Today, we’re sharing a few tips on setting the perfect buffet table. Whether you’re throwing a Southern summer soiree or an elegant wedding, these ideas will help you manage the food service and the flow of your guest experience:
Just as you would vary heights with centerpieces, you should do the same with a buffet. It is more appealing to the eye and will add dimension to your set-up. Make sure to elevate the less messy dishes as you don’t want sauces to spill on your tablecloth.
Some people stack books under the tablecloth to create elevation; however, I prefer to vary the heights on top of the tablecloth using beautiful serving trays or eclectic items. Place taller items in the back (assuming that your table is set up against a wall.)
Guests should know where the buffet table starts and ends “ keep all plates on one end of the table. This will prevent a traffic jam. If you have a big group, pull the table away from the wall so that people can go along either side of the table.
This is becoming increasingly important with all the different diet restrictions today. When developing the menu, consider your vegetarian/vegan guests and any possible allergy restrictions. Label all dishes and if necessary, include any important ingredients, such as, contains peanuts.
This is an opportunity to show your creativity! Your labels can be as simple or as colorful as you would like to make them “ dress them up if you are throwing a themed party.
We’re fans of labels hand-written in calligraphy. (Learn how to write in calligraphy!) Make sure font is a large enough size for guests to read, especially if the event is dimly-lit for an evening soiree.
Place small plates near each dish so that guests have a place to put serving utensils. You may also want to put a small plate under a beverage dispenser if it has the tendency to drip.
You don’t want guests fumbling with their napkins and eating utensils as they are filling their plates. Keep those at the opposite end of the table from the plates.
Place items that you have a smaller quantity of at the end of the table near the utensils. Guests tend to fill their plates with the earlier dishes, so with your strategic placement, your food will last longer.
What sweet foods will be on your buffet table this year? Learn about all of the latest event catering trends here.
The way you place your tables in the room is really important. In addition to good design, you’ll need to incorporate practical elements that control overcrowding, server access, and ease of use for people with disabilities. You might even want to consider choosing station-style over a buffet serving system.
Start with your theme and event colors. They’ll help guide the majority of your choices. Decide what vibe you want the background to be. Do you want it to be cute and whimsical? Or glam and upscale? Whatever you choose for your buffet table, make sure you use eye-catching extras like wallpaper, garlands, streamers, or even balloons that coordinate with your serving platters and dishes.
There’s a lot we can learn from food photography that will help us set up the perfect buffet table. Staging your table is just one of many lessons but it’s a good one to keep in mind. Not only does laying out all your major table components help you decide where everything should go, but it also helps you see if you have too many or too few elements for the space.
A successful traffic flow is created by using one of three techniques: full circle, lining up, or dual side serving.
Even if you’re using paper napkins, there’s no reason why you can’t keep everything looking cohesive. Matching your linens, napkins, and even your tableware can bring the whole look together for a more polished, professional event image.
Curly canape spoons are great for tasting parties, but they’re also very useful for buffets. Whether or not you opt to share these via tray pass in addition to your display, these versatile showboats make great vehicles for more expensive items (like sushi bites and caviar) or messier treats (like puddings and mini ravioli resting in sauce).
The golden ratio for buffets is roughly 80% cold food and 20% hot. Cold food is easier to refill and control temperature-wise, which makes this approach both more practical and safer from a safe food handling standpoint.
Drinks can make table clothes wet which is a bad look when mixed with hot, fresh food. So when setting up a buffet, keep your bar area and nonalcoholic beverages at their own stations so that guests can self serve without dripping into the h’orderves.
Keep puddles and tablecloth stains at bay by assigning event staff to this specific task. You’ll also need to keep an eye on ice, water, and refills anyways, so make sure clean up is part of your regular buffet beverage maintenance. Depending on what you are using for your table covering, you may want to have a backup in case things get really out of hand.
