How Late Can You Be With Food As Host?

[Anonymous]

So ... if you invite some neighbors over for dinner, which is burgers on the grill, and tell them to come at 4pm, at what point is it unreasonable if there is no dinner yet?

Invited over at 4pm for burgers, other neighbors were invited as well, and host decides to wait for other neighbor's grown kid to show up with their kids. It's 6:30, and they are just lighting the coals now at 6:30pm. FWIW, there were a few snacky foods out (cheese and crackers).

I'm hangry and trying to be civil, lol.

[Anonymous]

I would not have expected food at 4 pm! 6:30-700 is a reasonable dinner time for a BBQ

[Anonymous]

6

[Anonymous]

I’d have expected to eat around 6, most likely. But 7 isn’t unreasonable (burgers don’t take long).

[Anonymous]

Haha I would be hangry too!

We have friends who are late sleepers so they have lunch at like 3 so then they aren’t hungry for dinner until 7-8. We are typically eating dinner at 6 because we eat lunch around noon. We have learned to have a big snack before we go their house

[Anonymous]

If I’m invited over at 4 for a BBQ I’d expect the mains (burgers etc) to be ready around 530. Usually with a BBQ there are multiple rounds though! I’d expect some at 530 and maybe round 2 at 6-630. But if you’re expecting the mains to be ready at 4 when you show up, no.

[Anonymous]

I would expect to eat anywhere between 6-7, and would have snacked accordingly. Did you really expect to arrive at 4 and be handed a burger?

[Anonymous]

6 or 6:30 is reasonable, but ideally there are appetizers to munch on - a vegetable tray, fruit, crackers and cheese, etc.

(Is anyone else now singing Summertime in their head bc of the lyric 'invited to a bbq startin' at 4'?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would expect to eat anywhere between 6-7, and would have snacked accordingly. Did you really expect to arrive at 4 and be handed a burger?

No.

But I didn't expect that the coals wouldn't even get lit until 6:30 either. Burgers are not on the grill yet, and it is 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect to eat anywhere between 6-7, and would have snacked accordingly. Did you really expect to arrive at 4 and be handed a burger?

No.

But I didn't expect that the coals wouldn't even get lit until 6:30 either. Burgers are not on the grill yet, and it is 7.

Are you hypoglycemic or something? You're live-posting on your phone while at a bbq instead of focusing on bonding with the people in front of you. Are you ill? Be in the moment! Put your phone away!

[Anonymous]

6-6:30

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect to eat anywhere between 6-7, and would have snacked accordingly. Did you really expect to arrive at 4 and be handed a burger?

No.

But I didn't expect that the coals wouldn't even get lit until 6:30 either. Burgers are not on the grill yet, and it is 7.

Omg, if you can’t wait, go home. What a princess.

[Anonymous]

This is the topic of one of the greatest threads of all time on DCUM, with similar numbers for the time.

Dinner can be late (or "dinner time"), but there should be plenty of warm up snacks and salads (including snacks brought by guests) on the way.

Waiting for anyone is weird because it's easy and usually required to grill multiple rounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would expect to eat anywhere between 6-7, and would have snacked accordingly. Did you really expect to arrive at 4 and be handed a burger?

No.

But I didn't expect that the coals wouldn't even get lit until 6:30 either. Burgers are not on the grill yet, and it is 7.

Are you hypoglycemic or something? You're live-posting on your phone while at a bbq instead of focusing on bonding with the people in front of you. Are you ill? Be in the moment! Put your phone away!

DP.
You know what really facilitates bonding? Food and drink.

[Anonymous]

There should be heavy appetizers if food not ready at 4:00. I’d say on invitation, dinner at 6 but come early if you’d like a drink or apps at 5.