Best Backyard Kitchen, By Event

It's the same cart we call the best backyard kitchen, full stop — these pages just show what it takes to run each kind of party off it. New to it? Start with the Backyard Banger, or decide whether to buy one or rent one.

Pick your event

How to size it to your crowd

Every event scales the same four things: water through the sink (roughly a third of a gallon per guest per hour, more for a boil), drinks (the 4.5 cubic foot fridge holds the first rounds — a big crowd needs an overflow cooler), power (a griddle, a TV, and a speaker clear the 20-amp tower; a second high-draw appliance doesn't), and prep (20 square feet of teak comfortably handles about 25 guests before you want a second surface). Each event guide runs those numbers for your exact count — a crawfish boil loads the water differently than a movie night.

Rent it or buy it for the event?

One-time events — a backyard wedding, a graduation party — are usually a rental: an operator delivers it, you host, they haul it off. Recurring hosting — game days all fall, a pool all summer — is where buying pays off. Weigh it with the buy-vs-rent breakdown or find an operator near you.

What an event setup costs

To own, it's $5,599.99 flat — cheaper than a built-in ($6k–$30k) and it replaces a piecemeal party-rental order of tables, a bar, a cooler, and a hand-wash station. To rent, the operator sets the rate. Price your own setup.