Question

A catering company is planning a buffet for Chinese style meal for 50 people. The menu can include any food items but must include 4 courses plus accompaniments and have a Vegan friendly option. What would the menu be? How would you arrange the table from left to right? What equipment would be needed?

Answer 1

“Buffet is a style of food service in which the verities of ready food dishes are displayed according to the sequence on the table either hot or cold and Guest’s serve those foods themselves”.

Generally, buffet is a self-service style of dining in which the customers pays a fixed price for having food and is entitled to select as much foods as he or she want.
Actually, in a restaurant customers pays a prize for having food and they serve food themselves by maintaining line from where different kind of ready foods are displayed in different dishes to eat, like. Starter, rich, bread, curry, vegetable, meat, fish, water, beverage and dessert is called Buffet.

Buffet dining style is such a style of having food which is very popular hundreds of countries like USA, Canada, Australia, and Sweden. Actually the concept of buffet style dining credited to the Swedish tradition.

There are some rules in buffet style dining, which is, Food should be displayed to guests in different dishes. Food should be fresh and in natural temperature. Keep efficient staff to handle the buffet system. Have to keep enough ready food so that food can be served easily to all customers/guest’s. Some staff should be stay beside the buffet with neat and clean address and be ready to follow customer/ guest’s order. And they should describe about foods. And follow the customers/ guest’s requirement.

In the present age buffet-style dining has become very popular in all over the world because, buffet is such a style of serving food where is no problem to get food by wish and choose oneself. And there is no probability of wasting food unnecessary. Buffet system can control one’s own portion size and side dishes. And now a days if you look to any kind of occasions like weeding, holidays party, general party then you will find that there are buffet style dinning is arranged.

Whether the party is big or small, we all know that people gather together where there is good food. No matter the size or style of your party, I'm sharing all the tips for planning and prepping an amazing buffet party for cheap. we have an amazing list of party food ideas to help you figure out exactly what to serve!

One of the best things about having a buffet is that you don’t need to visit each and every table to make sure the guests are being served. “Help yourself” style of buffet menu is the most popular and entertained choice of food and beverage service. From rehearsal dinners to wedding receptions, birthdays to anniversary parties, the variety of cuisines and dishes served looks elegant and invites guests in. Whether your event is casual or extravagantly formal, a buffet can be easily incorporated. Considering what budget you are working on and the type of event which is being celebrated, a menu can be set. And to help you plan your upcoming event, here’s a detailed list of ideas on the menus.

Here are helpful tips for planning a buffet:

1. Buffet menu plan
2. Buffet food ideas
3. Budget plan for buffet
4. Buffet hosting accessories

When you're having a party, you need to determine the amount of food you need. You want your guests to have enough to eat so they feel satisfied, but you don't want a ton of leftovers. Calculating food amounts is also a great way to help determine the budget for your party.

When you're planning a buffet, think about good colour combinations and creating varying heights to make food look interesting and inviting. Space canapés out well on simple trays and the food will speak for itself.

General hints for planning your menu

· Think about flavour combinations and avoid clashes, as people often pile a little bit of everything onto their plate.

· Choose different colours and textures for an impressive spread.

· Work out what space and equipment you have and make sure you have enough hobs, oven shelves and surfaces for the menu you want to serve.

· Do as much as possible in advance – there will be plenty to do when guests arrive without undue fussing over food.

· Be clever with your budget – it can be expensive catering for large numbers, so choose cheap ingredients and be inventive with them. Use cheaper cuts of meat in slow-cooked one-pots to great effect.

Vegan friendly buffet menu

· Radish Soup with Tofu Miso Cream

· Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

· Sesame Noodles

· Vegetable Dumplings with Sweet and Sour Sauce

· Vegetable Spring Rolls

· Vegetarian Chinese Buns

· Vegetable fried rice

· Sichuan Fried or Spicy Green Beans

· Broccoli and Garlic

· Garlic Smashed Potatoes

•   Black Bean Brownies
• Banana Ice Cream

Tips for Setting Up a Great Buffet

A few simple tips, though, will help you avoid pitfalls and take your buffet from good to great. Here are my essential tips for a quality buffet line.

1. Consider the movements of herds and corral accordingly.

When food is involved, people move in packs. They become more like a shoal of fish than human beings. They drift close in waves, then pool in eddies, standing and munching without watching how close they are to the table or how they may be blocking the flow of other grazers.

1. Put drinks on a separate table from the food.

Getting a drink, especially if there is coffee, with its attendant pourers and packets of sugar, is a different flow. It’s a separate station, and you need to make it easy for people to swing by and refill their glass, without pressing through the buffet line. You also want it near the kitchen, as jugs of water and pots of coffee are heavier (usually) than food trays, and more prone to spillage.

1. Plates at the front, cutlery at the end.

Back at the food table — here’s the cardinal rule. Do not make people pick up their forks, knives, spoons, sporks, or cups at the beginning of the line. All that should be at the beginning of a food line are plates, and maybe napkins. All cutlery and anything else that has to be juggled goes at the end (or, even better, on the tables where people will sit down and eat).

