One important aspect of event planning, no matter what the event, is the food. The menu that you choose as well as the way you choose to serve your food can have a large impact on the overall atmosphere of your event. However, if you are planning and find yourself wondering what to choose, have no worries. Take a look at all the different options that you have, and examine the pros and cons of each before settling on the food for your event.
Buffet
- Pros: Buffets give you lots of different options to choose from. Also, guests are free to have as much, or as little as they want.
- Cons: Due to the fact that you have to order more food, buffets can get more expensive for larger parties, especially if you have to rent buffet service equipment like chaffing dishes.
- Level of mingling: Medium- people can come and go to and from the buffet as they please and guests are not confined to one table the whole evening.
- Pricing: Buffets often are in the $30 to $40 plus range per head
Plated
- Pros: More formal parties are often best served by a seated dinner. Incorporating a wait staff to your event adds a service element that gives off an upscale feel.
- Cons: Plated dinners limit the amount of choices you have, whereas with appetizers or platters, you can choose several different items
- Level of mingling: Low- while people have a lot of opportunity to talk with those at their table, having a seated dinner limits their ability to openly interact with others across tables
- Pricing: Sit-down meals usually run $50 and up but can get even more expensive for weddings e.g. $100+ per head.
Passed appetizers
- Pros: Passed apps allow you to have a lot of different options and since they get replenished, there will always be enough to go around
- Cons: Passed apps are often on the lighter side, so if you are looking for something heartier, they may not be your ideal choice
- Level of mingling: High- people can quickly grab food without having to curtail their conversation and movement throughout the party
- Pricing: Average passed apps run $10 to $30 per hour/person
Platters
- Pros: For those on a tight budget, platters are often the most economical decision
- Cons: Unlike passed apps which get replenished, platters after a while can start to look picked over and people late to the party might leave hungry
- Level of mingling: High- people can quickly grab food and then continue to move and mingle
- Pricing: The average platter runs $50 to $80 but feeds 5 to 10 people
Now that you know your options, there’s nothing stopping you from having one delectable event planned on InstEvent!
Happy Planning!
-The Event Mavens