As a restaurant owner, there aren't many things more challenging than keeping a steady stream of customers coming in through the front door. Unfortunately, these kinds of challenges can eventually arrest the cash flow of your business, which can cause all kinds of problems in the long run. About three months ago, I decided that it would be a good idea to start focusing more on my own restaurant so that I could improve things. I started small, by changing the way that our team handled a few things, and then eventually worked towards reworking the entire menu. This blog is all about making your restaurant more profitable.
Event catering can range from informal light fare to highly elegant multi-course meals. Knowing the options available can help you determine the best type of service for your next big event.
1. Buffet Service
Buffet service can range from casual to fairly elegant, depending on the dishes chosen and whether it is self-service or full-service. Tables are set up around the dining room featuring both hot and cold dishes. With self-service, guests serve themselves while the catering staff refills the buffet as needed. Full-service buffets feature staff serving the guests as they travel down the buffet. Buffets work especially well for lighter meals, such as breakfast, brunch, and lunch.
2. Table Service
Table service is perhaps the most well-known of the catering options, as it is often seen at weddings and corporate events. Guests may choose from a limited menu before the event, such as the classic choices of the chicken or fish meal, or they may be presented with a menu at the event from which to choose their dishes. Meals are served at the table, restaurant style, for a quite elegant presentation.
3. Box Lunches
A staple for office meeting lunches, club meetings, and similar events is the box lunch. Individually packaged meals are delivered so that every attendee can easily grab a catered meal. A related catering option to the box lunch is platter style, where sandwich trays, veggie and cheese trays, or simple charcuterie boards are provided alone or in conjunction with a box lunch.
4. Concession Style
Gaining in popularity, concession-style catering is great for festivals and other large informal events. Your catering service will set up concession stations around the event so guests can come up and get the food of their choosing. Food trucks may be used for outdoor events, while food stations are typically chosen for indoor events. There is usually a large selection of different concession-style foods chosen to fit the type of event.
5. Hors D'Oeuvre Service
Gallery openings and social parties are events that require may require catering but don't call for a full meal. Hors d'oeuvre service can be casual, with trays of tasty tidbits set out for guests to help themselves, or it can be formal with uniformed waitstaff circulating to pass out food and drinks around to guests. This type of catering is also called appetizer or tapas service.
Contact a catering service, such as El Indio Mexican Restaurant, to see the full range of services available.
Share9 December 2022
