With summer around the corner, it’s time to start preparing for BBQ season! With the recent years, we’ve had, there’s an even bigger need (and want!) to hang out with family and friends. Although the pandemic is still at large in many countries, if you’re able to safely host a BBQ this summer, then go for it! As long as you practice social distancing and the necessary safety measures, there’s no reason why you can’t have a backyard get-together with your nearest and dearest!
How To Safely Host A BBQ
From extensive pre-planning to personalized cups, we’ve covered everything you could possibly do in order to safely host a BBQ. At the end of this list, you’re guaranteed to be fully equipped to party throughout the day with your loved ones – all you’ll need to decide on is what’s going on the fire!
Plan The BBQ In Advance
Before you get to the fun part of party prep, you’ll need to decide on how your party’s going to work. The layout of any socially distant event is imperative, especially when you’re looking to safely host a BBQ at home! Make sure there’s ample space for each guest or bubble – depending on how you’ll invite your guests – and provide different seating options. Some guests may want to sit at the table, while others will be happy as pie on a picnic blanket. The most important thing to keep in mind is to, wherever possible, host your BBQ outside, ideally in your backyard.
The simplest way to work out your seating arrangements is to come up with your guest list. Once you’ve got your list sorted, send out some of these social distance BBQ invitations and wait for your RSVPs to roll in. Gather your final numbers, draw out your layout and start planning some cute BBQ decor!
Keep The Party Outside
As we said, it’s imperative to have a decent amount of space to work with when you want to safely host a BBQ at home. We understand not everyone has a huge backyard so that just means you’ll need to get a little more creative where necessary! Once you’ve figured out your outside BBQ layout, it’s time to consider some unique decor!
In the spirit of practicing social distancing rules, why not pick up one of these social distancing sign sets from Etsy? They fit well with the outdoor theme and remind your guests to practice safety measures on a regular basis – without being too pushy! They come in a variety of designs, too, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for! Simply print them off and frame them in your frames of choice, and your backyard BBQ’s nearly ready to go!
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Provide Various PPE Options
Naturally, if you’re going to have social distancing signage for your sanitizer station, you’ll probably need some sanitizer, right? Right! On top of that, be sure to have some masks, gloves, and disinfectant wipes at the ready – you never know how nervous your guests might be to visit another home at this time. We don’t mean to put a dampener on things, it’s just super important to be mindful of your guests when you want to safely host a BBQ.
You could go one step further and pick up one of these Personal Protective Kits from Amazon. They’ve literally covered everything you need and the best part? They come in packs of 10 individual packs, so you can hand them out to your guests at arrival and let them make their own choices! Whichever PPE route you go, be sure to have some form of protection present otherwise you’re not protecting yourself or your guests’ family efficiently.
Get Strategic With The Menu
When it comes to the fun part of safely hosting a BBQ, you’ve got to consider the food! In terms of safety, you’ll need to adapt some of your typical BBQ dishes as the concept of sharing food isn’t really going to be present. With that being said, this doesn’t mean things need to be boring! In fact, quite the opposite. For starters, plate up some delicious cheeseboard platters for each group of guests – or mini individual cheese plates for each guest if that works better for your BBQ.
When it comes to the mains, be sure to prepare your salad and sides in advance and plate them into mini bowls for individual servings (you can thank us later!). Go one step further and pick up a bunch of these disposable aluminum BBQ bowls which are perfect for dishing individual savory or sweet dishes for your guests. They’re ideal for BBQ desserts, especially these mini cheesecakes with vanilla wafer crusts from Spruce Eats – super yummy!
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Bring Your Own Booze
This is probably the most controversial tip we can offer you if you’re looking to safely host a BBQ, but it’s also a really important one. While as a host you may feel compelled to provide endless cocktails and ice buckets full of beer, you may want to reconsider. Our advice would be to request for your guests to bring their own booze in order to reduce cross-contamination between guests. This could also apply with you providing individual glasses for each guest, all the while trying to avoid spirits or shared bottles.
Stick with a “one glass rule” and treat your guests to one of these personalized name BBQ cups, ideal for ensuring your guests stick to the rules! They’ll love the extra effort you went to and it’ll be a cool takeaway from your safer-than-safe BBQ. If you absolutely have to have a bucket of beer, ask people to sanitize before and after, or simply have a designated bartender at the ready!
Whatever you decide, we know you’ll host a wonderful BBQ with your friends and family – and follow all necessary safety measures required to reducing the spread of COVID-19. Ultimately, if you follow these steps, you’re on your way to a really incredible day with your loved ones! Oh, and if you’re looking for some tips to getting some decent conversation flowing, check out these casual conversation starters!
Let us know which tips were your favorite and how you were able to safely host a BBQ this summer! We can’t wait to hear your stories!
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