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I wouldn't worry too much, your caterers know what they are doing. You might run out of a few things once people head up for seconds but everyone will get a little of everything the first time around. Since you're having two types of food I bet everyone will eat small portions from one line and go for seconds in the other line.
I think running out of food happens when guests are allowed to serve themselves.
If your venue has servers at the buffet they will know the correct portion size to dish out so everyone has a chance to at least get one serving of everything they want.
i don't think i've ever seen a buffet run out of food. i DID see a plated dinner run out of side dishes once though. the dinner at that wedding was weeeeird....
@nut9108: the guests will get to serve themselves because its stuff you kind of have to "build"... but honestly with as many options as we have i just don't see how it would be possible to run out unless everyone just ate like 2 things and ignored the rest.
Here is our menu:
cocktail hr-
crudite and dip
cheese and crackers
fresh seasonal fruit (apples and pears bc its winter)
dried fruit and nuts
shrimp cocktail
Mexican buffet/station
Steak and chicken fajitas with onions and peppers, cheese and lettuce and sour cream
chicken enchiladas (omg soooo good)
cheese and onion enchiladas)
rice and beans
chips and 2 kinds of salsa and guac
Asian buffet/station
pork pot stickers
veggie spring rolls
chicken and veggie lettuce wraps
gen tsos chicken
veggie lo mein
I used to work as an event manager for a conference center/hotel, and in the three years I was there, 90% of meals served were buffet style. We NEVER ran out of food. Mostly because staff is there to portion a little, and the kitchen staff typically prepares 5%-8% overage just in case.
buffets always over-prepare the number they get...that's why they're not always cheaper than seated dinners! yes, there's a tendency for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach at buffets, but your caterers know that and plan accordingly. don't worry about this. sure, it's possible, but it's highly unlikely!
We ran out... but only because the people serving were taking huge plates to the "main house" to eat later. I was PISSED.
@jamiemichelle: wait... the SERVERS were eating your buffet food that you were paying for???
Will any of the catering staff be present? Even if people have to build their own, someone else's eyes near their plate might keep people in check. I'd read reviews on your caterer and see if anyone's ever complained of there being too little food before, just in case.
I've never been to a wedding where this happened, but it has happened at other somewhat formal events and it's pretty disappointing.
@spaniel: there will be an attendant at each of the two buffet stations to help restock and keep things clean in case of spills... so there will definitely be "eyes" on people. I have looked for reviews but there aren't a whole lot out there bc our venue is pretty new :)
@CorgiTales: Our guests served themselves and we had a buffet. We had enough food left over that we used some for the gift opening the next day and frooze all the hot entree (chicken and salmon) and DH and I had dinner for a week or so....
I wouldnt worry about it...
I've only been to one that ran out... and that's a whole debacle.... because they ran out with 8 tables left. So, as long as the caterer is competent and the price isn't "too good to be true" you'll be fine. Almost every wedding I see these days is a buffet and we were eating frozen leftovers for a few weeks after our wedding :-)
As for my wedding, I have no idea. But I know my venue coordinator was on top of things. A bartender even came up to me and told me that my drink (not really signature drink, it was a drink that I wanted and after other people found out what I was drinking, they ended up getting it too. It was a pineapple mojito. ) Anyway, the bartender came up to me and told me that they saved me a glass because they didn't want the bride not to have her drink before it ran out. How very nice of them!!! :)
But I did go to a wedding we were were the second to last table to be called and it was scarce. There was hardly food left. I think there was turkey or chicken and when we got there there was nothing at the carving station. But then we told someone and they brought out more. It did take a while for our table to be called so maybe people who were up earlier went up for seconds before we got there.
Yes! I ended up getting a single roll*. I believe that the problem in that case was that it was self-serve. The other buffet weddings I went to had servers and plenty of food.
*It all worked out for me because they had plenty of pie, ice cream, and cake :).
@thriftybride: i just dont see how that happens! i mean unless people were going up for 2 or 3 servings before everyone had 1...
@Corgi.. yes. I know... I went completely nuclear on the owner. Who DOES that!?
My caterer actually makes MORE food for buffets than for plated dinners. THey made enough of each entree so that everyone could have one of each. Also, they build in a buffer fr unexpected guests. We ended up not having unexpected guests, so we had 5% more food for extra.
