Abuffet is a system of serving meals in

which food is placed in a public area where

the diners generally serve themselves
Buffets usually have some hot dishes, so the
term "cold Buffet has been developed. Hot or
cold buffets usually involve plates, bowls, and
cutlery.

WHAT IS BUFFET SERVICE

A buffet is a popular and profitable form of food

presentation found in most food operation.

Outlined are three reasons:

1. VISUAL APPEAL-An attractive presentation of foods with
the right quantity and quality as well.
2. EFFICIENCY-The buffet allows the restaurant to serve a
large number of people in a short time with relatively few
service personnel.
3. ADAPTABILITY-Highly adaptable for almost every type of
food with the exception of cooked to order foods; all price
ranges; occasions; restaurant styles and food customs.

BUFFET
HISTORY
The term buffet originally

Referred to the French as

side boardwhere the food was served, but eventually
became applied to the form. The buffet became
popular in theEnglish-speaking world in the second
half of the 20th century after the Swedes had used
the smorgasbord in New York. The word is still
borrowed into the English language.
Smrgsbord is a type of
Scandinavianmeal served
buffet -style with multiple cold
dishes of various foods on a
table, originating in Sweden.

Buffet styles and

concepts

Buffet styles & concept

Modern day buffet
Cover all genre of guests
Styles of service

What makes buffet a buffet

Centralized idea or theme
Stylized food in volume
Professional & knowledgeable service

Creativity and the buffet

Food selection and grouping
Showmanship
Table settings and configuration

Planning the Buffet

Location plays a major role it has to be located at centre

view
Structure should planned based on the design of the hall
and reach of the guest and staff.
Buffets must be carefully designed to provide food from a
planned menu in an attractive fashion to a given number of
people within a specified time
Requires a collaborative effort among the chef, catering
staff, dining room manager, and banquet manager
The theme sets the tone of the event
The theme will define the menu, decorations, props, linens,
and dinnerware
The theme can also define the music, lighting, and wait
staff uniforms
Can be accomplished for any meal period but lends itself
best to lunches and dinners

Consider These Points

Offer dishes with different principal

ingredients
Offer foods cooked by different methods
Offer foods with different colors
Offer foods with different textures
Consider the costs
Remember everything offered should be
within the budget

Designing the Buffet

After the Theme is Set
Allocate space in the garden, patio, or other
space provided
Depending on the function , there must be
space for bars, a dance floor, a stage, a
podium, and equipment
The number of diners is critical
As a rule, a single sided buffet can comfortably
serve 50-75 people

Designing the Buffet

After the Theme is Set
If you have more than 75 people you should
have two service lines
The use of stations or groupings of similar
menu items in different areas is also a
consideration

Arranging Food on a
Buffet
Flow
Food must be placed in a logical order

Spacing
1 linear foot for each item on the buffet

Reach
Accompaniments
Should be located close to the food they go with

Centerpieces
Increase the visual appeal

Decorations
Labels
Attractively printed cards with the name of each dish

BUFFET GUIDELINES
1. Arrange your food by type:
a. keep salads with cold foods
b. desserts by themselves.
c. start with less expensive foods and work
up to the
expensive entre
2. Vary the level:
a. vary height and breath of displays
b. most expensive items are raised and
offered behind a row of less expensive items

BUFFET GUIDELINES
CONTD
3. Arrange with care:
a. contrast colours
b. do not overcrowd platter or bowls
c. garnish must be appropriate and edible
d. never over-decorate
e. avoid brightly colored aspic or chaud-froid
f. show pieces should be clearly positioned
4. Choose and use service pieces with care:
a. a mixture of silver, mirrors, glass and stainless
steel can be used.

