The A-Z of Creating a Restaurant Dinner Buffet Menu
Restaurants that offer catering services can make the best use of buffet dinners. Buffet dinners allow restaurants to feed a great number of people with assistance from a minimum number of staff.
Some food items are more suitable for buffets than ala-carte. They include pasta, meat recipes, platters, and even appetizers. Dessert options include any recipe that can be prepared in huge quantities like cake, crisps, cookies, etc.
Menu prices must be checked periodically to stay in accordance with the rising cost of raw materials like ingredients and labor. Just like a regular dining room menu, it is also important to update such buffet menus every year. With such menu engineering, buffet items that are not selling well can be identified and dropped off the menu, after which new and fashionable choices of recipes should be included.
To promote a restaurant and the brand, it is important to have a website that makes your online presence felt by internet users and generates income too. Make use of an affordable restaurant website builder that is template-based, yet customizable, to create a restaurant website. Ensure that the website builder makes your restaurant business profitable by allowing you to activate online food ordering and also receive direct payments from customers.
CHOICES OF DINNER BUFFET ITEMS
The prices are mere suggestions and should be taken as true examples or reflections of current market prices.
CLASSIC DINNER — This is the most popular buffet choice. It includes two starter choices, a choice of starch, one seasonal vegetable, tossed salad with dressings of customer’s choice, warm rolls and butter with a beverage station to culminate the fest. This buffet can be priced at $17 per person.
LIGHT DINNER — This buffet comprises one starter choice, a choice of starch, one seasonal vegetable, warm rolls with butter, and a beverage station with a wide array of drinks. This buffet can be priced at $14 per person.
ITALIAN PASTA — This dinner buffet menu is made up of one tossed garden salad with vegan dressings, garlic-flavored linguine tossed olive oil, choices of three sauces like Classic Meat Marinara, Creamy Alfredo, and Vegetable Pesto. Cheese Garlic bread and a beverage station are also attractive parts of this dinner buffet. This buffet menu can also be priced at $14 per person.
IDEAS FOR BUFFET DINNER ENTREE
Baked Virginia Ham
Chicken Piccata
Vegetable Primavera
Italian Lasagna (Vegetable or Meat)
Roast Beef
Marinated Chicken Breast with Herb Stuffing
Roasted Turkey with Curry
Haddock with Parmesan cheese
IDEAS FOR DESSERTS (Prices are for an individual)
Carrot Cake — $2
Brownie and Cookie — $2
Apple Pie — $2
Ice Cream & Hot Fudge — $2
Sheet Cake — $1.50
Cream Puffs — $3
Petit Fours — $1.50 each
There are many kinds of buffet options like food stations, carving stations, dessert bars, etc. that can be used to attract more people.
RESTAURANT CATERING POLICIES
Restaurants must have distinct catering policies to avoid any miscommunication or misconception between the staff and staff and guests. When the policies are clearly outlined, all the stakeholders know exactly what to expect during the event.
Clearly state the number of guests that your banquet room will be able to accommodate. Do not charge any fee for the use of the banquet room.
Charge a deposit fee of at least $100 at the time of booking. Also, keep a cancellation charge in place so that bookings are done cautiously by people. Collect the remaining amount once the function is over. If any arrangements require advance payments, get that amount alone from the people booking the dinner menu.
Ask the people making the booking to give you the guaranteed number of guests at least one week in advance so that the quantity of food to be prepared can be decided accordingly. This count will be the base on which the entire party bill will be calculated.
If the customer requests a private bar, charge a bartender fee of $50.
Do not allow food from outside during the event. As an exception, you can permit wedding cakes alone. Add a cake-cutting fee of at least $50. This must include serving the cakes to the guests too.
Ensure that you do not allow buffet food to be taken home as it does not conform to health codes.
With such clearly described policies for the use of your banquet room for dinner buffet, there is very little room for unpleasant surprises and any other hidden costs that might upset the customers after the conclusion of the buffet. Depending on the location of the restaurant, the catering room fees and other service charges must be adjusted accordingly.