Depending on the time of year, you can use faux foliage, pinecones, flower petals, or even seashells to build out your event theme through your buffet table. If you opt for candles, make sure they are not scented ” otherwise, they might compete with the delicious aroma from the food. And for your flowers, focus on single stems placed in low vases so guests don’t accidentally knock them over.
Buffet food labels are easy to make. Whether you opt for calligraphy or printed, folded or in stands, they’re an essential addition to your buffet for both practical and aesthetic reasons. If your guests have any allergies or dietary needs, make sure to properly label dishes that comply. And, if you have space, name each dish and include their key ingredients so guests know what they’re in for before taking a bite.
Pipettes are one food and beverage trend your guests will definitely be excited to try. They’re unique and make for more interesting food displays. Fill them with sauces, dressings, or even dessert toppings. Whatever you choose to do with them, the dramatic effect of a mini pipette will certainly be a conversation starter.
It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many events forgo using trash cans near their buffet tables ” if at all! Discreetly hide some stylish bins near the end of the table, far away enough from the food to keep things appetizing but close enough that people actually use them.
The perfect color palette for any event, venue, or buffet table depends on your theme. But if you want your gorgeous buffet table to take its rightful place as the center of attention, you’ll need to save your most impressive colors for the display. Think about what feeling you’d like your guests to experience at the buffet table then choose colors and a color theme style that reflects that.
Convenience is everything when you’re serving food buffet style. Have more than one serving utensil available for big bowls and trays. Have multiple rows of cups available so guests can grab more than one at a time if needed. Place napkins at the beginning of the table and at the end of the table in case someone forgets to grab one earlier. Details like these make the overall experience far more organized and pleasant for everyone.
This tip is mostly for your own sanity, since feeding a whole crowd of people an entirely home-cooked meal isn’t exactly doable for most event budgets or teams. To make everything look nice together, place all your food in cohesive displays and make sure to garnish store-bought options that same way you would for their homemade versions. And be sure to take some inspo from these genius hacks that make your store-bought food look homemade.
Napkins should be easy to grab as you’re walking by. The way you fold your napkins will determine whether or not it is. Cocktail-sized paper napkins are traditionally displayed in a spiral stack so guests can pinch one or two off the top without having to touch the rest of them. And, if you’re offering linens ones at dinner, consider rolling them with silverware and displaying them in a basket so guests can grab and go.
Miniature soups, salad bites, and skewers make transporting finger foods from display to mouth so much easier. Plus you can get creative for how food is paired or arranged. And you’ll benefit from having fewer dishes to clean by the end of the night.
The mason jar craze will live forever thanks to adorable food displays at events. Show off all your delicious ingredients in these glass receptacles. Decorate the jars to match your event theme and colors with strings, bows, or even mini handkerchiefs. The ability to portion out food this way will also keep guests from overindulging.
event planning giftsHungry people tend to pile on foods like salads, bread, and appetizers when they first get in line at a buffet. As they move down the line, their plates fill up, leaving less room for the steaks and salmon dishes at the end. Another great psychological tactic for event portion control, this tip will save you from having to stock up on your pricier dishes.
Flat, light-colored wooden utensils are easy to personalize. Use stamps with your company logo, slogan, or event name in colors that match your theme. You can even go a step further and use food-grade ink to stamp the same design on cake fondant or even sandwich bread. This is a great tip for corporate events that plan to use their buffet as part of a brand-building effort or weddings that want a more affordable way to achieve a polished, cohesive look.
Ever heard of the flavor matrix? It’s a really useful chart that professional chefs look to when creating new flavor combos and pairings. If you really want to get creative, use it to strategically group and display your food at the buffet. But if you’re not interested in getting that detailed, just keep obvious pairings like soups and salads or dips and chips a logical distance from one another.
Maybe you prefer a contemporary, streamlined look for your event. If that’s the case, a table with uniform bowls and platters, equally spaced with plenty of room to breath is your best bet. But if you’d like to go all out and exude a sense of extravagance, an overflowing display of foods, garlands, candles, stringed beads, and even feather boas might be more your style. Whichever you choose, a bold design in either direction will really impress your guests.
