The Pros & Cons of a Buffet Reception
Once you’ve decided on a dinner reception, your next step is figuring out whether or not you’d like a sit-down dinner or a buffet. Both are wonderful options, depending on your personal style and budget. Here, we address the pros and cons of the buffet meal, which will create a far more casual “vibe” at your reception. Read on for scrumptious options.
Generally speaking, a buffet meal is more cost-effective than a seated dinner. (On average, a buffet meal will cost $15 per person as opposed to $25 for a seated dinner.) Part of the savings is because you need approximately half the wait staff. Also, instead of ordering 50 filet mignons and 50 salmon dishes, you offer the amount you think you need, and additional pasta and vegetarian dishes. Like any dinner, some guests won’t be very hungry and are likely to eat a small portion of food. For a seated meal, everyone is served the same meal, regardless of appetite.
If you are having a dessert in addition to cake, the buffet servers can either place them on the table, or you can have a dessert bar after the other dishes have been cleared. Some caterers will even allow guests to pick up their own cake slices, cutting down on wait staff even further.
Food for thought.
Another buffet “trick” is to organize food stations in the most cost-effective way possible. Says Los Angeles Chef David Brian Sanders, “the caterers will put salads and breads first, then pasta dishes, then vegetables. Many guests fill up on that before they hit the main courses.”
Buffet meals are wonderful for outdoor affairs and banquet hall dinners. If you’re having a black-tie reception at a five-star resort, most couples (and planners) will opt for a seated meal.
There are other factors to address before going the buffet route. Traffic congestion can be a big problem. “Make sure the buffet and the bar area are on opposite ends of the venue,” says Sanders. “You want the flow of points of interest to be smooth and apart.”
Also, don’t assume a buffet is automatically cheaper than a seated meal. If you go all-out and order several expensive dishes in large quantities, it will cost the same or more as a seated dinner. Talk to your caterer about limiting foods like lobster. If your husband’s poker buddies are attending, know that they might leave dirty dishes everywhere, or waste precious food by eating a couple of bites, then going back for something else. Once again, this goes back to the formality of the affair and the quality of food being served.
On the flip side, guests eat exactly what they want. Should your little brother object to pickled herring, he can skip that station and go right for the chicken wings. Now that’s a value meal!
-David Toussaint