[shroomgirl]

this has come up through the years on Cheftalk and it's come up recently for us......
300 guests at a 7-11 cocktail party for non-profit
we had the gammit, buffet with 3 different things, a small pig sandwich station (2 chefs), and 6 passed hodos/then desserts.....
, typically cocktail parties are 2-3 hours, not 4.

Next is a memorial service for 200+, lunch time on a Sat. buffet with crudite, small sandwiches, desserts......then passed bites.....on this end I'm concerned about being slammed hard.

So, set-up, staffing, amounts of food you hold onto for later all revolve around the ebs and flows of the party.

Thoughts Anyone?

[ED BUCHANAN]

Hi J.
As you know the hardest thing to do is teach timeing. Second is purchasing ,how much for how many. Every caterer sets up different. Some more elaborate then others. The whole thing in catering is the GLITZ .When they first walk in , what they see.. Another one is lets say your serving shrimp of any kind (passed) some caterers hold back till middle or end of gig, others bombard right away then taper off. All depends on crowd, type gig, price etc. They all differ. I learn some new trait about people at every party, and thats after over 40 years.

[shroomgirl]

timing.....
150 people grabbing continental breakfast in 20 minutes from a buffet.....
it's intense...if you aren't setup and ready to rock and roll your sunk, there is no save. Having the right containers for fruit makes a huge difference.

timing.......
weddings, how many times have guests shown up an hour+ before the bride and groom? The photographer just kept snapping. Having the right setup so hungry kids don't become an issue as they wait for dinner.

timing.....the speaker runs long, the VIP doesn't show on time.....shtuff that can kill a meal that's ready at a certain time....creating dishes that can hold.

timing....having proficient staff that can assemble fussy bites and giving them time to do it.

timing is so different in catering vs a restaurant or onsite venue......

Think of your learning curves and how you've adapted through the events....

[marmalady]

Digging back in the memory bucket - We would have cold aps plated and ready to go for both early guests and when timing ran over, also for the kiddies. Hot aps prepped and ready to be cooked, trays prepped for both passed and buffet. We did let 'em fill up on the cheese and fruit trays, etc., before we dragged out the baby lamp chops and shrimp.

Breakfast buffet? Lol, just throw it out there and let the hordes rush in!