How to Set Up a Buffet Table

One of the best ways to set up food at a party is to create a buffet table where everyone can just come and take the food that they want. However, setting up a buffet table doesn’t just mean that you can place everything randomly on the tables. You can’t simply put the custom beverage napkins in the line of all the main courses and the desserts with the appetizers. It’ll only drive you and your guests crazy because they don’t know which table they should go first. And they won’t be able to find what they want easily. They’ll end up having to ask you or the waiters, disrupting the whole process.

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In order to keep an orderly fashion with your buffet table, you can set it up in two different ways.

By meal classification

First of all, classifying your buffet table by the type of meal you have is one way to be smart and organized throughout your party. Classifying by meals means that you keep the appetizers (first course) on one table, the main course (second course) on another and the utensils, desserts (third course) and drinks on another. Keeping your food arranged in this way helps your guests to know which table to go to for the food they want. They won’t get lost in the line and they won’t have to cut lines just to find what they want. If you arrange the tables in the right way (appetizers first, desserts and drinks last), you won’t have a problem keeping your guests in one long line. This is a good way to have an organized buffet.

If you have a controlled buffet, you can keep the waiters in line so they can easily set the food down on each plate. Always keep your utensils, beverage napkins and cups in one table. If you separate them, guests will have a hard time looking for it and you don’t want that to happen.

By type

On the other hand, you can also have your meals arranged by its type. You can set the meat in one table, the vegetables in another and finger foods in another. However, if you plan to do this type of buffet, you need to make the first table for the utensils, plates, napkins and cups. People usually need this first before they get any food and it is essential that they find them. Don’t forget to entitle each table too so that people won’t have a hard time finding what they want. Keep the desserts in one long table. You can either have a separate table for drinks or you can keep a drinking station by the desserts.

Arranging your buffet tables by the type of food allows you to keep your food in a bigger space. You don’t have to crowd your guests in one place, but you can keep them going back and forth from different tables. This way, no table gets too crowded and no lines are too long.