BUFFETS

-Karishma Verma
 Buffet-Definition
● A variety of dishes presented in a line, from which diners in a
restaurant serve themselves, usually at a fixed price regardless of
how much one eats
● The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard
furniture where the food was placed but eventually referred to the
serving format
● A system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area
where the diners serve themselves
 Buffet-Origin

•In the 19th century, supper, a lighter meal

some hours after the main dinner, was
sometimes served as a buffet.
•It used to be served late at night at
grand balls, where not everyone present
would eat at the same time, or in the same
quantity
Buffet Planning –
Factors/Guidelines
 Begin planning your buffet table in advance.
● Gather all of your serving dishes together the night before
the event and place them on the table.
● Attach sticky notes to remind you which food goes in which
dish.
● Arranging your table in advance will ensure that you are
not making last-minute decisions and preparations.
● If you have more time, consider drawing the set-up on a
sheet of paper. Choose the one that you like the best, then
recreate it using your table and dishes.
Place the table in the center of the room for
the best flow
● Clear the room you plan to use for your event,
including all clutter, furniture, and decorations.
● Place the serving table in the middle of the room,
then place additional tables on either side for
things like plates, silverware, and cups.
● This will allow the guests to access the food from
both sides of the buffet table and will keep the
line moving quickly.
● Make sure that you have a set of serving spoons
and tongs for each dish - one for each side of the
table.
Plan a separate table for beverages
•This minimizes the potential for spills.
•This is another way to ensure that your
guests can manoeuvre the lines with ease.
•Consider having separate tables for
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Plan traffic flow
•Designate an entrance and exit to the buffet.
•You can do this by simply letting people know
as they walk up to the table, or by making a
sign for each end of the table.
•Leave plenty of space in front of and on the
sides of the table, just in case people decide to
pause for a moment. This reduces the chance of
crowding.
Recall any difficulties you’ve experienced with past
buffets
•Consider what was annoying or difficult the
last time you set up a buffet.
•Recall the practical difficulties you faced
during a previous event, and try to work on
them, this time around.
Ensure a nice presentation
•Decide on a colour or a theme when
putting out everything on the table.
•This will bring the look of the table
together and make the meal look more
appealing.
•Sometimes, less is more when it comes to
decorations.
•Rather than choosing lots of colors and
patterns, stick with just one or two solid
colors instead.
Place the plates at the start of the line
•It is a good idea to set up a buffet with two
or three stacks of plates of about ten plates
each.
•Don't, however, pile the plates too high, or
they will be in danger of tipping over.
•Be sure to put condiments near the type of
food they belong with.
•If there are separate tables for things like
appetizers and desserts, you will need to add
tables for plates near them as well.
Make labels/cards
•Prepare labels/cards for each dish ahead of time.
•This can be on small pieces of paper, sticky notes, or
cardboard.
•Put the labels next to each dish once all of the food is
out on the table.
•The names of the dishes should be replicated on tent
cards/ menu cards.
•This will allow guests to know what the dish is before
they put it on their plate, which helps eliminate a lot of
uneaten and thrown-away food.
•Use non-vegetarian/vegetarian/vegan symbols for
each dish, as the case may be.
Line up the food according to temperature
Add decorations
Fun
Fact
 Types of Buffet
•Display Buffet / Finger Buffet
•Sit-down Buffet
•Standing Buffet / Fork Buffet
•Breakfast Buffet
•Cold Buffet
 Display Buffet/Finger Buffet
•An array of foods that are designed to be small and
easily consumed only by hand, often by guests who are
standing
•The guests approach the buffet at its various service
points to select their requirements course by course
•It is an informal meal, and no cutlery is provided to them
•Examples include cupcakes, slices of pizza, food on
cocktail sticks, etc.
 Sit-Down Buffet
•In this buffet type, the guests help themselves from
the buffet and sit down to have their food
•A buffet of this type requires more than the usual
number of service personnel
•Normally associated with formal events
 Standing Buffet/Fork Buffet
•A meal that can be eaten standing, with a plate
in one hand, and a fork in the other
•There is no provision for elaborate cutlery
 Breakfast Buffet
•A breakfast buffet consists of a long table or
counter where guests can serve themselves
•A typical buffet will include items like muffins,
croissants, toast, and other baked goods; hot items
such as sausages, bacon, fried potatoes or hash
browns, fruit, yoghurt, cereals, scrambled eggs, etc.
 Cold Buffet
•Also referred to as buffet froid
•It refers to a type of meal service where food is laid out
on a table or buffet for guests to serve themselves
•The food is typically served cold
•It might include a variety of cold dishes such as
charcuterie, cheese, olives, cold cuts, and salads
•Typically accompanied by bread and other
accompaniments
Other Buffet
Formats
 Smörgåsbord
•A buffet-style meal of Swedish origin
•It is customary, to begin with cold fish dishes, which are
generally various forms of herring, salmon, and eel
•After eating the first portion, people usually continue with
the second course (other cold dishes), and round off with hot
dishes.
•Dessert may or may not be included in a smörgåsbord
•The smörgåsbord buffet was often held in separate rooms
for men and women before the dinner was served
 Dim Sum Buffet
•Collective term for a broad assortment of hors d’oeuvres
of probable Cantonese origin, now a staple of Chinese
restaurants around the world
•Dim sum is a traditional Chinese meal made up of small
plates of dumplings and other snack dishes and is usually
accompanied by tea.
•Seated patrons make their selections from wheeled carts,
containing different plates of food, which the staff
circulate through the restaurant
 “All-you-can-eat” Buffet
•An all-you-can-eat buffet, or restaurant, is a buffet or
restaurant, at which you pay a fixed price, no matter
how much or how little you eat
•In some countries, this format is popular for "Sunday
brunch" buffets
 Mongolian Barbecue Buffet
•This buffet format allows diners to collect various thinly-sliced raw
foods and add flavorings, which are then stir-fried on a large griddle
by a restaurant chef
•It allows diners to pick their own ingredients and sauce, assembling
a dish that is customized to their tastes
•The distinctive feature of the buffet is that the griddle is typically
large enough to prepare multiple meals at once
•This makes it an extremely efficient food preparation technique
and allows diners to move through the restaurant quickly
Homework
•List 50 important
buffet
equipment/supplies
•Make a buffet
checklist for a formal
banquet of 100 pax
THANK
YOU!