45 Tips for Better Buffet Service

WORK WITH CLIENTS to determine preferences in food preparation and probe to find out if there are cooking techniques or ingredients a client believes are important. Another tip: let regulars know you're open to trying appropriate family recipes.This has the added benefit of providing a source of new recipes to try out in other areas of your business. (Kehr)

ON BREAKFAST BUFFETS, add cream cheese or sour cream to scrambled eggs to prevent their drying out. (Fairbrook)

BATCH-COOK HARD-TO-HOLD ITEMS and include sauces and cheeses to keep items moist and allow them to hold longer. (Wenman)

YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO COVER cooked items with plastic film when keeping them in the warmer; it tends to steam food that might have been seared or roasted, altering their texture. (Negrin)

COOKED VEGETABLES DETERIORATE FIRST; be sure to put them out only a few minutes before service, being careful to replenish them with small freshlycooked batches when necessary. (King)

USE GLAZES ON SLICED MEATS instead of gravy to keep them moist. (Kehr)

AN ENRICHED BROTH made with wine, shallots, chicken or beef stock and thyme (or bouquet garni) works well to moisten buffet items. A bit of frozen glacÈ product (packaged in brick form) for a rich, intense beef or chicken flavor. (Negrin)

MIST COLD ITEMS with water spray just before service or cover them with moist towels during their refrigerated storage to maintain moisture and shine. (Kehr)

FOR "GRILLED" ITEMS, sear the grill marks on first and finish off the cooking in an oven or steamer. For instance, grilling 500 steaks may mean too long a delay between the first and last steak: instead, mark them ahead, put back in the chiller, and bake them in the oven before service. (Kehr)

FISH CAN BE HANDLED the same way; poach in a steamer or use stock in steam table pans, cover them and put in the oven. That way, the fish still gets moist heat, but stove tops are freed up. (Kehr)

STEAM ROASTED VEGETABLES 75 percent of the way, toss with seasonings, and roast in a 450F oven; this maintains a high moisture content. (Kehr)

BLANCHING VEGETABLES for veggie platters keeps them moist longer, brings out color, and helps with sanitation as well. (Kehr)

INCLUDING ROOM TEMPERATURE FOODS (grilled vegetables, pasta and grain salads made with vinaigrettes) helps you get away from using chafing dishes, permitting more attractive ceramic platters for serving food. (Negrin)

SERVE ENTREES ON A BED of some contrasting vegetable, such as sautÈed onions, leeks or spinach; this helps keep them moist. (Negrin)

SALMON ON A BED of colorful vegetable slaw, served on a white platter is eye-catching and attractive. (Meehan)

SET OUT FRESH PANS in the chafers after all customers have gone through once; they will see and appreciate this extra service. (King)

GARNISH WITH FRESH HERBS at the last minute; greens will wilt and turn brown in warmers and under chafer lids. (Negrin)

TRY GARNISHING WITH HYDROPONIC WATERCRESS; it's very spring-like and eliminates stems . (Negrin)

USING ROLL TOP SILVER CHAFERS makes a statement for upscale buffets. Also, incorporate lots of contrasting colors and use candelabras, mirrors, candles, fountains, risers, mirrored boxes, silk and fresh flowers, and lots of greenery. (King)

EXPLAIN TO CUSTOMERS UP FRONT that you will man the buffet for one hour, and then pull out. (King)

HAVE ALL ORDERING DONE by e-mail. (Negrin)

MARKET THROUGH E-MAIL as well, and avoid having to print lots of menus. (Meehan)

DEVELOP BUFFETS geared for drop-off only, in which everything is disposable. (See sidebar for more info.) (Meehan)

USE DISPLAY COOKING at buffet stations to save costs and avoid prepping in advance. (King)

CUSTOMIZE PURCHASED ITEMS to give them a homemade look without the extra labor. For instance, add kiwi or pineapple to generic, bought salsa. The customer doesn't always know what is made and what is purchased, only how it's presented. (Kehr)

DURING SPRING BREAK or other times of lower volume, take all available labor and make up batches of things like lasagna; cook and freeze roasts, slice them and prep for barbecue, for instance. (Kehr)

DEVELOP A BATCH COOKING system; it does a wonderful job of keeping food costs down. (King)

WHEN STAFF IS AVAILABLE, try to have them serve the guests. It's a good way to control portion sizes and take care of the customer. (Negrin)

SET UP A VIENNESE dessert buffet that's manned, in which the cake slices are individually cut and garnished on the spot with chocolate stripes, dollops of whipped cream and peanuts, cinnamon dust, or set in a pool of crðme de menthe. You can actually go through one-third fewer desserts that way than when they're cut beforehand; and there's no waste. (King)

TRY A GOURMET COFFEE BAR buffet, which can serve as dessert, too. Set up coffee urns with two-centperserving coffee, place cups alongside for self-service, then add mini pastries and biscotti (less expensive than pies and cakes), flavored syrups, flavored swizzle sticks and chocolate pirouettes. Try serving the coffee cups margarita-style, dipped into corn syrup and then into cinnamon sugar or cocoa powder with sugar. Staffing should be about one server per 50 to 60 guests. (King)

MAKE SMALLER TRAYS; if items are leftover in the back, they can be reused, but once they've gone out front, they're lost even if they're not eaten. (Kehr)

E-MAIL EXISTING CUSTOMERS with menu PDF attachments announcing new or special buffet menus, and post them on the web. (CristaMartin,PublicationsandCommunicationsCoordinator,HarvardUniversityDiningServices)

TRY DRAWING SOME NEW CUSTOMERS by emailing "budget" menus to a broader selection of staff on campus. (Martin)

OFFER MENU TASTINGS to customers who may have questions about a particular item. This enables them to feel confident in what they'll receive. It also gives you the opportunity to up sell a particular event by showing something better for an additional cost. Usually the customer takes the higher item, because once they see it, they want it. (Kehr)

Gear production and recipes to the customer base. If there will be too many guests to allow for labor-intensive prep such as skewers, switch to a different way to present similar flavors. Instead of Asian beef kabobs with green peppers, go with Szechuan beef and broccoli stir fry; instead of hand-battered fried chicken, move to an ovenbaked product instead. (Moreman)

Consider a self-service salad garnish or a potato bar at one end of the buffet line. This lets customers gather around without blocking the rest of the line.