Houston tailgate food is smoked and sauced, and that changes the ratio of what gets used. Plates hold up through one trip each; napkins go three or four deep per person across an afternoon. A set counted by guests rather than by pieces keeps both stacks in step instead of leaving a drawer of plates and no paper.
Twenty-four is the lot-sized count, two tables of people in deep steel blue and red. The set covers plates and napkins only, so cups come from the Texans kit on this shelf or out of a plain pack. Houston humidity softens anything left out, which argues for keeping the stack boxed until the food lands.
On the table
- Plates and napkins counted for twenty-four guests rather than by piece.
- Napkins run three to four per person at a brisket table.
- Cups are separate; the Texans kit for sixteen includes them.
- Keep the stack boxed until serving in Houston humidity.
