Chapter 11
Buffets
Chapter 11 Objectives
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Understand the phases of buffet events
Recognize the importance of concepts and themes
Explain how to plan a buffet menu, including a breakfast
buffet
Identify how price ranges are central to planning a buffet
Discuss how to meet and exceed guest expectations
Explain the role of action stations in a buffet, including
raw bars, pasta stations, and omelet stations
Explain mise en place and production for buffets
Design a buffet to be both effective and attractive
Understand how to enhance food presentation
Describe the importance of centerpieces and displays
Banquet Chef Work Phases
1)
2)
3)
4)
The concept or theme is identified so that
planning can begin.
The menu, price and theme are worked out
together.
The chef prepares plans for the layout and
setup of the buffet lines, tables, and
platters.
The actual production and display of the
food, flows directly from the planning and
preparation in the preceding stages.
Buffet Use in Foodservice
Industry
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All facets of the foodservice industry
have found effective uses for buffets:
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Fast food outlets
Supermarkets and delis
Family or multi-unit restaurants
Fine-dining establishments
Corporate and institutional dining
Concepts and Themes
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The season, weather, and the guests'
comfort and expectations hold together
the theme.
A buffet may center on:
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A particular meal period
Special occasion
Holiday
Ethnic presentation
Concepts and Themes
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A featured concept buffet is designed to
attract guests to a restaurant.
The chef chooses foods for these buffets that
have wide appeal and that work to improve
the operation’s bottom line.
Examples:
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Sunday brunch
Pasta buffet
Seafood buffet
Menu Development for Buffets
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Menu development is a process aimed at
crafting a menu that satisfies the guest or
client as well as makes a profit for the
operator.
It is the responsibility of the banquet chef to
consider all aspects of the banquet:
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Overall theme
Price range
Guest’s expectations
Menu Development for Buffets
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First, review the concept or theme and
establish the appropriate menu selections for
the buffet.
Some menu items may be drawn from
previous events where you already know
what they cost to make and serve.
New items can be used to reflect popular
trends, customize a menu for a special event,
or introduce a new concept or theme
The Menu
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The food is generally the focal point for the
guest.
The successful banquet chef generates and
executes menus that please guests whether
they are looking for a global flare or
traditional elegance.
Buffet style service offers guests:
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Variety
The freedom to choose from different categories
The option of unlimited portions.
Price Range
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Establish the price range for any buffet at the
outset of planning.
The price range determines, to some extent,
the number of options that can be offered as
well as the specific ingredients or dishes you
choose.
Factors to consider:
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The competition's price for comparable buffet
Your guest’s expectations or special requests
Any special conditions or limitations on the menu
or the service
Meeting and Exceeding
Expectations
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From the guests' point of view, two of the
main advantages of buffets are the variety of
choices and the amount of food offered.
A careful review process for every menu item
identifies areas you can improve, modify, or
adapt to meet all of your objectives:
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Great food
Great service
A great experience
A profit
Action Stations
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Foods are made, sliced, or presented to the guests’
order as they watch.
New developments in equipment such as the
induction burner have expanded the possibilities for
the items that you can feature on an action station.
A good way to introduce interaction between the
guests and the staff.
These stations add to the overall cost of the buffet
because you need a skilled person cooking and you
may need extra equipment like burners or
refrigeration.
Yet these stations draw a higher cost.
Action Stations
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Examples:
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Raw Bar
Omelet station
Pasta station
Carving station
Raw Bar
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It is important to use only the freshest
and highest quality shellfish for raw bar
service.
All raw shellfish must come with a tag
stating the point of origin, the date of
harvest, and the wholesale grower and
seller.
Raw Bar: Oysters
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Oysters are commonly eaten raw.
Four species of oysters cultivated for
consumption:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Atlantic Oyster
Pacific Oyster
European Flat Oyster
Kumaoto Oyster
Raw Bar: Oysters
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Flavor profiles:
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Warm water oysters are mild, with a
buttery flavor, and a creamy texture.
Cold water varieties are characteristically
briny, with a metallic flavor, and a firm,
crisp texture.
Raw Bar: Clams
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Clams served raw on the half shell are
much less common than oysters.
Only varieties of hard-shell clams are
served raw:
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Littlenecks
Topnecks
Cherrystones
Raw Bar: Steamed Mussels
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The majority of the mussels purchased
today are cultivated:
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Better meat to shell ratio than wild mussels
More uniform in size
Cleaner
Less frequently have broken shells
Raw Bar: Cooked Shrimp
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Head-on shrimp may be purchased to provide
a dramatic display, although, unless
purchased very fresh, they are generally of
lesser quality.
Shrimp are available as:
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Small
Large
Jumbo
PUD (peeled un-deveined)
PND (peeled and deveined)
IQF (individually quick frozen)
Raw Bar: Steamed Crabs
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Claws are generally the only part of the crab
that is served.
Crab claws are most often purchased cooked,
either in or out of the shell.
The most common crabs served on a raw bar
include:
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King
Snow
Jonah
Dungeness
Stone Crabs
Raw Bar Safety
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In order to ensure the safety of a raw bar,
purchase depurated oysters, clams, and
mussels.
Depuration is a system that purges the
shellfish of impurities and sand.
The process occurs when the shellfish are
placed in tanks and fresh water is pumped
throughout.
It is advisable to purchase cultivated oysters,
clams, and mussels because they are
generally cleaner and safer.