SAFETY ALERT - Buffets

Do not add new food to old
Do not use a chafing dish to heat food
Check temperatures regularly
Be careful of steam when changing pans in a

chafing dish
Provide clean utensils
Provide an ample supply of plates

Presenting Cold Food

Serve in relatively small quantities
Place foods on a bed of ice when possible
Change un-iced items regularly

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COCKTAIL BUFFET
The cocktail buffet displays appetizers intended to

accompany drinks and other refreshments at

receptions, cocktail parties and cocktail hours
preceding banquets and dinners.
There is a separate line for each item.
1. Only appetizer foods are served-Tasty and well
seasoned foods in small portions
2. Stack of small plates are placed beside each item
3. The tables must be easy to get to from all parts
of the room and must not block traffic.

COLD PLATTER
PRESENTATION
The cold platter is the mainstay of the buffet and

offers the most visual artistry.

Cold platters require great precision, patience and

artistic sense.
Cold platters can range from a simple tray of cold

cuts to elaborate constructions of pts, meats,

poultry or fish decorated with aspic, truffles and
vegetable flowers.

PRINCIPLES OF PLATTER
PRESENTATION
1. Three elements of a buffet platter:
a. Centrepiece or gross pice-this is made from edible
materials in the form of an uncut portion of the main
food item eg. Pt or a cold roast, decorated and
displayed whole; moulded salmon mousse etc. It can
also be strictly for decoration, such as a butter
sculpture or a squash vase filled with vegetable
flowers.
b. The slices or serving portions of the main food item,
arranged artistically.
c. The garnish arranged artistically in proportion to the
cut slices.

PLATTER PRESENTATION CONTD

2. The food should be easy to handle and serve.
3. A simple design is best-simple arrangements are
easier to serve.
4. Attractive platter presentations may be made on
silver or other metals, mirrors, china, plastic,
wood as long as they are presentable and suitable
for use with food.
5. Once a piece of food has touched the tray, do not
remove.
6. Think of the platter as part of the whole buffet. It
must look attractive and appropriate.

DESIGNING THE PLATTER

1. Plan ahead-making a sketch is a good idea. One way to start
a sketch is to divide the platter into six or eight equal parts,
this helps avoid lopsided or crooked arrangements by giving
equally spaced markers as guidelines.
2. Plan for movement in your design-most food for platters
consists of single small portions arranged in rows or lines. The
trick is to put movement into those lines by curving or angling
them.
3. Give the design a focal point-this is the function of the
centrepiece which emphasizes and strengthens the design by
giving it direction and height. The centrepiece isnt always in
the centre, because of the height it should be at the back or
side. It is not necessary for every platter on the buffet to have
a centrepiece.

DESIGNING THE PLATTER CONTD

4. Keep items in proportion(1)the main item on the platter should look like the main
items.
(2)The centrepiece should not dominate the platter.
(3)The garnish should enhance, not overwhelm, the main
item in size, height or quantity.
(4)The size of the platter should be in proportion to the
amount of food.
(5)Indicates placement of garnish as well as the main item.
5. Let the guest see the best side of everything-angle
overlapping slices and wedge-shaped pieces toward the
customer. Make sure the best side of each slice is face up.

Buffet Calculation
The minimum space between

the wall and buffet should be 3ft.

A minimum of 15% area of total space
is required for staff flow
Approximately 25% area of total space
is required for buffet layout
A separate buffet counter is required
for 75 guests

BUFFET LAYOUT
The buffets visual appeal is perhaps its greatest attraction for the

customer.
The appearance of the food sells the buffet.
A buffet is not just FOOD SERVICE It is FOOD DISPLAY

A Buffet Layout is influenced by the following:

1. The number of people
2. The theme
3. The space allotted

BUFFET CONTD
The following should be noted:
1. More than eighty (80) persons serve in zones
2. Plan the zones so that guests can enter and
exit line with minimum interference.
3. Each zone must have its own set of chafers,
platters, bowls, carvers and china.
4. All foods should be the same for each of the
zones.
5. Each zone should have a staff member to
refill serving utensils and to assist patrons.

