My Kitchen Buffet Catering

Food serving styles can be classified as Table Service and Buffet Service styles. There are variations within each of these depending upon your entertaining style. The Table Service is typically more formal and is for fewer people. The Buffet Service is a casual setting and great for larger catering. The number of guests is normally the leading factor in determining the serving style. However a small tea or cocktail party with just a few appetizers is a good opportunity for a friends and family buffet where the guests can serve themselves as the party progresses.

Buffet Service Style

A Buffet Service is a self service serving style where the guests serve themselves. This style is a great method for feeding large numbers of people with minimal help. The dinner buffet is the most practical and congenial way in which to care for your guests. There can be many variations of the Buffet Service. It can be either country casual or semi formal. It provides a more relaxed method of dining and a more varied menu than a full service meal.

The entertaining buffet presentation of food can be placed on one or more tables close but away from the tables where the guests will be seated during dinner. The guests will go to the buffet tables and serve themselves from a variety of menu items. There are hot buffets and cold buffets. Cold buffets are typically salads and sandwiches. Also the backyard barbeque can be a Buffet Service. An entertaining dessert bar can be used for a afternoon catering of friends.

The Buffet Service can have a staff where the guests bring their own plate along the buffet line and are given a portion from a server at one or more stations. An advantage of buffets is that guests have the ability to inspect food before selecting it and taking only the quantity needed. Since a buffet involves people serving themselves, it is less elegant than Table Service. Buffet Service is used anytime there are large caterings, even at many formal wedding receptions.

Conclusion

So what serving style best accommodates your group? The primary reason for selecting one or the other is the number of guests but also the type of servings and the menu will also impact the decision. If the type of serving is a simple cocktail or tea party where the menu is very limited, a simple buffet is best, even for a small group. A formal dinner party table service can be great for entertaining a few friends.