BUFFET

DESINGED BY Sunil Kumar

Research Scholar/ Food Production Faculty
Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management,
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY, ROHTAK
Haryana- 124001 INDIA Ph. No. 09996000499
email: skihm86@yahoo.com , balhara86@gmail.com
linkedin:- in.linkedin.com/in/ihmsunilkumar
facebook: www.facebook.com/ihmsunilkumar
webpage: chefsunilkumar.tripod.com

What is a buffet ?
Flat top furniture or a sideboard
Feeds the gathering
Minimum staff
Origin

English speaking countries

Second half of the 19th century
English called it court cupbord

An overview
Buffet styles and
concepts
Types of buffet
Buffet themes
Buffet setup

Buffet equipments
Planning the buffet
menu
Buffet presentation
Cost analysis &
management

Buffet styles and concepts

Buffet styles & concept

Modern day buffet
Cover all genre of guests
Styles of service

What makes buffet a buffet

Centralized idea or theme
Stylized food in volume
Professional & knowledgeable service

Creativity and the buffet

Food selection and grouping
Showmanship
Table settings and configuration

Types of buffet

Types of buffet
Meal period buffet
Brunch buffet
Fork buffet
Display buffet
Occasion buffet
Regional and ethnic buffet
Event oriented buffet
Seasonal buffet
International buffet

Meal period buffet

Served during particular time of day

Includes in between (happy hour)
Service of late night buffet snack

Brunch buffet
Made of breakfast & lunch foods
Offers a full array of hot and cold food
Includes (egg dish, fruits .)

Fork buffet
Bite-sized food
Easily handled with the fingers
Flatware consists of fork & small plate

Display buffet
Presents a particular or group of item
Most appropriate for particular holiday
or theme

Occasion buffet

Everything focus on specific occasion

Offers challenge to menu planner

Regional and ethnic buffet

Dominated by particular area or
nationality
Customs , methods of food should be
studied carefully

Event oriented buffet

Celebrates an occasion wanted by the
restaurant or client.
Slightly different from occasion buffet

Seasonal buffet
Mark all the four seasons
Food offered-plentiful,readily available

Buffet themes

Importance of themes
Create elegance
Offer the appeal of quick service
Decreases the monotony of regular ala
carte service
Stimulate menu planner for new ideas

Meal period consists of

Breakfast
Lunch
Brunch
In between reception
Dinner

Theme buffet
Pool party
Picnic in the park
Costume party
Casino night
Business event
Night at the circus

Holiday buffet includes

New years eve
Valentine day
Hallooween
Mothers day
Christmas day

Seasonal
Harvest time
Easter
Summer food and drinks
Winter soups

Regional
Italian
Chinese
Mexican
Greek
Hawaiian
Asian
Sushi bar

Occasion buffet
Wedding reception
World series
Awards banquet
Restaurant or hotel anniversary

Buffet setup and layout

Buffet setup
Arrangement of fixtures
Serves gathering
Styles of service

Exemplary menu
Fresh fruit
French crudites
Les fromages
Whole poached salmon
Tortellini with sun dried
tomatoes
Crunchy mustard
chicken
Rice salads
desserts

Types of buffet setup

Two sided straight line buffet
Centralized buffet setup
Time saving
buffet setup
2 sided breakfast bar buffet

Points to be considered while

setting a buffet
Space provided and & room
dimension
Number of guest
Allotted time for service
Menu
Ease of service
Power& light needs

Buffet layout
Buffet laying on the paper &decision the
table placement & configuration
Buffet worksheets indicates the basic
item required

Types of layout
Hollow square
Rectangular
Closed horseshoe
Zig-zag
T-banquet
Double L

Buffet staff
Comparison of the staff skill
Number of pax
One waiter should handle 5-7 items
Type of buffet menu
Type of establishment

Buffet service
Buffet attendant should have thorough
knowledge of
food and ingredient
utensil and service ware
portion size
presentation technique
service method

Planning the buffet

menu

Importance of buffet
menu
Well planned menu
Concept and menu selection

Menu development checklist

Concept and menu selection
Weed out items
Insurance policy

Menu development process

The markets or clients need and wants
Profitability versus cost
Quality and availability of products and use
Production capabilities and limitations
Expertise of staff
Ability to control
Variety and balance
Nutritional value and balance
Holding capability
Difficulty and ease of service