BUFFET CONTD
6. Each zone should have adequate china for
service; silver and glassware will be placed on
individual tables.
7. The zone must be designed with the
following factors in mind:
a. Emergency exits (must not be
blocked)
b. Columns or pillars
8. Access to the kitchen is a must for any setup.

Different Shapes For Zone Service

1. Center or Hollow Squares- normally placed in the centre
of a room and dominated by a large floral display, ice
carving etc
2. Circular- similar to hollow square
3. T-Shape- set up in the middle of the room, this design
permits dual access
4. U-Shape- this also permits dual access, but two
complete buffets must be arranged, one for each arm.
5. L-Shape- it is functional when placed in the corner of
the room
6. Straight- this helps to utilize wall space.
7. Satellite Table- similar foods placed on separate tables.

Buffet Lay out

This H shaped buffet

design uses 12 60 ID
serpentine tables, 2 6
foot tables, and 2 4 foot
tables.
The layout is 20 feet
wide x 25 feet long.
Leave 30" on each side
for a walkway. These
are for large receptions.

Figure 8 shaped buffet with 8 60" ID serpentine

tables.
This design is 32.5 feet x 10 feet.
You may place a small table inside the open areas
of the figure 8 for decorations etc.

The super buffet setup to the right is great for very

large weddings, and buffet receptions.

It can be used as a double sided buffet, or "round
trip".
It uses 8 60"ID serpentine tables, and 4 8 foot
tables.

Sided Buffet by Wall can be used parallel to a wall.

It uses 2 serpentine tables, and 2 8 foot tables.
You can place the buffet 24" from the wall to leave an aisle for

food replenishing.
The hollow part of the circle can be used as a carving station
and the like.

Double sided buffet uses 4 serpentine tables, and 2

eight foot tables.

You can substitute the 4 serpentine tables for 2 half
rounds.

The T shaped buffet is very simple.

Its 4 rectangular tables in the shape of a "T".
These can be used in the center of the room, and

have 4 entry points

The diagram to the right creates an X shaped

buffet.
You can use any size rectangular table you like as
long as they are the same size.

The straight line buffet to the right will save

the most space. It's just 2 rectangular

tables.

Buffet staff
Comparison of the staff skill
Number of pax
One waiter should handle 5-7 items
Type of buffet menu
Type of establishment

Buffet service
Buffet attendant should have thorough

knowledge of
food and ingredient
utensil and service ware
portion size
presentation technique
service method

Presenting and Maintaining the Buffet

A common problem is overproduction
As a simple rule, one pound of food per

person is far from foolproof but is a starting

point
Entre item - 6 ounces
Starch - 4 ounces
Vegetables - 4 ounces
Accompaniments 1 to 2 ounces
Dessert - 2 inches (Depending on the kind
of dessert)

Presenting Hot Foods

Presenting hot foods on a buffet is challenging
Consider
Safety
Sanitation
Presentation concerns
Serve foods that hold temperature well
Cook and serve small batches of foods

Presenting Hot Foods

Consider
Sauces in the pans help keep the foods moist
and hot
Keep the chafing dishes closed when not
serving
Watch the use of heat lamps

There is always a fear of someone getting burned

Presenting Cold Foods

Watch temperatures
Replenish ice often
Serving platters have to be exchanged

often to keep the food appealing

Remember to avoid mixing temperature
sensitive foods with potentially hazardous
foods
The wait staff has to be vigilant in
removing soiled dishes and replenishing
table items (water, tea, silverware, etc.)

Maintaining
Buffet
Keep hot items hot:
If there is less than one quarter of an inch of water in the

liners of hot chafing dishes, user a pitcher of water to refill

the liners.
If the chafing dishes are heated by canned, gel type fuel
then make sure the cans stay lit, and replace them when
they become empty.
Replace lid on serving dishes when guests are not in the
buffet line.
Keep cold items cold:
Use pitchers to add ice to the buffet as needed to keep the
containers holding cold items surrounded by ice.
Remove ice that gets into the food containers and replace
any items that become waterlogged.

