Once you decide what your event menu, the next step is to decide what style of service you will have. This means how will your guests be served the meal. Let’s take a look at the different styles of service so you can select which one is right for you.
Plated
We offer the standard style of service that you would receive from almost any caterer and any hotel. The chefs in the kitchen arrange each plate and it is carried out to your guests and they are served in sequence around each table. This is limiting to your guests as they are able to select one entrée and are limited to the amount they are served.
Buffet
Depending on the number of your guests and their expectations, we plan one or several buffets. The look of the buffets and the style will range from a single line of varied tables that give you the impression of stepping onboard a cruise ship to pools of free-standing buffet displays. May we suggest shaking things up a bit!
IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY, BUT WANT TO OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CATTLE CALL, HERE ARE SOME SERVICE STYLES WITHIN THE CONCEPT OF A “BUFFET” TO SET YOUR WEDDING APART!
Everyone knows about the traditional buffet. All of the food is lined up in warmers and platters and the guest’s line up to serve themselves or be served. Below are a couple of twists on this option to make your wedding so much nicer!
First, course plated, and then the buffet (this is really perfect for a mature crowd)
We can serve the first course plated; usually a salad, with rolls and butter on the table. The guests can then proceed to the buffet at their leisure. This reduces the line and allows for conversation. There is no need for the DJ to send up a table at a time like a high school cafeteria. I have also served a small cheese and fruit course with the rolls and butter and the salads were served in the French Style… see below.
Stations Buffet
This is for an active crowd with lots of socializing and dancing. In this style of a buffet, we set up a variety of small stations with plates at each for the guests to wander to and from at will. This style of service has the option of giving your guest the ultimate freedom to pick and choose from the menu items that you have chosen for them.
We usually recommend this style of buffet for an active wedding with movement, socializing and dancing. We would usually suggest to you that the seating be arranged casually, allowing for standup mixing and mingling.
We would usually design this with you to have many free-standing tables, frequently round, around which your guests can mingle and chat – without feeling that they are standing in any “line”.
Action Stations
This option is in addition to the Stations Buffet above. With one or more grills, the chefs can actually make parts of the menus before your guests’ eyes. The menu items are enhanced by the exuberance of the chefs in action at the grills. The flavors of the menu are in the air.
All of the above options are part of the “buffet” type of service and are the most economical.
Family Style
Another nice form of service is Family Style. In this form of service, the first course is plated and served. The main course complete with sides and bread is placed on the table to be passed. The Family Style service is wonderful for a small reception and my preference for rehearsal dinners. It is intimate and lends itself to conversation. To learn more about if this style of service, check out our article, Is Family Style Service Right for Your Event?
French Service
Here, our waiters serve from a tray to your guest’s plate, with another waiter following along behind to sauce the selections. This is a highly skilled formal presentation that is the norm for formal banquets and fine dining experiences but also very nice for any wedding! The food with this type of service isn’t any more costly, the only additional cost is for the wait staff.
We can make any of the styles of service work for your event. Our staff has been in the foodservice industry for many years and we only work with the best. As we have stated before, we are passionate about food, but the service doesn’t take a back seat. It is very important to us, as your wedding is a once in a lifetime event and only the best will do.