There’s a difference between squeaky white styrofoam and sleek, well-designed black plastic plates. Treat your guests to the best possible version of your throwaway dishware and cutlery. Also be sure to pick ones that match your event theme and colors.
If food display signs aren’t your thing, use your tablecloth instead! Black paper and chalk instantly become a fun and informative display while kraft paper and a marker add rustic whimsy to any occasion.
Set up a buffet table to match the flow of guests. This means placing cutlery at the dining tables so there is a smaller chance of a fork being dropped, and having dining plates at the beginning of the buffet table so guests don’t need to carry them as they walk to the buffet. To save on budget place more expensive food items toward the end of the buffet table, because guests are more likely to take larger portions of earlier food items.
How do you set up a party table?The placemat goes first, followed by the charger. Plates will be placed upon the charger as they are served. The napkin is placed next, typically on top of the charger or an empty plate at the start of the meal, although it can also be placed under the cutlery. Cutlery is placed such that the fork is on the left and the spoon and knife are on the right. The drinking glass is placed to the right of a setting.
How many plates do you need for a special event?There are a few guidelines that you can rely on no matter how food is being served. For a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres, count on one 7″ plate per person per hour. For a buffet, two to three dinner plates per person, plus one dessert place per person is a safe bet. For a full service meal, use one 10 1/4″ plate for the main course, a 9″ plate for salads or appetizers, and one 6-7″ plate each for bread and dessert.
For more on F&B at events, check out these other great resources:
Here is a rundown of our secrets for a great looking buffet table
This is a simple, but often overlooked idea. Your buffet always looks its best before it has been decimated. I like to offer a mix of family style dishes (whole cakes, salads, charcuterie boards etc.) alongside an assortment of individual sized servings (cookies, canapes, miniature desserts, etc). This way it is easy to tidy up and refill many of the serving dishes as the party goes on so that the table display always looks fresh and abundant and inviting.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the beverages as well. Nothing is less gracious than an empty wine bottle, coffeepot, or cream pitcher!
Please please PLEASE do NOT default to plastic utensils just because you are hosting a buffet. Even a casually elegant table should contain real dishes and real flatware - they are much sturdier than paper and plastic and so much more welcoming and pampering for your guests.
For an open house with a rotation of guests, you can hire a helper or two to wash and reset the dishes as guests cycle through to replenish the supply. If you are serving a buffet meal, borrow (or rent) any additional flatware or dishes you might need to supplement your own supply.
I’m less militant about paper napkins - these can be pretty and add to the theme of your event…and there are even paper dinner napkins of substantial enough quality to be mistaken for cloth. Click here for cloth like disposable napkins
Nicer, heavy quality, clear plastic “crystal” disposable tumblers are fine for cold beverages if you are inviting a crowd since they stack, but please use real stemware if you are serving wine or champagne. The plastic stemware that has to be assembled is barely a step above cheap plastic forks, and those should be banished from the planet!
And a collection of teacups or mugs is a much nicer experience for drinking hot beverages than paper products, unless, of course, you are aiming to evoke the atmosphere of a fast food emporium like Dunkin’ Donuts rather than a gracious and welcoming home.
If your buffet table is meant to have a starting and ending point, the plates should go at the start and utensils, napkins, and drinks should go at the end. This keeps guests from having to juggle a lot of items while trying to serve food onto a plate.
While cohesiveness is desirable, your serving pieces do not all need to match, and your table will be much more interesting if they don’t.
As we talked about earlier in this series, collecting a variety of white serving platters and bowls is very practical, and nice quality baskets and trays in wicker or metal or wood...with or without handles are a nice addition as well.
Arranging the utensils in a holder – I often use a teapot or small pitcher to corral them, and adding colorful, thematic napkins is both practical and a way to add another layer to the overall table design.