Love it! We used to do this a few times a year before kids. We typically do only the cheese and dessert courses. I don't like the traditional cheese, so we do a beer cheese fondue with Monterrey jack. For dessert, we do either chocolate or a raspberry sauce from frozen raspberries. For three couples, we do seated and one pot per course works. For 8 couples, have at least 2 if not 3 pots so everyone can reach. Its more of a seated activity.

OP here. Thank you for the feedback and great ideas. For the main course I was going to use broth instead of oil because the oil upsets my stomach. I think I will make one "normal" dish in case people get tired of the fondue theme. Thanks again.

You can do oil but it has to stay at a constant temperature in order to properly cook raw meat. People need to keep track of how long a piece of meat has been cooking, so that's it's cooked properly. Also, if you're doing a buffet, people might start cross contaminating forks that touched raw meat into cheese, etc.

For a meat option you could supplement with Swedish meatballs on toothpicks or pigs in blankets.

We do this for NYE - I had 6 adults. Cheese and meat fondue. I had some finger foods before (olives, cheese, crostini, salami) and then I served sort of a finger food salad using endive boats with beets, goat cheese, pecans, and mache rosettes. I think if added chocolate fondue it would totally be enough for 8.

If any of the 8 couples cancel--call me!

I've been wanting to do this with my group of couple friends (fondue game night), but have been a little intimidated to pull it off.

A lot of people are saying the no oil thing, so what else would you serve? Make it post-dinner time, so you only had to deal with cheese & chocolate?

If your friends would not enjoy this, you need better friends.

Oh, I think it would be wonderful. Make sure you enough forks.\!

I would do a traditional cheese, and bagna cuda with veggie and bread dippers. I would also supplement with salad cups to keep with the finger food feel. (I'm not a fan of the oil.)

Definitely dark chocolate and maybe caramel for dessert. Fruit, pretzel rod dippers.

Yum.

It sounds fun, but I think 8 couples would be too many. I think you need a smaller group, maybe 4-6 total.

What kind of fondue?

I love cheese and chocolate fondues, but I'm a little icked out by meat cooked in hot oil or water fondue.

Assuming cheese and chocolate, I would think two or three fondue pots would be plenty, with different recipes in each. Do the cheese, then take a break and do the chocolate an hour or so later.

I wouldn't try to do this seated, either. Set up stations with fondue and dippers, and hand out forks and little plates, so people can dip and move on.

I think it would be a blast! You can always augment the menu with other heavy hors d'oeuvres like meatballs in a crock pot, crudite, etc.

We just had fondue on New Year's Eve. Just our family though.

How would you do this with 8 couples? Maybe 4 pots?

Completely kitschy, but I thought it would be fun to host a fondue party for 8 couples totals. Would you be totally appalled to be invited to a fondue dinner? I am so tired of he normal dinner party type food. If it matters we are in our early 40s.