Refill Food and water:

When a container is less than one-quarter full get a full
container from the kitchen.
Remove the old container and replace it with the full one.
Do not combine food from the old and new containers.
Bring the old container the kitchen and give it to the
appropriate person.
Place enough drinking water glasses filled at all time.
Maintain service ware:
Restock dishes when there are fewer than ten dishes in a
stack. Never let a stack get below five dishes.
Make sure each container has an appropriate serving
utensil.
Return serving utensils to the correct containers.
Replace utensils that fall on the floor with clean utensils
from the kitchen.
Use a damp, food-safe cleaning cloth to wipe spills on the

PLANNING MENU
Profitability versus cost
The markets or clients need and wants
Meal Period
Quality and availability of products and use
Variety and balance
Nutritional value and balance
Quality Retention During long meal period
Production capabilities and limitations
Availability of production equipments
Availability of service equipments
Skills of the staff
Ability to control
Holding capability
Difficulty and ease of service

Buffet Presentation
A buffet offers all dishes from a selected

menu in a single attractive setting

A buffet offers food service professionals the
opportunity to exercise their creativity by
identifying themes, and then creating menus,
displays, and decorations with these themes
in mind

Sequence of Food Display of Buffets

While you are displaying the food for guest, before guest start the
food you have to check the sequence of food. Food should be in
proper sequence.
Soup and soup cup and plates
Dinner plates with Napkins and cutlery
Salad bar with service gears
Rice
Fish
Chicken
Mutton
Paneer
Mushroom
Vegetables
Dal
Bread
Fruits
Desserts

TYPES OF BUFFET
Sit Down Buffet/Full Buffet/Fork n Knife

Buffet/Formal buffet
Fork Buffet
Brunch Buffet
Display Buffet
Occasion buffet
Regional & ethnic Buffet
Finger Buffet
Cold Buffet
Break Fast Buffet

Sit Down Buffet/Full Buffet/Fork n

Knife Buffet/Formal buffet
In this type of buffet tables and chairs laid out with

cover are provided and the first course is served to

the customer. The guests help themselves only for
the main course and dessert and dessert. While
offering this type of buffet one should see that
diners, chairs and tables are placed keeping in mind
location of buffet table.

Fork buffet (Buffet a la Fourchette) or

standing buffet or Occasion Buffet:
The fork buffet is the one which the guest is

offered a meal which can be easily eaten with

fork while standing holding a plate and drink.
The chairs are sometimes available for few
guests. This kind of buffet is most suited for
occasions like wedding,
birthday, anniversary etc. as one
able to accommodate more
guests in less space. This type is
offered for informal events.

Brunch
Brunch is a meal eaten between break fast and lunch
. The
word is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. A meal
is not usually considered brunch if it is started before
11 am; such meals would still be considered breakfast.
Typically brunch is had between 11 am and 1 pm,
close to lunch time but still before. Brunch is usually
eaten in the late morning.

Finger Buffet:
Another kind is Finger buffet and this signifies the

kind of meal where usually only snacks are served

and no cutlery is required. The food served is
usually
dry and of a size that can be taken
without any inconvenience.

Display Buffet:
These buffets present one particular item which

may be house signature item,, house dessert or a

certain wine The concept is to promote that
particular item therefore it is mostly displayed ion
lobby area or at the entrance of the restaurant .
Display buffet at times may
be clubbed with theme and
ethnic buffets for value
addition purpose.

Occasion buffet

Everything focuses on specific occasion

Offers challenge to menu planner

Regional & ethnic

Buffet:
Regional and ethnic buffet is the one which

foods of particular city, state, country and

continent are offered. One can create ethnic
look by giving props, backdrops, lighting and
also incorporating local customs in some form.

