{"id":33832,"date":"2020-01-18T01:01:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T06:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fromhousetohome.com\/entertainingdiva\/?p=33832"},"modified":"2021-07-29T01:31:19","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T05:31:19","slug":"how-to-set-up-a-buffet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fromhousetohome.com\/entertainingdiva\/how-to-set-up-a-buffet\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Set Up A Buffet"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re hosting a party and don’t want to serve a sit-down dinner, a buffet may be the way to go. In which case, these tips for how to set up a buffet will help make sure your spread goes smoothly.<\/p>\n

\"how<\/p>\n

For my parties, I almost always have a buffet rather than a sit-down dinner.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, I want to invite way more people than I have dining table seats…so a buffet lets me accommodate everyone.<\/p>\n

It’s also much easier to organize if you don’t have set start times for your party (or you have friends that don’t show up on time).<\/p>\n

So I’ve learned a lot over the years on how to set up a buffet that works.<\/p>\n

And with many people hosting Super Bowl parties shortly, I thought I’d share my tips.<\/p>\n

1 | Decide Where The Buffet Will Be<\/h2>\n

The first step to setting up a buffet is to decide where you want it to be.<\/p>\n

The location should be somewhere that is easy to get to, but not where it’s going to interrupt the flow of the rest of your party.<\/p>\n

And make sure that there’s enough room for everyone to walk down the buffet line without bumping into others.<\/p>\n

I usually set mine up in the den that’s across the hall from my kitchen. It’s close enough to my living room \/ dining room area to be convenient for people to get their food. But it doesn’t cause congestion in the main party area while people are getting their food.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you have a larger area for your party, you could have the buffet table in the same room.<\/p>\n

2 | Figure Out The Table Layout<\/h2>\n

\"Buffet<\/p>\n

Next you need to figure out how you’re going to lay out the tables.<\/p>\n

If you’re using a small room for your buffet (like I do), position them in a U shape around the edges of the room.<\/p>\n

If you have a larger area, a long rectangle shape works well, too.<\/p>\n

3 | Determine The Buffet Traffic Flow<\/h2>\n

Determine where the start and end of the buffet will be, keeping in mind the traffic flow.<\/p>\n

For U-shaped tables, people should start at one end of the U and finish at the other end. Make sure there’s enough room for people to be walking on all sides of the U at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"Chafing<\/p>\n

With rectangle shapes, you can either have people go up one side of the table and down the other.<\/p>\n

For this you would have different dishes on each side of the table (and may need to have 2 tables side by side).<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

Or you can have a line that starts at one end of the table and ends at the other.<\/p>\n

If you are using this last configuration and have enough space to pull the table away from the walls, consider having two lines.<\/p>\n

You’ll need 2 sets of serving utensils so people can get food from both sides, but this is the fastest way to serve a large number of people.<\/p>\n

4 | Set Up The Buffet Tables<\/h2>\n

\"Small<\/p>\n

Now you need to set up the tables. I like to do this a couple of days ahead of time so that I don’t have to worry about it at the last minute.<\/p>\n

If you have an area rug in the vicinity of the food tables, you might want to take it up…there will be spills.<\/p>\n

If you don’t have banquet tables, try to find other tables that are all about the same height. As you can see from my set up above, I have all different ones!<\/p>\n

\"U-shaped<\/p>\n

Cover mismatched tables with the same tablecloths to make them look the same. For my Super Bowl party<\/a>, I use football field ones to go with the party theme.<\/p>\n

5 | Define Your Starting Point<\/h2>\n

\"Paper<\/p>\n

Plates and napkins should be at the beginning of the line.<\/p>\n

This helps to make it obvious where the start of your buffet line is.<\/p>\n

Make sure you have more plates and napkins than you have guests. Some people will come back for seconds and take another plate.<\/p>\n

Also, keep a refill stack of plates, napkins and cutlery close by so that you can re-stock them easily if necessary.<\/p>\n

6 | Lay Out The Food<\/h2>\n

\"U-shaped<\/p>\n

I like to set up all of the serving dishes I’m going to use ahead of time so I know that I have enough space.<\/p>\n

The food should be laid out in an order that makes sense. Group similar foods together (all salads, all vegetables, all main dishes, etc.)<\/p>\n

Make sure you leave some open spaces if your guests will be bringing additional food.<\/p>\n

Also, all of the food should be easy to reach. If people have to reach too far over the table, things tend to get spilled and knocked over.<\/p>\n

Cold Dishes First<\/h3>\n

Start with the cold dishes like salads, dips and veggie trays.<\/p>\n

Some people will get these first, and come back for the hot dishes later.<\/p>\n

So putting them close to the front of the buffet line lets those people get out of the buffet congestion faster.<\/p>\n

Hot Dishes Next<\/h3>\n

Then lay out the hot dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Warming<\/p>\n

Warming trays, crock pots and chafing dishes\u00a0are great for keeping hot food warm.<\/p>\n

If you’re using hot plates and slow cookers, you’ll need to have enough convenient outlets for them to be plugged into. I usually use a power strip for this.<\/p>\n

\"Chafing<\/p>\n

Since chafing dishes are heated by fire, they should be kept far enough away from the wall to prevent any accidents. Also, placing them on a heat-proof surface is a good idea.<\/p>\n

Fill the bottom of the chafing dishes to the water line ahead of time.<\/p>\n

This can be done a couple of days ahead of time. As long as you put the top on, the water won’t evaporate.<\/p>\n

Make sure you have enough chafing dish burner cans to last for the length of your meal serving time. (They usually last for 2 to 3 hours, so if it’s a long party you may need to have some backup burner supplies).<\/p>\n

\"Chafing<\/p>\n

Use crock pot liners<\/a>* in crock pots and chafing dishes to make clean up easier.<\/p>\n

\"Large<\/p>\n

Or line the dish with foil if the liners won’t fit.<\/p>\n

If you’re planning on leaving the lids on your serving dishes, make sure there’s somewhere for people to put them while they’re helping themselves to some food.<\/p>\n

Condiments<\/h3>\n

Put condiments close to the dish that will use them so that people can find them easily.<\/p>\n

Desserts<\/h3>\n

\"Dessert<\/p>\n

Many people will come back at a later time to get desserts, so they may or may not be part of your main buffet table.<\/p>\n

If you want your desserts on the buffet table, they should go at the end.<\/p>\n

However, they can also be set up in a different location. Or even put out on the original buffet tables later in the party (once the main meal is finished).<\/p>\n

My Favorite Serving Dishes<\/h3>\n

To keep food cold:<\/p>\n