
Indicate party is Dutch Treat
We found a response to a somewhat similar question from Peggy Post, etiquette expert and author of the revised Emily Post´s Etiquette, and have included the excerpt below:
"Question: My husband and I want to throw his mother a sixtieth-birthday party in a private room at her favorite restaurant. How do we word the
invitations to make it clear that the guests will pay for their own meals? We don´t want them to be surprised when the time comes to divvy up the bill.
Peggy´s Response: I´m afraid you´re the ones in for a surprise. When you host a party, you pay for your guests´ food and drink. It´s that simple. Now you have several options: You can cut back the guest list or change the party´s locale to make it more affordable. Or, you can convert your hosted party into a night-on-the-town gathering of friends and family. When calling people to invite them, say, "We´re meeting next Saturday at the such and such restaurant. It´s a little Dutch-treat get-together for Mom´s birthday." Just be crystal clear that you´re not the hosts."
Therefore, you would call your guests and have them join you for the "Dutch-treat" party but you would not send out a printed
invitation for a "Dutch-treat" party.