BANQUET AND CATERING

MANAGEMENT
• A banquet is a large meal or feast,
complete with main courses and desserts.
• A meal that has a menu that is preselected
by the client for all guests attending the
event
 Clients’ Reasons for
Having a Banquet
• Many reasons to hold a banquet
– Religious ceremonies, celebrations,
social
– Business
• Meetings, conferences, celebrations
– Other organizations
• Weekly meetings, sports or award
banquets
• Personal entertaining
– Largest market—
• Business entertaining
– Main reason—conducting conferences
or meetings
• Difference between the two:
– In business entertaining, the business
pays for the banquet, NOT the individual
 Key to Successful
Banquet Management
The banquet manager MUST take the
RESPONSIBILITY for the total event of the
client’s shoulders and put it on his or her
own shoulders
 Why Banquets?
• Restaurants getting into the banquet
business can make more money with a lot
less chance of failure
• Or simply put, the profit potential is much
greater for selling banquets than for an à
la carte restaurant only
• Banquet manager knows
– How many guests are
– What they are going to eat
– Guaranteed number of guests
• Has less inventory, waste, and labor
costs
• Restaurant manager does NOT know what
or when the guests will eat
• Has more inventory, waste, and labor
costs
• Advertising and selling is easier for a
banquet than for an à la carte restaurant
– Advertising can be 3 to 7 percent of
gross sales
• Five times more expensive to acquire a
new customer than it is to keep an old one
• Restaurants changing to banquets
– Reduces full-time staff
– On-premise parties increase profits
– Banquet business is guaranteed
– Less strain on manager
Banquet menus may take the form:
• Sit down menus- where food is served to
guests in their respective tables using
American and or Russian or both;
• Buffet- wherein foods are arranged in
appropriate sequence in a buffet table and
guest have to get food for themselves; and
• Cocktails- where hot and cold
appetizers, finger foods like
canapes and hor d’ oeuvres are
served buffet style.
 Type of Service for Banquets
• Standing buffet
• Passed-items functions
• Seated buffet
• Seated banquet
 Standing Buffet

