What's the secret to a successful event? An interesting program and bright moments that you want to tell your friends about and capture in photos – you'll say. Of course, we'll agree with that. But even the coolest event can leave a blurred impression if the guests weren't fed. Or they were fed, but not enough. Or the food wasn't tasty. Or it wasn't pretty.
To make sure there's no room for such "ors", let's talk about food today. Scientists have proven that in every person's life there are three pleasures — food, sex, and sleep. It's hard to argue with that, and the reason is the happiness hormones — serotonin and endorphin, whose levels increase in the human body, for example, when eating. How to properly organize catering at an event? What to feed guests so they receive gastronomic pleasure? How to surprise them? We'll lift the veil of secrecy on the "tasty" event.
The difference in formats
The catering format is selected taking into account the nature of the event, its duration, audience, budget, venue specifics, season, etc. It can be seated (banquet, gala dinner) or without seating (buffet, cocktail reception, coffee break, animation zone, or barbecue).
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Banquet – a festive event characterized by a wide variety of dishes and alcohol. This format features an extensive entertainment program with speeches by officials.
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Gala dinner – a lighter meal, dishes are most often served by waiters to each guest. It is mainly used for business purposes - for a presentation, at the end of a conference, or as the result of successful negotiations. The main task of a gala dinner is to emphasize the importance and uniqueness of the event, as well as to maintain a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
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Business breakfast – usually held in small groups, it combines a snack and solving work issues, but in a more relaxed setting.
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| Business breakfast |
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Buffet – a format where guests independently choose appetizers from shared tables.
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Cocktail reception features light appetizers on tables, and guests move between them for a snack.
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Coffee break – a short break for tea or coffee, usually served with sweets and pastries.
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Animation zone – stands out for its interactivity: a chef prepares a dish at a specially equipped place (not in the kitchen), guests watch the process, and then taste the result.
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Barbecue – designed for an outdoor format: food is cooked over fire; it is well suited for summer outdoor events.
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| An unusual dinner at height |
Creating a menu: norms and standards
The key to quality service and a well-thought-out menu lies in the coordinated work of the event organizers and all catering staff. An event manager will help you choose professional catering, especially since you already have experience working with various contractors. When choosing a restaurant, you should also discuss options with the organizer. They will assess the venue's capacity, interior, and other capabilities of the establishment and help you choose the most suitable one.
According to catering standards, venue capacity in a buffet format is calculated as follows: 1.5 sq m per person, and the buffet line is measured by the number of guests (1 m per 5–10 people). Seated catering requires a different approach: in addition to the area of the table and chairs themselves, the distance between chairs and tables is also taken into account — a minimum of 0.5 sq m for free movement.
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| Buffet format |
Guest seating also needs to be planned in advance. This will help avoid misunderstandings and tension between guests. Take into account the age of those invited, their status, occupation, and other important factors. The seating plan should be in a visible place (for example, name cards at seats or individual invitations).
Each format has a standard menu 'framework', the contents of which you discuss with the catering service. The most substantial option is a banquet menu, which usually includes (per person): a cold appetizer and salad, a hot appetizer, a main course, a side dish, fruit, and dessert.
It is difficult for a non-specialist to correctly calculate the volume and number of portions and their ratio so that guests do not go hungry and there are no large leftovers. Special calculation standards exist for this. For a banquet menu, a person gets about 1.5 kg of food in total. For a gala dinner, it is less — 0.5–0.6 kg. For a buffet format, this figure will be half that. The organizer will inform you in more detail about each menu item and portion sizes during the discussion stage.
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Buffet-style food service |
The number of drinks also needs to be calculated in advance. One person usually drinks up to 1.5 liters of non-alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is calculated using this formula per person: strong alcohol — 150 ml, wine — 300 ml, champagne — 150 ml. A preliminary assessment of invited guests will help adjust these figures (for example, a female audience requires more champagne and fewer strong drinks).
