How to Set Up a Game Day Snack Spread for Football Season

A football party lasts three or four hours, and nobody wants to miss a play to wait at the stove. The best game day spread is set up once, refreshed at halftime, and lets everyone help themselves from the couch.

How much food

When the snacks are the meal, plan on about 10 to 15 bites per person over the game: a handful of wings, a slider or two, chips and dip, and something sweet. Make a little more of the hot food than you think; it goes first.

Lay it out in one line

• Put the table where people can reach it without blocking the screen, like behind the couch or along a side wall.
• Start with plates and napkins, then the hot food, then dips and chips, then sweets. Drinks go at a separate spot so the line keeps moving.
• For the coffee table, a lazy susan with dips and toppings means everyone on the couch can reach it with one turn.

The dip station

Dips are the center of any game day table. Two or three is plenty: guacamole, a salsa and something warm like queso or a spinach dip.

• A Chip & Dip Platter keeps the dip up in its own bowl in the middle, with the chips around it, so the dip never ends up buried.
• For a taco or nacho bar, put the salsa, guacamole and pickled onions in a Black Ceramic Condiment Set, with the lids on until kickoff.
• Keep extra chips in the bag and refill the platter at halftime, so they stay crisp.

The hot food

Wings, sliders, meatballs and pigs in a blanket all hold well. Keep wings and meatballs warm in a slow cooker on the low setting, and put out the sliders on a big board like our Large Olive Wood Cutting and Serving Board, with a pile of veggies and ranch at one end that someone will be glad to see.

Snacks to graze on

Nuts, pretzels, popcorn and candy are what people pick at during the slow parts of the game. A three-compartment snack bowl on the coffee table keeps three of them separate and within reach.

Keep it cold and keep it safe

• Set cold dips over a bowl of ice, or put out half and keep the rest in the fridge for halftime.
• Do not leave dairy dips, meat or cheese out for more than two hours. Swap in a fresh batch at halftime instead.

Carry it all at once

A big tray with handles turns the halftime refresh into one trip from the kitchen. Our Large Acacia Wood Serving Tray, 18 x 14 In has raised edges, so drinks and dips do not slide off on the way.

Clean up

Wash wooden boards and platters by hand in warm, soapy water and dry them straight away; never soak them or put them in the dishwasher. A little food-safe mineral oil every few months keeps them looking new.

See all the boards and platters in Serving Boards & Platters. Shipping is free anywhere in the US.