• Designed for people to

socialize
• Finger food is served
• Food stations are scattered
around room to encourage
mingling
• Beverage service provided
• Guests walk around room and
help themselves
• Popular for cocktail parties and
receptions
 Passed-Items Function
• Servers walk around with food and
beverages on trays
• Guests take food from trays
• Finger food
• Used to encourage people to socialize
• Popular for cocktail parties and reception
 Seated Buffet
• Guests serve self from buffet, return to
seat
• Beverage station
• Servers clear dirty dishes
• Food can be from simple to elaborate
• Servers serve beverages and clear tables
• Sometimes first course set on tables
before guests arrive
 Seated Banquet
• Servers serve all parts of
meal
• Food usually plated in
kitchen and brought to
guests by servers
• Beverages served
• Sometimes bar station in
room
• Everyone served same food
• Servers clear dirty dishes
 Table Capacity
Round Square Rectangle
• 30" Round Seat 2-3 • 24" Square: 2 People • 18 x 60 Seminar Seat 2
People • 30" Square: 4 People (1 Sided)
• 36" Round Seat 4 • 32" Square: 4 People • 18 x 72 Seminar Seat 3
People • 36" Square: 4 People (1 Sided)
• 42" Round Seat 5 • 42" Square: 8 People • 18 x 96 Seminar Seat 4
People • 60" Square: 8-12 (1 Sided)
• 48" Round Seat 6 People (12 is a "little" • 30 x 48 inch Rectangles
People tight) Seat 4 People
• 54" Round Seat 7-8 • 30 x 72 inch Rectangles
People Seat 6 People
• 60" Round Seat 8 • 30 x 96 inch Rectangles
People Seat 8 People (Cap the
• 66" Round Seat 9-10 ends to make 10)
People
• 72" Round Seat 10
People
Standard Banquet Table Height
• Standard table height is 29"-30".
• All of our folding tables are 29" or
30" in height, UNLESS otherwise
noted.
 Standard Banquet Table Width
(for rectangular tables)
• For banquet dinners and other functions
when people will sit on both sides of the
table, 30" is the most common table width.
• Wood tables are also available special
order in 36" width. These are not
commonly ordered, because most event
planners need to utilize their space
efficiently.
 Space Efficiency & Table
Placement
• If aligning 8 foot banquet tables end to
end, you may add 1 chair for each "joint"
on each side. This should only be done if
space is limited.
• In order to maximize the amount of round
banquet tables you can fit in a room.
Diagonal placement is more space
efficient than lateral rows.
 Banquet Setup Diagrams and
Illustrations
Classic Banquet Style
Placement- Classic
banquet style table
placement consist of long
rows of rectangle banquet
tables with seats on both
sides. This setup will
allow for the most seats in
a room.
Banquet Round Style
Hollow Square w/ Serpentine Tables
The hollow square diagram below utilizes
serpentine tables at the corners. . It uses 4
serpentine tables, and 8 30x96 rectangle
tables.
Herringbone "Fishbone"
Style Setup
Herringbone style setup is
for dinners that will involve
a speaker. The alignment
of the tables allows for
most guests to be
comfortable while facing
the speaker.
Semi Circle
Semi circle setup is great for meeting when
interaction is needed with the speaker. The
tables have seats only on 1 side. There is a
head table, or podium at the front of the
open part of the circle
 THE “DON’Ts of BANQUET
SERVICE
1.Don’t place a napkin under your arm.
2.Don’t wipe your face or your mouth with
your side towel.
3. Don’t use the guest entrance during a
function .
4. Don’t eat or drink anything in front of the
guests.
5. Don’t eat anything while servicing the
guests.
6.Don’t stand around with your hands in
your pockets or your arms crossed
7.Don’t pick up glasses by the tops
8.Don’t go to break all together
9.Don’t chew a gum during a function
 BANQUET ORGANIZATION
There are two operating units under the
Banquet and Catering Department, namely:
1. Banquet Sales Office
Under the direct supervision of the Banquet
Sales Manager or Supervisor, this office’s
typical duties and responsibilities are:
• Establishing of sales goals and objectives
• Formulating sales strategies
• Determining marketing budget
• Soliciting banquet and convention
functions
• Circulating information regarding function
amendments
2. Banquet Service Section
This section takes charge of:
• Preparing the requirements for banquet
functions- facilities and amenities required
by clients and the preparation of mis-en-
place; set up of the function rooms and
and/or catering venue
• Coordinating very closely with Banquet
Sales office for the requirements of clients
and for service instructions, with the
kitchen for dispatching of food and with
other departments on matters pertaining to
the function.
 JOB DESCRIPTION OF
BANQUET PERSONNEL

