BBQ supplies checklist: Everything you need for a summer barbeque

Planning a BBQ party this summer? Event supplies has provided this great checklist with everything you need including plates, cutlery, serving platters and more.

Need specific numbers? Check out our interactive BBQ supply calculator.

For a 30-guest barbecue you'll need roughly 60 sturdy plates, 30-60 cutlery sets, 60-90 cups, 90-120 napkins and a stack of serving platters and foil trays for cooked food. The two things people always under-buy for a BBQ are sturdy plates (flimsy ones buckle under burgers and slaw eaten standing up) and napkins - allow at least 3-4 per guest for sticky, hands-on food. Everything you need, by category, is below, with quantities you can scale to your guest count. 

How much do you need per guest at a BBQ?

Barbecues are hands-on and casual, so the numbers skew towards sturdy plates and plenty of napkins rather than fine glassware. These figures assume a 2-4 hour afternoon BBQ.

The full BBQ supplies checklist

Plates & bowls

This is the category to get right. BBQ food is eaten standing up or balanced on a lap, so you want rigid plates that won't fold under a loaded burger. Compartment plates are great for keeping coleslaw away from the bun. Under England's single-use plastics rules in force since 2023, businesses can't supply single-use plastic plates (even compostable PLA versions), so sturdy bagasse plates are the practical, compliant choice - and they handle hot, greasy food better than thin plastic anyway.

• Sturdy main plates (one per main + a spare)

• Bowls for salads, sides and desserts

• Small plates for nibbles and buns

Cutlery

Most BBQ food is finger food, so cutlery use is lighter than a sit-down meal - but you'll still want forks for salads and sides. Wooden cutlery is robust, looks right for an outdoor setting, and meets the plastics rules.

Cups & drinkware

Glass and lawns don't mix, so reusable-style plastic drinkware is the sensible call outdoors. Plastic tumblers and cups cover soft drinks and water, while plastic pint glasses are ideal for beer and cider without the breakage risk. Plastic drinkware isn't affected by the single-use plastics ban.

Napkins & clean-up

Barbecue food is messy, so napkins are the unsung hero - buy more than feels reasonable. Keep napkins in several spots (food table, drinks station, seating) plus kitchen roll near the grill, and have plenty of bin bags ready.

Serving & food prep

You'll need somewhere to carry raw and cooked food safely. Foil trays and serving platters keep cooked items warm and let you separate raw from cooked, and sauce pots are handy for ketchup, mustard and dips without the squeezy-bottle chaos.

Food safety in the heat

Summer heat is the real hazard at a BBQ. Keep raw meat in a cool box until it hits the grill, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and don't leave dishes like mayonnaise-based salads sitting in the sun. Separate serving trays for raw and cooked make this easy to manage.