Usually I've always seen buffets have PLENTY of food, with a couple exceptions:
1. Seafood Stations -- like shrimp cocktail, oysters, crab, etc. get devoured within minutes. I think the food is too expensive and too quick to spoil to pad it as much as other buffet items, so I've been at cocktail hours where I totally missed out on the shrimp. Boo!
2. The last wedding I went to ran out of the original entree (grilled chicken breasts with a red sauce) by the time they got to our table. We were probably the 18th table out of 22 or so. Luckily they scrounged up some plain sauteed or baked breasts so we didn't go hungry. No sauce, and rather dry from a quick heat-up, but at least we weren't sent away starving! I'm thinking there must have been a kitchen error, seeing as it was a relatively new venue and the staff was serving the plates -- no super portions grabbed by big eaters. I might have not noticed, except they sent the wedding party through first, so DH (who was a groomsman) plopped down with the pepper sauce grilled chicken way before we ever got in the buffet line.
If you run out of food, it is the caterer's fault for not being prepared. I have been to several buffet dinners (only one at a wedding-related event) and they have always had a ton of leftovers. I have never seen any buffet run out.
I've worked as a server for weddings for a few years, and we'd always prepare about 125% of what we would for a plated meal, just to account for those 'hungry eyes.' There was always enough left over that the servers got a meal. (AFTER everyone was served, no stealing from the guests! I can't believe they'd do that!!)
I believe our venue mentioned something like this as well, making about 20-30% extra.
We had a buffet, and wasted so much food. There was definitely enough to feed everybody.
I've been to buffets where one particular item on the menu runs out and its usually something tasty and popular that people take too much of. The most recent one I remember ran out of beef skewers that everyone raved about but I actually didnt get to try it because by the time I go there it was all gone. But i've never heard of all the food running out
Yes, I have been to a wedding where the food ran out on me and I was in the bridal party toward the front of the line too! Bad news bears I tell ya. But she didn't use a verdor, it was like a pot luck type deal. So I would trust your vendor. :)
They ran out of food at FBIL's wedding but it was at a Senior Rec Center and old ladies from the lunch room 'catered.' They put out 5 grape tomatoes at a time. Needless to say, the tomatoes were a commodity. They never ran out of cold taco/pasta salad with soggy nacho cheese doritos though! Yum. (GAG)
I ordered food for 70 and we ended up with food for 90 because my caterer always builds in enough food to cover an additional 15-20 people. That was something that my wedding planner told me about her though. :)
First, your menu sounds GREAT!
Second, I think unless you underestimate your head count when you give the numbers to the caterers OR you invite the entire Ohio State football team to your wedding you are going to be fine.
Express your concerns to your caterer so that she can tell you her policy....if they don't build in extra, you can always overestimate your head count if you are still worried when you talk to her.
And OMG....our wedding dates used to seem SO FAR AWAY. They aren't far away anymore....
@nmsoonerbride: thanks! and yes i KNOW! I kind of couldn't believe our tasting that seemed SO FAR away happened yesterday. We only have 1 more meeting with them at 1 month out and then we're done!
Only once--and it wasn't a wedding. i was in charge of a fancy dinner for a sorority function and they freakin' ran out of food, even desserts (basically they didn't make or cut enough). I was livid, got half our money back, and that was it.
But NEVER at a wedding. There has always been plenty of food. If you have some big eaters, I think you should call them and notify them....if Uncle Charlie eats for 5, they probably should allocate for that!I don't stuff my plate to the max at a buffet, but I've noticed that some guests aren't so considerate.
I think your food sounds good, too =]
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Beekeeper
So we had our tasting today at our venue and I was SUPER happy with how everything turned out. We didn't try every single thing we're having because we're having a wide variety of things in two different buffets (asian and mexican), but all of the stuff we tried was great. Well... I called my mom on the way home to tell her how great it went and she started stressing (for the FIRST time) that there won't be enough food because "at least with a plated dinner you know everyone gets what they're supposed to."
I just don't really find this to be a valid concern because its not like buffets are unusual... and I just trust the venue to do what needs to be done. I mean if I can't trust my vendors to do their jobs I'd drive myself crazy, right?
But then my MOH suggested that this actually happens. So I'm throwing it to the hive...
Have you been to a buffet where the food ran out???