A. BANQUET SALES MANAGER

Basic Function: Responsible for handling
bookings, reservations, adjustments in
banquet and catering functions as well as in
promoting banquet packages.
Specific Duties:
1. Assists sales executive in attending to
banquet bookings, reservations and
inquiries in making client calls;
2. Ensures that information regarding
banquet bookings, cancellations and
adjustments are disseminated to all
concerned to all concerned departments;
3. Prepares banquet sales forecast;
monitors sales against targets;
4. Designs marketing and sales strategies;
5. Conducts sales blitz and other
promotional activities;
6. Prepares proposals for possible banquet
materialization;
7. Follows up on client inquiries and
tentative reservations
8. Prepares function order and ensures their
proper circulation;
9. Prepares and processes the signing of
banquet contracts,
10. Coordinates with the Chef for the
preparation of banquet menus.
B. BANQUET SALES EXECUTIVE
Basic Function: Responsible for banquet
sales and bookings.
Specific Duties:
1. Attends to inquiries (either by phone or
walk-in) regarding banquets- menus,
rates, package of amenities, terms, etc.
2. Conduct show rooms for interested
clients;
3. Prepares event orders for banquet
functions.
4. Maintains contacts and harmonious
relationship with clients
5. Checks preparation and service as to
whether they meet client requirements as
stated in event order.
C. BANQUET SERVICE MANAGER OR
SUPERVISOR
Basic Function:
Supervises the preparations as well as the
delivery of banquet service, and also insures
that client requirements as stated in the
event order are available and in order.
Specific Duties:
1. In consultation with his superior,
formulates policies and guidelines that
will ensure efficient flow of banquet
service operations;
2. Determines the operating requirements
for banquet operations and prepares
operating budget based on these
requirements;
3. Prepares staff work schedule, delegates
side duties and assignments
4. Supervises preparations for the event and
the delivery of service,
5. Insures the safekeeping, storage and
issuance of banquet equipment and
supplies; makes sure monthly inventory is
done to track down losses and damages to
equipment.
BANQUET CAPTAIN
Basic Function:
Oversees the set-up, service and
clearing in the banquet function
assigned to him.
Specific Duties:
A. Before the function:
1. Checks the logbook for endorsements.
2. Initiates requisition for banquet supplies
and equipment needed for the function
assigned to him, using the event order as a
reference;
3. Monitors the loading/ transport of
equipment for catering functions;
4. Initiates and supervises the installation
and stocking of service station and the bar if
such is called for;
5. Distributes assignments and side duties
of banquet waiters.
B. During the Operation
1. Receives celebrants, honorees and
organizers, solicits their feedback on the
set-up and finds out if they have other
concerns with respect to the function.
2. Monitors the performance of his staff and
sees to it that they comply with service
standards and procedures as well as
house rules
3. Greets and entertains guests, attends to
their concerns/ complaints
4. May assist in taking order if the waiters
are busy and
5. Goes around to check if all guests are
promptly and properly served and that their
concerns are properly attended to.
Banquet Receptionists
Basic Function: Welcomes and
greets guests at the entrance
and escorts them to their tables.
Banquet Custodian
Basic Function:
Responsible for the proper safekeeping and
issuance of banquet supplies and equipment
Banquet Waiter
Basic Function: Attends to mis-
en-place preparation, set-up and
service during banquet functions
 WHAT IS
CATERING?
Catering is provided to people
having a preference for high quality
food services for any types of
occasions, festivals, parties,
informal get-togethers, and
corporate or other functions.
7 Functions of Catering
1. Planning
• This entails that you formulate a
comprehensive plan for the event on hand.
You will find that as the event date
becomes closer, the more difficult the
event will become.
2. Operations – Execution of Tasks
• Anyone can listen to and understand the
needs of a customer, it takes a certain
degree of knowledge and skill for a caterer
to translate those needs into small,
executable tasks.
3. Organizing the Event
• The process of organizing the event
involves setting up a formal structure that
is most conducive to the efficient and
execution of each assigned task
4. Equipment
• The equipment that you will have to
manage will depend on several factors.
These include the menu, the service
requirements of the client as well as the
type and location of the event.
5. Implementation
• This is where you start implementing the
plan that you have set earlier. You need to
be able to communicate well with the team
leaders in order to achieve the desired
outcome
6. Controlling
While your plan is being implemented, you
need to ensure that you have the necessary
control mechanisms in place so you know
nothing is going to go wrong.
7. Understanding Legal & Insurance
Issues
• This is where a lot of new caterers get
themselves in trouble. You need to be able
to have the necessary insurance plans to
cover personnel, equipment and guests at
both on-premise and off-premise locations.
 TYPES OF CATERING
1. Mobile Catering – Mobile catering
services refer to catering that uses a mobile
van in order to render services to specific
locations carrying with them the necessary
food and equipment.
2. Take Home Orders – This type of
catering service involves delivery of the food
to the customer. Ideally, you can stock the
ready-made food meals in the freezer and
reheat them when an order is received. This
catering may also provide party platters for
any food choice combinations such as
meals, finger food and other small menus.
3. Door to Door – Door to door catering
services supply outstanding combinations of
food according to the menu choices along
with personal service delivered at your door
for you and your guests to enjoy.
4. Special Events
Catering – This type of
catering includes all the
services required for the
events. This means the
caterer will take care of
the food presentation
that highlights a
spectacular food menu.
5. Business Catering- This
type of catering has high
demand and consistent
catering opportunities. It
is important for caterers
serving this type of event to
prepare popular dishes that the
guests and attendees will
enjoy.
7. Industrial Catering – Industrial catering
service generally involves serving food to
larger group of people such as in airlines,
schools, hospitals and other institutions
 Catering vs. Banquets
• Very little difference— if any at all
• Caterer performs service
– Takes place away from their
establishment
• Off-premise catering
–ALL food and beverages brought to
the job
• Banquets
– Takes place at the establishment