How many waiters are needed to avoid fuss and confusion? The ideal standard for a banquet is 1 waiter per 10 guests. In the case of a tight schedule and a large number of tables, additional 'hands' are needed. At buffets, 1 waiter is usually assigned to 20–25 guests, although they can serve more. Separate waiters are usually assigned to VIP persons.
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Important nuances of preparation, or what not to do
The following recommendations will help you avoid common mistakes and shortcomings:
- The organizer should plan in advance the actions of all team members and catering staff at the venue so that there is no inconsistency of actions.
- It is important to know in advance whether the venue has the necessary technical conditions: clean water, electricity, separate restrooms for staff.
- At outdoor events, food protection from insects, heat, and rain must be provided.
- Blue and purple light has a negative effect on food tables: they look unappetizing. Therefore, the venue must have suitable lighting.
- When creating a menu, take seasonality into account. In winter, dishes should be more filling; strong alcoholic drinks and red wine are in demand. In summer, the menu should be lighter, fruit-and-vegetable-based, with a preference for more chilled drinks, water, and white wine. Okroshka in winter will be as out of place as aspic in summer.
- If possible, determine in advance the individual taste preferences of the guests. For example, vegetarians and those fasting will not be able to appreciate the meat selection.
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In summer, the menu should be lighter, fruit-and-vegetable-based |
2019 Trends and Striking Examples
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Unity of style and unusual serving: food, tableware, staff clothing and decor – everything must correspond to the event and echo each other. For example, at the AmexGold event, the golden theme was traced in everything, even in milk cocktails made from golden bourbon by chef Ned Baldwin and table decor in the form of golden pineapples.
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AmexGold event, golden theme at the buffet |
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Focus on healthy eating, consideration of requests from vegetarians and representatives of different cultures and faiths. Vegan chef and healthy lifestyle advocate Leslie Durso offers plant-based dishes for the Four Seasons Punta Mita resort in Mexico, including appetizers such as crab pie, soups, salads, snacks (poblano pepper stuffed with quinoa) and desserts such as coconut sorbet with pineapple flambé.
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| Focus on healthy eating |
And one of the parties at Carondelet House (Los Angeles) was entirely dedicated to people who 'watch their weight'. Therefore, chef Katsuya Jenny Trinh focused on light local dishes that included organic autumn products and foliage in the center of a long rustic table.
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Rejection of flat surfaces for serving, increasingly they are whimsical tiered stands, suspensions, multi-level stands, etc. For example, at the 'Smoooth Session' of the Swedish bank 'Klarna', trays with desserts literally flew in the air. They were suspended on helium balloons, which the staff placed around the venue.
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Dessert trays suspended on helium balloons |
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Unusual presentation of dishes, sometimes with elements of show. Chef Wolfgang Puck at presentations of his company Wolfgang Puck Catering in different cities presents a whole culinary show. First, he spectacularly freezes slabs of chocolate with dried fruits and nuts using liquid nitrogen. Then he invites the audience to break the chocolate with hammers to taste it.
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| Desserts that can be broken with a hammer |
Another example of an extraordinary presentation: Peter Callahan for a winter party in New York served cocktails using real snowballs instead of glassware. The amount of the drink was calculated so that the guest would not have to hold the snowball in their hands for long.
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| Alcohol in snowballs |
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Originality of dishes. At the premiere of the latest season of American Horror Story in Los Angeles, a black appetizer menu was developed, created by Love Catering together with FX Networks and Industria Creative. Highlights included smoked charcoal yucca with squid ink and cauliflower mousse, as well as a cocktail with vodka lemonade with 'charcoal'.
The originality of drinks also allows you not only to surprise guests, but also to stand out among competitors. For example, the American company “The Grand Bevy” invented unique machines for creating «SipMí» drinks. The newest system prints any images in excellent quality on the surface of various cocktails.
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| Printing images on cocktails |
As you can see, chefs delight their fans with original dishes in bright presentation. And we follow world events, original projects and are inspired by the best ideas. We prepare the best events with love and taste. And we will always be happy to select the best catering for you, taking into account all your wishes. Contact our specialists for help, call right now!
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