Chapter 10
Banquet Management
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What Is a Banquet?
•A meal that has a menu that is preselected
by the client for all guests attending the
event
•Usually occurs in a separate location
– Client requests special items
• Color of tablecloths, centerpieces, different menu
•Can range from 10 to 10,000
– Depending on space availability
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What Is a Banquet? (continued)
• The principle of serving a banquet to a
large group is the same as serving a
small group
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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
– See Figure 10-1
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Clients’ Reasons for
Having a Banquet (continued)
•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
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Key to Successful
Banquet Management
•The banquet manager MUST take the
RESPONSIBILITY for the total event off
the client’s shoulders and put it on his
or her own shoulders
•Figure 10-3
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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
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Why Banquets? (continued)
•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
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Why Banquets? (continued)
• 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
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Why Banquets? (continued)
•Restaurants changing to banquets
– Reduces full-time staff
– On-premise parties increase profits
– Banquet business is guaranteed
– Less strain on manager
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Catering versus 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
•See Figure 10-4
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Staffing a Banquet Facility
•Banquet manager
– Responsible for the success of the banquet
• Handles ALL details— key for successful banquet
managers
• Solves any problem that arises
•Sales manager
– Responsible for booking the banquet
• Inside sales—works at the banquet facility
• Outside sales—travels to client’s location
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Staffing a Banquet Facility
(continued)
•Head banquet waiter
– Employed at establishments where many
function rooms are located
– Responsible for the banquet in the room
they are supervising
•Banquet captains are responsible for
service in a section of a banquet room
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Banquet Manager Qualifications
•
– Must be cheerful
• Deals with clients who are in a stressful situation
•Attention to
– Trait that is most important
• Difference between a good and great manager
•
– Looks professional at all times
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Banquet Manager Qualifications
(continued)
• Tact and diplomacy
– Tact—ability to say or do the correct
thing without offending the guest
– Diplomacy —ability to act tactfully with
the guest
•Ability to react quickly to changes
– Without guests’ realizing there is a
problem
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Banquet Manager Qualifications
(continued)
•Tendency not to become flustered
– When problem occurs, remains calm
• Solves the problem without becoming
annoyed with the guest
•Ability to work with different
personalities
– Must manage staff as well as interact with
guests
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Banquet Manager Qualifications
(continued)
• Oral communication skills
– Speaking to guests
– Conducting meetings for employees
• Written communication skills
– Communicate clearly and concisely
• Memos and forms for staff
• Letters and contracts for guests
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Banquet Manager Qualifications
(continued)
• Organizational skills
– Critical trait to have
• Vast amount of planning for a banquet
– Needs to be organized to pull it off
•See Figure 10-5
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Banquet Manager Benefits
•
– Has contact with influential people in the
social and business community
• Makes valuable contacts
•
– NOT money BUT a positive feeling from a
job well done or from serving important
guests
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Banquet Manager Benefits
(continued)
•
– Generally paid an excellent salary
• Possibly receives a percentage of the service
charge
•
– Perks—benefits in addition to pay
• Allowance for clothing, including cleaning
•
• Sometimes
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Drawbacks to Being a
Banquet Manager
•
– Work when everyone else is off
• Weekends, holidays, evenings
•
– Under pressure to do an excellent job
• Guests expect a perfect party
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Drawbacks to Being a
Banquet Manager (continued)
• Availability of food and liquor
– Stress of the job
• May turn to alcohol to solve problems
– Poor diets
• Eat what and when they can
•
– Drugs and gambling
• Exposed to these activities
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Job Knowledge Needed
•Must know how to sell, plan, organize,
and conduct banquets so that they
are successful for the client
•See page 292 for a complete list
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Styles of Banquets
•Three general styles of banquets
– l
–
–
•See Figure 10-6
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Type of Service for Banquets
•Two types for sit-down
– American or Russian banquet service
•Three types for buffets
– Buffet, modified buffet, and deluxe buffet
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