• Passed Hors D'oeuvres

• Station style

• Plated style

• Buffett Style

Plated: 

 

A plated meal is a dining option in which your guests remain seated for the meal, and are served all the courses by a hired wait staff. Plated meals can be done one of two ways: guests can be given options for their entrée, or you can opt for a duet meal. Typically when options are given, two or three entrée options are included in the menu, and each of your guests choose which one they would like prior to your event.  If you do decide to give your guests options, keep in mind that you will have to keep a record of who ordered what and then relay this information to your caterer. Conversely, if you choose to serve a duet meal, there will typically be a half-portion of two different meat options (chicken/beef/fish/pork) served with sides on the same plate. Duet meals are a bit less time-consuming than an optioned plated meal, as everyone will be served the same thing. For either type of plated event, three courses are generally served (soup/salad, entrée, and dessert), and this service style is most appropriate for more formal, black-tie affairs.

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Pros: Being waited on can be less stressful for your guests than other service styles, namely buffet meals, because they do not have to wait in lines or get up to retrieve their food. You also will not have any wasted food with these meals, since plates are pre-portioned by a hired wait staff. Additionally, this style of service offers an air of unparallelled sophistication.

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Cons: This menu will have less variety than a buffet, so it is best to serve foods that are widely appealing in order to accommodate guests with dietary restrictions. A plated meal will also take up more of your reception time, reducing the time available for ceremonial activities such as toasts, formal dances, cake-cutting and casual activities such as socializing or dancing.

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Cost: Plated meals are normally the most expensive dining option because of the amount of labor required to serve the food and set the tables prior to the event. In addition to the increased cost of service staff, onsite chefs will also be necessary, further increasing the cost.

 

 

Buffet:

 

With buffets, food is typically presented in chafing dishes, or on ceramic or glass platters placed on banquet tables, and guests walk along either side of it to help themselves to the food. It is also an option to have staff at each dish to help serve your guests. Buffets can be scaled up or down to match the formality of your wedding, but they definitely lend a much more informal feel than plated or family style meals. They are best for informal weddings or when you are on a tighter budget.

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Pros: Buffets enable you to offer your guests a large variety of food in sizable amounts. With this service style, you should not have to worry about anybody going home hungry, and unlike a plated meal, if your guests choose something they don’t particularly enjoy, they can simply get up and find something else to eat. Also, since buffets encourage guests to be mobile and walk around, they will have ample opportunities to mingle with each other. If you do not have assigned seating or are tight on space, buffets are a perfect option since not all of your guests will be seated at the same time.

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Cons: This service style can sometimes get hectic if too many people go up to get food at once. Keep lines at a minimum and avoid chaos by only having a few tables get up at a time. Another problem that can be encountered is having too much or too little food. There is no portion-control implemented when guests are filling their plates, and it is hard to know how hungry each person will be. For this reason, food for a buffet typically needs to be over-ordered because it is better to have a little extra than not enough. Your caterer will help you decide exactly how much you’ll need so that you don’t end up wasting lots of food.

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Cost: Since you will not need servers to wait on your guests, this service style will be your least expensive option even though everyone will be able to go back for seconds.

 

 

Food Stations:

 

A food station is like a miniature buffet – a counter, a way to keep food warm, and a serving attendant will all be present at a food station. Typically, a single station will be dedicated to one type of food. For example, you could have several stations categorized by type of dish, like meat, sides, and desserts. Or, you could have your stations each feature a different type of ethnic cuisine

Choosing Food Stations – When & Why: A food station set up might be a great choice for a trendy wedding or a corporate holiday party. Food stations allow people to visit different stations and creates a less congested environment that promotes socialization. Also, food stations allow for a higher degree of creativity when it comes to serving dishes.

 

Passed hors d’oeuvres:

 

are a popular way to serve food during the cocktail reception. The word hors d’oeuvre is French and literally means “outside the work”. The term appetizer can be used interchangeably with the word hors d’oeuvre (plus it’s so much easier to spell!