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
Chapter 11 Objectives
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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, including ice carvings
Banquet Chef Work Phases
1. The concept or theme is identified so that
planning can begin.
2. The menu, price, and theme are worked out
together.
3. The chef prepares plans for the layout and
setup of the buffet lines, tables, and platters.
4. 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:
 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:
 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:
 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:
 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:
 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:
 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:
 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 the guests watch
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:
 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. Atlantic Oyster
2. Pacific Oyster
3. European Flat Oyster
4. Kumamoto Oyster
Raw Bar: Oysters
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Flavor profiles:
 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:
 Littlenecks
 Topnecks
 Cherrystones
Raw Bar: Steamed Mussels
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The majority of the mussels purchased today are
cultivated:
 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:
 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:
 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 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:
 Lemons
 Cocktail sauce
 Hot sauce (Tabasco)
 Vinegars
 Salsas
 Seaweed salad
 Mignonette sauce
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Equipment:
 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:
 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 à
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:
 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:
 Attractively
 Thematically
 Logically
 Functionally
Number and Placement of Lines and
Stations
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The number of guests directly affects 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 the line
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:
 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:
 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
Linens
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The Roman Empire is responsible for tablecloths
At Roman feasts, tablecloths were long enough to
be used as napkins
Napkins were reserved as “doggy bags”
Service Pieces
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Most common service pieces:
 Platters
 Steam tables
 Chafing dishes
 Bowls
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Serving tools:
 Spoons
 Ladles
 Tongs
 Spatulas
Pre-plating
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Advantages:
For the guest, pre-plating
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:
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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
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Garnishes
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Garnishes can be used to add appeal to a dish:
 Visually
 Texturally
 Flavorfully
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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
The Role of Design
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Considerations for food presentation:
 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:
 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
Centerpieces and Displays
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Some traditional centerpieces and displays include:
 Ice sculptures
 Salt sculptures
 Tallow sculptures
 Floral arrangements
 Fruit or vegetable displays
 Bread display
 Wine display
Ice Carving and Sculptures
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There are two sources of ice blocks:
1. Natural ice from frozen lakes
2. Commercial ice produced in icehouses
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Typical blocks of ice weigh 300 pounds
The ice should be:
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Free of rough edges
Clean
Clear
Free from impurities and bubbles
Should not have a cloudy core, sometimes referred to
as feathered ice
Ice Carving Tools
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Include:
 Chain saws (most common)
 Augers
 Disk sanders
 Drimmels
 Routers
 Drill bits
 Irons
 Gum remover or freeze spray