Event Catering - How to Plan a Buffet

Buffets offer an ideal catering solution for a wide range of events. Many professional caterers offer reasonably priced buffet services, producing delicious hot or cold food which is ready to eat, leaving one less thing for you to worry about. You will need to consider which type of buffet is best for your event. Will guests be seated or standing? At many events it is not suitable to arrange a formal dining experience. Many guests prefer to relax on sofas, pub seating or standing drinks tables. Although guests have the option to sit down, these types of buffets are often called standing buffets, or fork buffets. These fork buffets are a common catering solution for funerals, corporate events and birthday parties; events where guests may want to catch-up with each other or make conversation or network with new people. As the name suggests, fork buffet menus food usually does not require a knife. Foods are small and can be eaten with little mess or awkwardness. Fork buffet foods include sliced meat, salad, and salad accompaniments such as pasta or potato salads. Caterers will bring fork buffet food to the venue, without the need for cooking facilities, making fork buffets ideal for business meetings or outdoor events such as marquee weddings.Finger buffets are even simpler than fork buffets. They typically consist of bite-size foods such as sandwiches, quiche, pork pies and sausage rolls, and are also suitable for almost any less-formal event. One down side of finger buffets is they cannot offer some of the options available at fork buffets, as foods such as salads and coleslaw require a fork to eat. Finger buffets are the least formal dining option, so may be less suitable for a big event such as a wedding, and less than impressive at a business meeting. Hot buffets and sit down meals offer more formality, but less scope for guests to move around and talk to different people. They also generally require guests to be hungrier, and it’s difficult to choose a menu which everyone will enjoy.Next you will need to select your menu. A good caterer will list possible dishes for you to choose from and cater to any specific requirements. Consider whether your party contains anybody with food intolerances, and make sure to include some vegetarian options. Buffets are easier to plan than formal meals, as a selection of dishes will ensure guests can find something which they like. A successful buffet menu consists of meat, carbohydrate and vegetable options. Also consider deserts, perhaps a cake is suitable for your event.Finger buffet and fork catering menus are usually priced per guest so it is easy to order the right amount of food, although you may want to check with the caterer whether you should order extra just in case. If you have counted children in the party as adults they may not eat a full adult portion and ordering extra may not be necessary. Consider whether the buffet table has adequate space around it for the number of guests, you don’t want a long queue at the table. Your caterer may also be able to offer plate and cutlery hire, or paper plates, napkins and plastic cutlery. With the help of a good caterer, feeding guests at your event should be the least of your troubles.