Backyard parties are always fun, especially for graduation parties, birthdays, and even anniversary celebrations—but it’s not just the friends and family that matters, in most people’s minds an outdoor gathering means there’s going to be food! Stancato’s catering has been providing delicious Italian cuisine since 1971 for families across Cleveland, OH. From hearty and shareable pasta trays and bread baskets to crowd-pleasing antipasti platters and delectable desserts, Stancato’s makes backyard party catering a breeze, so that you can focus on the fun!
In this guide, you’ll learn about Italian food catering for outdoor events, menu ideas for your backyard event, what serving formats work well for backyard parties, how customizable Stancato’s catering menus can be, Stancato’s different levels of service, and how to calculate your catering.
What Makes Italian Food Catering the Best for Outdoor or Backyard Catering Events?
Italian food catering is one of the best choices for outdoor or backyard catering events thanks to their many rich flavors that work well with outdoor weather and suit most people’s palates, and many of their dishes are large and shareable which is excellent for gathering around the table.
Stancato’s offers everything from antipasti platters and main entrée dishes to shareable trays of pasta dishes, bread and salad, pizza, and desserts. There are more than enough options to build your catering menu and ensure everyone at your backyard party is enjoying your party and your food.
What Are Fun Backyard Party Catering Menu Ideas?
Stancato’s makes it easy to come up with some fun backyard party catering menu ideas. One way to plan out your backyard event catering is to start the meal off with an assortment of antipasti platters and finger foods, then choose from hearty pasta dishes, entrees of different meats and vegetables, or even a pasta bar to fill out the main course, and then for the final touch, pick from any of Stancato’s indulgent desserts.
What Finger Foods Are Great for Outdoor Parties?
Finger foods, like Stancato’s Cocktail Meatballs, Buffalo Wings, and Italian Stuffed Mushrooms, are great for your guests to enjoy delicious food while mingling at your outdoor party. They’re easy to hold, don’t require utensils, and they leave people going back to get some more!
Creating a Sampler with Half-Pans and Antipasti
A perfect way to provide food variety while avoiding overordering is to create a sampler table with a mix of half trays or half pans as well as a selection of antipasti. This kind of grazing table is ideal for your guests to enjoy throughout the course of your backyard party.
Can Pasta and Hot Dishes Be Served at a Backyard Party?
Absolutely, pasta and other hot dishes work well for backyard parties because they can be kept warm in chafing trays or insulated pans. Whether you’re ordering a full pan of BBQ Baked Chicken or a pan of our Sunday Premier pasta, they’re easy to keep fresh all throughout the festivities.
Pasta Bars as an Option
Pasta bars give your party guests both an abundance of food and the power of choice! One order of Stancato’s Pasta Bar is enough to serve 25 people, with two types of pasta, three sauces, numerous garnishes, and both meat and vegetable accompaniments. Feeding a party doesn’t get easier!
Giving Your Party a Sweet Ending
Nothing gives a party a sweet finale like a Chocolate Chip Cookie Platter, our Petite Fabulous Chocolate Brownies, or the renowned Tiramisu. Many of Stancato’s desserts are pre-portioned, such as our Mini Cannoli Platter which comes with 24 pieces, so it’s easy to make sure your guests have enough sweet treats or something to bring home with them at the end of the event!
Want a custom decorated cake? Inquire with Stancato’s catering team to learn more about our cakes and our options. We offer three sizes (1/4 sheet, ½ sheet, and full sheet) that are made to serve 35, 55, or 90 people.
With how festive backyard parties are, you’ll want to make sure that your food is served in a flexible way that works well with your guests as they mingle at their own paces.
Is Buffet-Style Catering Service Good for Backyard Parties?
Buffet-style catering is great for backyard parties because of its flexibility and how it works well with an outdoor event’s casual and festive mood. Guests can serve themselves and get what they want while they mingle and chat, removing the waiting times and keeping everyone comfortable.
Stancato’s catering makes it easy to build your own buffet with half- and full-pans of food able to serve 15-30 people, medium and large platters that can serve 30-50 people, half-sheet pizzas, and two-foot subs cut into 15 pieces. Nothing says abundance like Stancato’s Italian cuisine.
Can an Outdoor-Friendly Catering Menu Be Customized?
Certainly, your catering menu can be easily customized, whether it’s by the size of your order, the service level (pickup, delivery, or full-service), or even for dietary needs.
What Kind of Dietary Customization Can Stancato’s Do?
Stancato’s is happy to accommodate you and your guests for any food allergies, dietary needs, or food restrictions. Whether it’s gluten-free pasta, vegetarian or vegan-friendly ingredients, or a religious-based food restriction, our catering team will work with you to make sure your menu is made to order.
Does Stancato’s Offer Setup and Cleanup?
Stancato’s offers three types of catering service: Pickup, Delivery, and Full-Service—while you can always pickup your food from our Stancato’s Italian Restaurant or have us deliver your food to your door, if you’d like to have your catering setup and cleaned up by our professional staff, you’ll want our full-service catering package.
Our full-service catering involves our staff coming to your event location early to help set up tables, serving stations, warmers, utensils, and anything else. Then they’ll manage the serving of plates, checking on your buffet of trays and pans, and even maintaining a dessert station if that’s what you want to have. Finally, at the event’s end, the staff will perform the cleanup.
With Stancato’s full-service catering, you can have both all the quality and the convenience, so that you can focus more on the fun! But now that you know what kinds of catering service Stancato’s offers and how ideal our Italian cuisine is for your outdoor event—how do you figure out your budgeting?
What’s the Cost of Stancato’s Catering for a Backyard Party?
Stancato’s catering can be incredibly budget-friendly, thanks to the traditionally generous portions of Italian dishes, our flexible catering service levels, and the ability to customize your menu selections.
An easy way to determine your budget is to consider your head count, the service level that you’d like (pickup, delivery, or full-service), and how complex you’d like your menu. Then check out Stancato’s catering menu. We serve our menu items in several formats with many of them designed to be shared.
Here are some examples of how our menu items are listed and how many their serving variations feed…
- Fresh Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: Medium (Serves 30) and Large (Serves 50)
- Sunday Premier pasta: Half Pan (Serves 10-15) and Full Pan (Serves 25-30)
- Chopped Salad: Half Bowl (Serves 10-15) and Full Bowl (Serves 25-30)
- Garlic Ciabatta Rolls: Served by the Dozen
- Garlic Stix with Cheese (Bread): Served in 24 cuts
- Angelina Complete Meal (Chicken Parmigiana, Cheese Stuffed Shells, and Spinach Florentine): Minimum of 15 orders, can adjust by increments of 5
The Stancato’s catering team can help you build your customized menu and find the service level most affordable to your budget. Our consultants will make sure you know exactly what to expect on the day of your backyard party!
Backyard Parties Effortlessly Made Delicious with Stancato’s
Make your next backyard party catering effortless and stress-free with the flavorful dishes of Cleveland’s favorite catering company. With over 50 years of experience in catering, whether you’re hosting an outdoor party of 10 guests or 200, you can be sure your menu will be tailored to match your budget, accommodate your party’s dietary needs, and of course, satisfy all your guests’ appetites.
Contact Stancato’s today to begin creating your outdoor party catering menu for an event that no one will forget!