The markets or clients needs

and wants
Time restraints
Price range
Featured concept
Entertainment type and amount
Degree of showmanship
Amenities - guest comforts
Amount of service desired
Kinds of food expected
Methods of preparation
The event itself

Profitability versus cost

The cost of each item in menu should be
determined
For each item following cost is to be
calculated
Food cost
Labor cost
Showmanship cost
Equipment cost
Holding &/or transportation cost

Quality and availability of

products
One cant compromise on quantity
Proper handling of food
Highest quality of product
Planner makes specifications list

Expertise of staff
The required standards need to be met
Step by step review of proposed menu
Familiarization with skill of staff
On stage skills

Ability to control
Degree of control
No control over presentation
Not all foods make good buffet table foods
Example:
souffls
high cost beef cuts
highly perishable foods
cheese sauced foods

Variety and balance

Not only assortment of food
Preparation methods
Colours
Sizes
Textures
Diversification of menu

Textures
Vital part of the menu
Texture includes:
correct textures
wrong textures
balanced textures

Shapes
Create balance
Easy to serve
Easy to consume
Attractive
Ability to hold

Nutritional value and balance

Healthful food
Smaller portions
Change in cooking style
Food groups
Points to be considered

Holding capability
Time of preparation
Gap between preparation & service
Type of ingredients

Buffet presentation

Buffet presentation
Influence besides foods
Adds to the beauty of buffet
Helps in enhancing sales

Important considerations for

presentation
Centerpiece
Focal points
Buffet table signs

Centerpiece

Should reinforce theme

May be edible or inedible
If edible
announces the theme specialty
influence on guest choice
sufficient quantity for all guests

Types of centerpiece
Ice carving
Sculpture
company logo
Tallow carving
Antique pieces
Floral arrangement

Focal points
Compliments the food selections
Frames/showcases the food
Explains buffet concepts
Should not be a distraction

Types of focal points

Baskets
Tiered stands
Hanging mobiles
Theme related props
Wine bottles or casks

Buffet table signs

Convey information to guest
Explains:preparations, techniques &
ingredients
Helps in sale of food
Covers for staff shortage
Helps in possibility of food sensibility

Selling the buffet

Tiering
Highlighting
Spot lighting
Packaging
Entertainment

Display buffets
Presentation of item or groups of
items
Provides attraction for guests
Effective in ethnic or regional buffet
Acts as an advertising tool
Promotes buffet

Buffet cost control &

management

Buffet cost control

Aims at:
increasing profit margins
reducing food cost
reducing pilferage
controlling buffet labor

It includes
Buffet production planning
Pre-costing
Determining actual food cost
Controlling waste
Setting the price

Buffet production planning

Eliminates over-production
Eliminates under production

It is done by
Issuing buffet production order which
contains:
buffet item
portion size
planned portion
yield factor
raw quantities to be purchased
portion left over
portion consumed

Pre costing
Recommended for:
newly crated buffet menu
existing or cyclic menu
It includes:
determining portion size
calculating cost of each item

Determining actual food cost

Actual food cost is difference between
money value of food produced
money value of usable leftovers
Helps in:
measuring true profit or loss
making necessary arrangements

Controlling waste
Causes :
inaccurate production order
lack of skilled personnel
improper timing of food production
lack of proper pre portioning
over or under cooking
improper use or lack of equipment

Setting the price

Price of buffet must be :
cost effective
competitive
Establishing a cost effective price
covers all expenses
generates profits
Establishing a competitive price
guests percieves as a value
competes favourably with other
operations

Thank you !
DESINGED BY Sunil Kumar
Research Scholar/ Food Production Faculty
Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management,
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY, ROHTAK
Haryana- 124001 INDIA Ph. No. 09996000499
email: skihm86@yahoo.com , balhara86@gmail.com
linkedin:- in.linkedin.com/in/ihmsunilkumar
facebook: www.facebook.com/ihmsunilkumar
webpage: chefsunilkumar.tripod.com