Diners who love seconds and the freedom to choose the number of their own plate servings prefer buffet restaurants. However, that doesn’t mean buffet dining experience cannot be improved further.
These are the best ways to approach all you can eat buffets in restaurants so that you can spend less and eat more:
HAVE A CLEAR BEGINNING
Guests should know where the buffet table starts and ends – keep all plates on one end of the table. This will prevent a traffic jam. If you have a big group, pull the table away from the wall so that people can go along either side of the table.
BE AWARE OF DIFFERENT PLATE SIZES (AND WHEN TO USE THEM)
For sit-down buffet meals, use nine or ten-inch plates. Six-inch plates are best if your guests will be standing up while they eat,” McDonald writes. “Also, offer multiple stacks of plates on the buffet and make them easy to grab. People feel most comfortable waiting when they have a plate in their hands.
KNOW WHERE TO PLACE FLOWERS
Pick a big showstopper arrangement and raise it above the food so that it can be seen all evening. Make it something that guests will talk about. Often the ceremony flowers can do double duty here. Ask your florist or planner to move the arrangements after the ceremony during the cocktail hour.
KEEP CANDY CHOICES PLENTIFUL
If catering a kid’s party or another whimsical event, a candy buffet is the perfect way to enchant large crowds.
- Mints (peppermint, buttercream mints, spearmint, etc.)
- Bubblegum
- Gummies (different shapes and sizes)
- Hard candy (candy sticks, lollipops, rock candy, etc.)
- Chocolate (bite-sized is best)
POSITION STRATEGICALLY
Place items that you have a smaller quantity of at the end of the table near the utensils. Guests tend to fill their plates with the earlier dishes, so with your strategic placement, your food will “last longer.”
Coordinate table linens and napkins with your event theme
Even if you’re using paper napkins, there’s no reason why you can’t keep everything looking cohesive. Matching your linens, napkins, and even your tableware can bring the whole look together for a more polished, professional event image
Use digital labels for the food labels
Using paper labels may be fine, but why settle for fine if you can do better? Part of giving your customers a better buffet dining experience is educating them or informing them about the choices of food you are serving them.
For example, digital labels like SOLUM’s Newton electronic shelf label have a 7-page display capacity that allows you to put many meal information aside from the food’s name. You can include all the ingredients used in making the food to prevent a person with certain food allergies from taking a serving. Newton also has an LED indication system with 7 colors, allowing you to program color for each type of food: green light for healthy or vegan foods, yellow for white meat or pescatarian foods, and orange for red meat or high cholesterol foods.
To know more about SOLUM ESL and how it can help you cater better to your buffet restaurant diners, Visit Solumesl today!