Cold Buffet

A cold section of the buffet is called cold

buffet.
The temperature of the buffet should be
maintained at 5 degree centigrade
Cold section is displayed bed of ice
Choice ranges from salads,coldmeats to fresh
fruits
This is not famous in Indian culture but in
European countries they are popular

SCANDINAVIAN
SCANDINAVIAN cold buffets (Smrgsbord)

is world famous for its selection

The Smrgsbord is a scandinavian meal
served in an elaborated buffet style.
The sweedish word Smrgsbord consists of
Smrgs (open faced sandwich) bord (table)

Smrgsbord consists
of
Sweet and sour picked herrings
Marinated salmon with scrambled eggs
Processed tongues
Roast chicken with aspic
Two or three varieties of strong cheese with

accompaniments
Home made liver sausages
Bread and butter
Ham and bacon
Roasted beef with pickled tomatoes
Various salads

Smagarant
Smrgsbord also consists of small selection of hot
food on a warm table called smagarant.
Selection of meat balls fried in butter
Fried sausages
Smoked salmon with egg custard
Wild mushrooms served with cream sauce served
in crustas
Omlettes filled with
asparagus,spinach,ham,prawns etc

BUFFET BREAK FAST

In operation terms the service of a break fast

buffet is becoming more demanding in

modern times
A majority of guest comes at a short span of
time for break fast making it impossible to
accommodate and serve at the same time
Quick service is necessary as no guest is
interested to wait
Buffet break will overcome the problem of
service comparative to table service

Break fast buffet menu

Choice of fruit juices thru dispense jugs
Cereals (Corn,wheat,fancy flakes, and muesli)

are offered with cold or hot milk

Cold cuts ,salad leaves and
Grilled, fried or smoked fish, vegetable preparations
such as baked beans hash brown potatoes, grilled
mushrooms and grilled tomatoes ,egg preparations
such as omelets ,boiled egg, scrambled egg, meat
products such as kidneys ,bacon, sausages, and
liver .

PRE-SERVICE CHECK
POINTS
Type of function buffet reflects concept
No. Of covers sufficient and equipment received and laid out

in time
Location-layout is the buffet in a prominent position?
Is there ample space for display and presentation?
Is the buffet within easy access of the still room and wash up
Is the space enough for sufficient occasional tables and
chairs
Is there cover for the outdoor buffet?
Is the aesthetic appeal as planned / desired?
Are placards placed correctly; any spelling mistakes?
Are service equipment loaded and placed where they are
required?
Is kitchen informed /prepared for pickup of food for service?
Has all food arrived?
Has the briefing been done?

Check Points during buffet service:

Have all the sections of buffet been staffed?
Is replenishment arranged for food, equipment live

used cutlery, chinaware etc?

Is the food hot or cold enough as the case may be?
Are garnishes and accompaniments in place?
Is the food portioned ( if applicable) for easy service
movement smooth ?
Is guest flow and staff movement smooth?
Are replenishments in time and salad bowls ,
Is clearance of used plates in time? Replenishments
of fresh plates and cutlery in time.

After
Service
Tasks:
All guests served , billing instructions followed
All electrical/ gas appliances off
Left over food returned to respective sections of the

kitchen
Empty food containers returned to wash up
Buffet cloths removed , counted and accounted for
linen exchange
Tables folded and stacked in the back area
Hired equipment separated
Miscellaneous equipment sent to wash-up
House keeping tasks commenced
Signature of the captain/Catering Assistant/Supervisor
Date:

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BUFFET

Advantages

Disadvantages

A large number of guests can

be served

Food portion control is not

possible

Less service staff is required

If the buffet line is not properly

organized , it may lead to
congestion

Scope for Presentation of food

Dishes may lose eye appeal

after repeated servings

It increases the sale

Wastage may be more

A great range of choice to the

guest

Personal attention is not given

to the guest

Skills of production staff is at

maximum Level

Service staff skills at minimum