Every hot chocolate bar party guide tells you what to serve. Almost none tell you the two things that actually decide the evening: how the line flows, and how much to buy. A beautiful bar that jams into a queue at the marshmallow jar, or runs dry at guest twelve, is a beautiful failure. Here is the party setup that solves both, the one-way flow layout and the per-guest math, so you spend the evening with your guests instead of restocking.
Short answer: Set up a hot chocolate bar party as a one-way line: mugs first, cocoa second (slow cooker or urn), toppings third, landing zone last. Plan one quart of cocoa per 4 guests, one bag of mini marshmallows per 10, and 1.5 mugs per person. Batch in a slow cooker, label everything, and keep dairy in the fridge until the party starts.
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