there for a refreshing float.

After all this food, a REALLY good idea could be a barista creating some tasty, caffeinated beverages.  

ENTERTAINMENT

• Yard Games.  For family fun BBQs, yard games have become the Go-To form of entertainment basically because most people already know how to play them.  Turn it up a notch by making teams for an Olympic-style contest with prizes for the winners.  Options include: corn hole, ping pong or croquet tournament, Field Day (i.e. three-legged race, tug-of-war, water balloon toss), scavenger hunt, trivia and whatever else you can think up.  Plus these are all good team-building activities.

• Music.  A DJ is perfect for background music and shouldn’t cost too much. A live band is a great option too, but make sure to know the location’s noise ordinance for amplified music.

• Activity/Craft Stations.  These are always a hit with kids and adults.  Painting something on a small canvas, decorate small flower pots,  decorating a reusable canvas shopping bag, etc.

DECORATIONS

• DIY Décor – set-up a flower stand with empty vases and let guests create their own centerpieces.  It’s a great activity/form of entertainment, plus it’s a great take-away.

• Colorful linens, pillows and even trash can covers can brighten up an event space.

• Haystacks covered with blankets and colorful pillows can make a great lounging area.  Don’t forget umbrellas if there isn’t shade.

• Stringing together a bunch of beach balls can be a great ‘chandelier’ AND a nice takeaway after the event.

• Decorations are not limited to a centerpiece on a table, think about interesting ways to distribute food and beverage.  These are crowd pleasers:

  • An elaborate raw fruit and veggie bar with multiple tiers with food displayed on the table or in nice containers

  • Seafood bar with all the fixins’ on ice with ice sculptures

  • A mac 'n' cheese station with the cups on a mini Ferris-wheel stand with accoutrements

EVENT TIMELINE & CHECKLIST

If you’ve have months or a couple weeks to plan, CLICK HERE for the Event Timeline & Checklist that will give you an idea if the T’s are crossed and I’s dotted.  You’ll need to edit it for your specific event needs, but it’s a great start.

The checklist is organized by areas of the event space. The great thing about this organization style is you can give the list to anybody helping during set-up and they will know every single item that needs to be in that area.  PLUS they won’t be asking you “where does this go?” 20 times in 30 minutes. 

Stress reducer and time saver….CHECK!

WEATHER PLAN:  If there are no indoor facilities or coverings connected to your event space and you’re anticipating rain, contact the rental equipment company to get a tent to keep you nice and dry.  Tell them the quantity of people, the amount of furnishings (i.e. tables, chairs, staging, food stations, bar, etc.) that will be under the tent so they can quote you the correct size.

So that’s it or almost all of it.  You will more than likely add to this list as you finish up the planning process, expect to update/add/delete the list about 5+ times before event day rolls around.

Have additional items you would put on this list? Write a comment below to let us all know.

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