Service Instructions for Raw
Bar
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All shellfish should be scrubbed
Held on ice between 35° and 40° F/1.5° and
2°C for only two to three days
The chef can either shuck the shellfish and
create plates to order or shuck the shellfish
and place the different varieties onto a platter
or ice bed where the guests can help
themselves and ask the chef questions.
Service Instruction for Raw
Bar
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Popular
accompaniments:
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Lemons
Cocktail sauce
Hot sauce (Tabasco)
Vinegars
Salsas
Seaweed salad
Mignonette sauce
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Equipment:
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Ice
Shucking knives
Gloves
Self-straining
displays
Omelet Station
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Usually used at a weekend breakfast or
brunch.
Having mise en place in order is crucial
Safety considerations need to be
addressed to ensure that all of the
items on the omelet station remain out
of the danger zone at all times.
Pasta Station
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May feature any number of
combinations of:
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Sauces
Types of pastas
Main ingredients like poultry, beef, pork,
cured meats, or shellfish
Mise en Place and Production
for Buffets
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After menu development, information about the
number or count to be prepared and portioning is
finalized.
Chefs rely upon information from previous buffets
to make an educated guess on how much food to
prepare.
Portions for buffets are typically smaller than for a
la carte service.
The banquet chef organizes food production to:
 Maximize the quality of the food
 Lower the overall labor cost
 To cut down on food loss
Arranging Foods
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An interesting and challenging aspect of
cooking for a buffet is that you must make
large quantities of food and then portion it
into many small pieces.
Clean cuts, straight edges, and precise angles
show off the foods' color, texture, and shape.
The spacing between pieces and between
other lines should be as regular as possible.
Slicing and Sequencing
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Makes it possible to create strong lines from
foods that are not perfectly regular in shape
and size
A grosse pièce is a large piece of the sliced
item you are displaying.
Tools used:
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Knives
A steel
Holding tray
Plastic wrap or dampened towel
Number and Placement of
Lines and Stations
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In a buffet, the food is on display as it
is being served to the guest.
During a buffet, the chef’s challenge is
to display the food:
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attractively
thematically
logically
functionally
Number and Placement of
Lines and Stations
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The number of guests directly effects the
number of lines and stations you will
need.
Buffet lines should be placed so that
there is an adequate amount of room to
walk around them.
The buffet should make it easy for guests
to access the food, as well as for
attendants to serve guests or replenish
Number and Placement of
Lines and Stations
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Lines and stations should not block
entrances, emergency exits, or other
doors used by either the servers or the
guests.
Account for elements in the room, such
as pillars or columns, to avoid placing a
line or station to close to these
immovable objects.
Stations
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Smaller stations, sometimes referred to as
satellite or action stations, break up the
traditional “line” for a more contemporary
service style.
With stations, you can:
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Showcase special items or cooking
demonstrations
Encourage interaction between the guests and
the attendants
Make traffic flow more smoothly through the
room
Table Configuration and Set up
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Can:
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Improve access to food
Make replenishing unobtrusive and efficient
Control the flow of traffic by speeding or
slowing it
Maintain the appearance of a bountiful,
varied display throughout the meal
Service Pieces
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Most common service pieces:
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Platters
Steam tables
Chafing dishes
Bowls
Serving tools:
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Spoons
Ladles
Tongs
Spatulas
Planning for Waste
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Some foods generate waste—shrimp shells,
skewers, or strawberry stems, for instance.
The ability to clear away this waste makes
the difference between cleanliness and chaos.
You may need or want to include waste
receptacles as part of the buffet line’s design.
Attentive service can also regulate the
amount of waste.
Pre-plating
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Advantages:
For the guest, preplating adds
elegance and ease
to a self-service line
or station.
For the chef, it
means better control
over portioning and
far less waste.
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Disadvantages:
Increase labor and
service costs
Plates take up more
valuable space on
the line than a
platter.
The wait staff will
need to work harder
at replenishing such
a display.
Garnishes
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Garnishes can be used to add appeal to
a dish:
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Visually
Texturally
Flavorfully
When the only purpose for a garnish is
to add a shape or a color, find a better
option.
The Role of Design
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The banquet chef’s task is to exploit the full sensory
potential of every dish to create a presentation that is
practical, functional, and appealing to all the senses.
Considerations for food presentation:
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Functional and practical
Balance
Food’s natural color
Texture
Cooking method/technique
Food height and shape
Focal point
Strong, clean lines
Platter’s layout (symmetrical or asymmetrical)
Arrangement of Items on a
Line
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General guidelines:
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Items are easy to see
Items are easy to reach
Items are easy to serve
Keep foods that might drip or spill closest to the
guests
Use pedestals and similar devices to lift some
platters higher
Keep hot foods near a one another, likewise group
chilled foods in their own area.
Place sauces and condiments directly with the
foods they accompany
Replenishing
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Each operation may have a different standard
concerning exactly when to pull a platter and replace
it with a fresh one.
The decision should be made ahead of time, then
clearly communicated to the entire staff.
A distinct advantage of more frequent replenishment
of smaller platters or chafing dishes is that it permits
you to adapt quickly to the guests’ behavior.
This information can help you keep the customer
satisfied and control costs by limiting wasted food.
Centerpieces and Displays
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Some traditional centerpieces and
displays include:
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Ice sculptures
Salt sculptures
Tallow sculptures
Floral Arrangements
Fruit or vegetable displays
Bread display
Wine display