| The task of planning a wedding, business function, or | | | | appreciating the same presentation as those who |
| other catered event often involves choosing between | | | | were served first. |
| sit-down and buffet style service. There are a lot of | | | | Today many hosts do not want their guests spending |
| good choices. Among them are: family style service, | | | | a lot of time standing in line, so buffets are not as |
| cocktail receptions, food stations, and hors d'oeuvres. | | | | popular as they used to be. As the guests are filling |
| There are pros and cons that come with each option, | | | | their plates, sometimes things can get jumbled, as the |
| so deciding what your goals and priorities are will help | | | | various flavors and sauces become mixed and run |
| you determine what fits best for your particular event. | | | | together with each other. With buffet style meals, it |
| Is formality or casualness part of your event? Is the | | | | can be difficult to keep food the right temperature. |
| food quality the most important consideration, or are | | | | One thing you could try is a chafing dish. However, |
| you primarily concerned with having a wide variety and | | | | these can overcook your food or just dry it out if it sits |
| a large amount of food? Would you prefer to have | | | | there too long. For this reason, high-end caterers don't |
| your guests visit while eating or sit down to a full | | | | use them much any more. Instead, they keep the food |
| meal? | | | | fresh by putting it out a bit at a time on warmed |
| When you have a sit down dinner, the food should be | | | | platters. When the weather is warmer, and there are |
| served up fresh, straight from the pan to the plate. | | | | cold foods, such as salads or sushi, keeping them cold |
| Quite a number of hotels and cheaper caterers | | | | can be a challenge, but skilled caterers devise creative |
| pre-plate main courses and maintain them in a | | | | ways to solve this problem. Because guests generally |
| warming area before adding the sauce and serving | | | | take more food than they can eat, waste is a |
| them. That's why you will often find rubbery, dried out | | | | considerable factor with buffets. |
| food at big events. Be sure to find out how the food | | | | The main advantage of serving buffet-style is that it's |
| will be plated. You can either visit the kitchen of the | | | | easier to offer a broad selection of food to choose |
| hotel you are booking or just ask the caterer about | | | | from, which can be a good alternative for a diversified |
| presentation. | | | | group of people having widely varying tastes. Buffet |
| When you have a sit-down dinner, your guests will | | | | style service often uses a smaller service staff, and |
| tend to eat food the way it is served. This means they | | | | sometimes can be cheaper than the cost of a sit |
| will get the right amount of main dish and side dish and | | | | down event. Due to the fact that guests are forced to |
| an appropriate amount of sauce. The particular event | | | | get out of their seats and interact while in line, buffets |
| will dictate whether the presentation of the food is | | | | foster socialization. |
| refined or rustic. Whichever the case, the food often | | | | If you want to encourage your guests to mingle, you |
| maintains its integrity and is simply dished and served | | | | should set up food stations and provide a cocktail |
| at an acceptable temperature with attention paid to | | | | reception. Usually food stations are opened individually |
| details. The best thing is for the food to be served hot | | | | and appetizers are passed among the guests. It has |
| out of the pan, directly onto the plate. | | | | replaced traditional buffets in popularity. With this |
| When food is served family style, it is put on the table | | | | scenario, differently themed food stations are set up |
| on platters. The platters are then passed as the | | | | around the room. Some people choose to offer "action |
| guests serve themselves, or can be aided by a | | | | stations". In this option, the food is prepared fresh right |
| service staff member. This style can conjure up the | | | | in front of the guests. This means hotter, fresher food |
| atmosphere of a villa in Tuscany, where everyone | | | | for your guests to enjoy. Sushi can be rolled to order, |
| dines at long "king's tables", an arrangement in which | | | | meat can be carved, pasta tossed, and oysters |
| several 8 foot tables are set up together, forming a | | | | shucked directly onto the plate. As guests get smaller |
| single long narrow table. Of course, a family style | | | | individual plates from each station, they will continuously |
| dinner will not allow you to have continuous, consistent | | | | interact with each other as they progress through the |
| presentation since people will be taking food off the | | | | stations. |
| platters as they go around the table. Nonetheless, this | | | | You can have a very successful dinner party by |
| can be a very enjoyable and attractive way to serve | | | | combining formats. For example you could have a |
| a meal if the right food choices are made. One of the | | | | cocktail reception, a sit-down dinner, and a dessert |
| downsides is that the guests who are served last | | | | buffet with coffee and cognac. |
| from a certain platter miss the opportunity of | | | | |