Executing Large Catering Events - Morin Hospitality

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Now that you're starting to get your own catering jobs, you might be dealing with leads with larger guest counts. This podcast aims to help you determine whether you're ready for these larger events. If you have any doubts about your ability to handle such large gatherings, by the end of this podcast, you'll have a clear answer. You might be surprised by how easy it can be to serve large catering events buffet-style.

How would I define a large event? For someone just starting their own catering business, you're probably working for yourself without any staff on payroll and may not have a permanent professional facility for cooking. Check my other videos for dealing with those situations. For these types of caterers, I consider large parties to be any event with over 40 people. In this podcast, I'll provide advice for executing a buffet-style catering on the higher end of the guest count.

So, let's say you have a lead for a 50-person buffet-style catering. Use the free spreadsheet available on my website to determine the portions and quantities of items to purchase and calculate your quote. If you're unsure how to do this, please refer to my must-watch playlist to learn more. When it comes to executing a large event buffet-style, consider the following pointers:

1. If the event has more than 40 or 50 people, you may want to consider having an extra pair of hands with you. In my course, I teach you in the war map section where to find these people. I don't know anyone with spare time who would turn down $200 in cash to help serve food at a buffet for a couple of hours. Given the potential profit from events of this size, offering $200 or $400 cash to anyone to assist would be worth every penny.

2. To keep the food fresh, it's important to put it out on the buffet line in stages. For example, if you're serving a turkey dinner, have trays with 12 orders of turkey each. When the trays get low, replenish them as guests gather their food. This ensures that the food remains hot and fresh for every guest. The less desirable alternative is having all the food out at once, which can risk some guests getting cold or stale food. Serving in batches prevents this.

3. As parties get larger, like 60 people or more, consider using multiple buffet lines to prevent long wait times. You can set up the buffet table in the center of the room and place tongs on either side of the chafing dishes so guests can approach from both sides, creating a two-line buffet. For even larger parties, set up a second line of buffet tables, double-sided, to have four buffet lines. Having an assistant to help replenish the buffet in a timely manner becomes a requirement.

4. Keep track of the amount of food you serve. Inform your clients in your banquet event order contracts that the guaranteed guest count cannot be reduced after a certain date. Track guest count through head count, plate count, or beverage count. Use this data to determine how many guests you've served. Be mindful of penny-pinching for just a few guests.

5. I recommend preparing at least 10% more food than the guaranteed guest count. This allows for some buffer to accommodate heavy eaters or capture additional sales from guests who exceed the guaranteed count.

6. During large events, ensure you can monitor the buffet at all times. Be ready to respond to guest needs, answer questions, and most importantly, restock the hotel pans with fresh products throughout the buffet service. If you can't manage this with your current staff situation, consider finding additional help before it's too late.

These are my best pointers for executing large buffet-style events for your catering business. If you believe I missed anything, please let me know in the comments below. I'm always looking for ideas for fresh content. You can subscribe to the video to get notifications every time I release a new podcast about starting your own catering business. Also, check out my full course on Udemy; the link is in the video description. Until next time, good luck out there.

Let me know if you need any further adjustments or have any other requests!