It’s the game before the game! It’s football season, and it’s time to get your team pride on and give your guests and family members a fantastic tailgate they won’t forget. A great tailgate requires planning, however, so we put together our top 5 tips for a terrific tailgating experience.
1. Fire it up!
The grill should be your first priority, as food is probably everyone else’s. Clean the grate beforehand, and oil it so that the meat doesn’t stick. Then make sure you light the charcoal first thing when you get there, as the grill will always take longer to heat up than you think. And once the charcoal’s hot? If you can grill it, you should grill it. Toast the buns, stick the veggies on kabobs, grill whole corn on the cob, all right alongside the meats. If it’s food, it can probably go on the grill. (Except the potato salad.) Short on ideas? We love these grilled jalapeño poppers!
2. Go social media savvy
A tailgate’s no fun if nobody shows up. Make sure you spread the word to family, friends, and your less-creepy acquaintances by using handy-dandy technology. Make a Facebook group to add interested parties so that they can RSVP yes or no—and you can put the address in there as well, so you don’t have to answer that question 20 times. And don’t forget Evite for those non-FB friends. If you’re not super social media savvy, and neither are your guests, try an email newsletter-like feature like SignUpGenius for easy updating. You can send out invitations, buy tickets in bulk, and keep guests updated all in one place.
3. Game away
Horseshoes? Check. Footballs? Check. Nerf guns? Check. And most importantly: cornhole. If you didn’t make your own, store bought is fine. (And chances are someone else probably has a handcrafted set just waiting in the trunk anyway.) If it can be caught, tossed, or otherwise launched into the air and played outside: bring your projectiles to the tailgate.
4. Delegate food responsibilities
Tell your guests what to bring, so that you don’t end up with 20 bags of potato chips and 10 pans of brownies. Not that those brownies wouldn’t all get eaten, but you might feel slightly ill afterward. Instead, plan for who’s bringing what, and assign roles ahead of time. Any latecomers can bring ice. Always, more ice.
5. Clean up after yourself
Most importantly, make sure to leave your space clean and neat. No wrappers, no empty bottles, and no food waste. Nobody likes a rude tailgater. Make sure you bring enough garbage bags to cart away all the trash you produce over the course of the day, and that you leave the area just as you found it. Be polite.
Start game day off right with these tips, and we’re sure you’ll have a terrific time.
Have fun this football season, and if Park Place Finance can help you score on your next home with our mortgage lending services, please give us a call today!