Hotel buffet-style catering service,
You make the call！
Contributing author: Kayley
Hotel buffet-style catering service is popular in private party, wedding event, or corporate banquet in Hong Kong. It is due to food plan can be designed according to both of your own and the guests' preferences. Also, having less or even zero support from catering staff can help to ease the stress on budget control.
01.
As mentioned last time, I have to organize large and small parties all the time, making food choices is an important task especially since we have to keep a close eye on the budget. Bear in mind that the most need for strict control is the cost of food and beverage, it is best not to exceed 50% of the whole event budget. Making the right choice and saving the bucks at the same time is not easy at all. Fortunately, other than those traditional venues, a whole lot of banquet venue choices are available nowadays, on top of that, the choice of food can also be more flexible and definitely can be considered as an affordable luxury.
02.
Hotel buffet-style catering services become quite popular in the past 2 years, it basically offers a hassle-free and well-planned package for the customers, from a tailor-made menu that fit the different style of guests to arranging on-site catering staff for a full service. It’s the job of the catering service company to give the best advice for a satisfying guest experience, and the service can absolutely be comparable to the scale of a six-star hotel.
03. Your choice, Your call
The buffet-style eatery is indeed a very popular dining place for Hongkongers, everyone can pick and choose what they want to eat without worrying about what others want. No wonder once the dine-in ban is lifted, lots of famous five-and six-star hotel buffet restaurants are being fully reserved quickly. Well, couldn’t get a seat from these restaurants? You can now enjoy a buffet-style meal without a step out of your home.
04.
The advantage of having a hotel buffet-style catering service is that whether it is a cozy private party, wedding event, or corporate banquet, it can be designed according to the type of occasion. The choice of food is more diversity than a “3 course” or “4-course” sit-down catering, food plan can also be designed according to both of your own and the guests’ preferences, and special diet such as vegan or keto diets can also be easily arranged. Matching with hotel-style tableware and decoration, the whole party has no different than those hosted at a six-star hotel.
05. Budget-friendly
Other than being more flexible on food choices, having less support from catering staff can help to ease the stress on budget control. Of course, when there are pros, there are also cons of buffet-style catering service, be prepared that guests will need to wait in line for food and the time required for food refill. It’s the job of the organizer to make sure to keep a tight check on the event timeline for a smooth flow.
06. Food Portions, less is More
When planning for the appropriate amount of food and the number of items, I asked the founder of La Casa Catering, TOM HUI, for advice. He pointed out that the amount of food and number of choices is the key component of a successful and enjoyable party. First of all, don’t blindly pick numerous items with just a minimal amount of each for the sake of having more choices to choose from. For example, imagine planning to host a party of 100 guests with numerous food items and each item has only 30 pieces being offered, consider it is pretty normal that most guests would like to taste a piece of every item, they might feel like they have to fight for it before it is gone.
07.
Besides, foods are most likely to be “liquidated” faster than you thought and might cause the food service part to end sooner than planned, in the end, guests will mingle around with no food being served. Need not to say, this is definitely not ideal for a good party experience for any occasion. Tom highly recommended that the best arrangement for hosting a party of 100 is to prepare 10 different items with around 80 pieces each, this should fulfill the needs and avoid too much food waste.