1. Put out multiple stacks of everything.

Again, picture not one person going through the line, but a herd. It’s best to create several points of access for everything. Don’t put out one stack of napkins; put out three, slightly staggered, so someone can snake in a hand and grab one when their kid spills punch, and yet not hold up the line. For small plate or appetizer setups, I like to put stacks of plates at both the beginning and end of the table, so people can wander up from any direction.

1. Arrange the food table strategically.

Put most plentiful or cheapest types of food at the beginning; push the scarcest or most expensive to the end. I usually keep an eye on the food and within the first hour switch it up. At the wedding, for instance, I noticed that people were skipping over the veggie and hummus cups (come on, eat your veggies, people!). I had plenty of these, so I swapped them with the meatballs and put them at the very front of the line, which helped equalize things a bit.

Catering plays an important role in the overall success of an event. Delicious food brings people together and caterers are tasked to prepare the food for the guests to enjoy. But this isn’t just about catering food, but to provide excellent customer service. This means that everything should be properly planned and you should have a catering checklist before every event. Think of all the steps to be completed and then write them down. Distribute the tasks to each member. To deliver a great event, start your planning by checking your ultimate catering checklist before every event to hold a successful catering event.

Table Settings

An event should have all necessary table settings, including the decorative and functional elements. Giving this your full attention will make the event look stunning and guests will have all their needs to enjoy their meal. Below are some of the things you need for your event:

• Tablecloths
• Fabric or paper napkins
• Finger food containers
• Bread plates
• Dinner plates
• Centre pieces
• Cake stands
• Wine glasses
• Water glasses
• Sugar holders
• Salt and pepper shakers

Serving Equipment

Having the right serving equipment’s is one of the most essential catering supplies you'll need. The right type of equipment makes serving the food and beverages faster among your guests. You’re after classic design with best quality.

High quality serving trays: Trays will be used to serve the food.

Bus bins: These are tubs that hold dirty dishes and leftovers when the guests are done eating. Several of these are essential to the event.

Water pitchers: Durable pitchers with modern designs. Consider having enough to keep half of your servers serving water as this is one of the major components of an event.

Buffet Equipment

If you’re serving a buffet event, you’ll need to consider a different checklists. Different items need to be included in order for the team to operate and move quickly. Below is the standard checklist in doing a buffet style of event.

Plates. The best choice is a set of unified design plates with strong durability.

Chaffing dishes. This helps warm the food all throughout the event.

Tongs. These are intended for the salad and other difficult scoop items.

Matches or lighter. Intended to start the dish heaters.

Serving baskets. For fruits and other objects.

Rolled silverware. Packed into neat bundles to be grabbed and passed out easily.

Dish cloths. To wipe spills.

Beverages

When it comes to drinks, it's better if you provide a coffee or beverage station at the event so people can serve themselves whenever they want. Just make sure it is stocked properly at all times. Here’s a simple checklist you might consider.

• Coffee cups
• Pitchers (filled with ice)
• Glasses
• Ice tubs straws
• Baskets
• Napkins
• Garbagecans

Pans, pans, pans & pots

There is no lack of debate around Teflon versus stainless steel in this department (just quietly, go the stainless steel—you can’t scratch it off when you get a bit too frisky with the steel wool!) Whatever your preference, you’re going to need fry pans, woks, saucepans, crockpots, stock pots and cauldrons etc.

Crockery, cutlery, glasses & serviettes

If you’re doing the full-service catering events, you’ll not only need to prepare the food but serve it too! When buying your crockery, cutlery and serviettes you want to make sure that you can replenish your stocks when the inevitable breakages happen. A few too many chardonnays and guests will throw caution—and plates—to the wind. Plain, easily replaced items are your best bet here.

Serving trays & storage containers

You’re going to need something to store your lovely culinary masterpieces in, and then you’re going to need something to serve them on! You can hit the commercial kitchen stores, or your local supermarket for these things. Best to keep cost in mind here—don’t go spending your whole budget on Tupperware.

Refrigeration

Your regular fridge is not going to do the job—unless you clear out all that leftover pasta you’ve been hoarding. The size of the fridge and freezer you need will obviously depend on the amount you’re catering, but suffice it to say that you’ll need a chest freezer and a commercial-size refrigerator to be safe.

Coffee machine/urn/tea station

Are you planning on catering events on-site? You’ll need to keep the masses not only fed, but hydrated. A coffee machine is a must, as are urns for keeping water hot, and milk cold. You’ll need tea and coffee cups, saucers and all of the hot/cold beverage paraphernalia such as tea bags, stirrers, water glasses and the like.

Plate stacker

Again, if you’re catering to on-site events, you’re going to need some extra equipment. If you’re dishing out plates of food to the hungry crowd, you’re also going to need to collect those plates. A plate stacker is a handy little trolley you can use to collect your crockery and transport it for cleaning.