Buffet, Serving Line, and Family Style: The Pros and Cons

What type of dining service does your camp use? To get an idea of what is currently popular in camps, I conducted a survey among camp food service directors and received some insightful responses.

Buffet Serving Style

Some of the first buffet restaurants in America were established in the 1950s by restaurateur Johnny Garneau. These mimicked the traditional Swedish "smorgasbord" buffet-style meal, with a wide variety of food displayed on a table (Smith, 2013).

On March 10, 1959, Garneau filed a patent for his invention, the "Food Service Table." Designed to protect food from germs and bacteria affected by sneezing, it was eventually known as a "sneeze guard" or "food guard". Today, food guards are required by the FDA food code 3-306.11 under Food Display, stating, "Food on display shall be protected from contamination by the use of packaging; counter, service line, or salad bar food guards . . ." (Quiring, 2019).

PROS

Campers have more food variety and feel more in control of choices, which means more camper satisfaction. Survey respondent Travis Johnson, food service director at Asbury Hills Camp and Retreat Center in Cleveland, South Carolina, pointed out, "I feel people eat with their eyes, and I personally believe you can display your food better with a buffet." Buffets offer "effectiveness of serving guests quickly with hot, fresh food, which provides better customer service to our guests."

Survey respondent James Box of YMCA Camp Greenville, SC, said, "Buffet style costs less in labor. Meals take less time, seem to be more organized, and less instructions are needed."

CONS

Food safety challenges abound with buffet service. Buffets can harbor germs and bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, affecting one in six Americans annually, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019).

Hot and cold foods must be frequently checked to ensure equipment is holding safe temperatures: cold foods at 40°F or colder; hot foods at internal temperature of 140°F or warmer. Transfer of bacteria is easier because more hands touch serving utensils, and because younger campers may be too short to allow sneeze guard protection from coughing or sneezing onto food. Some younger campers also may find that maneuvering tongs or large serving spoons is too difficult and instead use their fingers, which can spread bacteria. Younger campers need supervision, and some states may require a minimum age for allowing food bar self-service (US Food & Drug Administration, 2018).

Another safety risk is serving utensil handles dropping into the food, requiring the entire pan to be discarded. Teach campers the following buffet style food safety instructions:

• Never use the same spoon or tongs from one buffet dish and dip into another food, due to possible contamination related to food allergies.
• Never touch food with hands or fingers.
• Never scoop out of the buffet with your own fork or spoon.
• Never reuse a dirty plate to serve yourself more food.
• Never put items back into serving dishes.

More food variety equals higher food cost. Also, less predictability of foods that are favorable or unfavorable among campers could cause you to run out of items. Dissatisfaction among guests and a camp’s resulting tarnished reputation can be results of this food service faux pas.

An employee should be stationed to assiduously watch for needed food refills and for spills to be cleaned up, which are more prevalent with selfserve buffets.

Additional costs to consider with buffet service begin with more industrial hot food holding equipment needed, which is a major upfront expense. The necessity of more hotel pans in a variety of sizes and depths and more serving utensils are an added expense. These additional pans and utensils also require more cleanup.

Serving Line Service

PROS

Food safety generally rests with your kitchen prep and serving line staff, which includes their sanitation practices, proper preparation and holding temperatures, and the training they have completed. Servers are in control of portions, and portion control equals cost control and food waste management.

CONS

This style usually needs a larger block of time for dining due to long lines, which can affect your program. Camper decision-making regarding entrée and sides can also delay the lines. Food and drink items can be difficult to carry all at once, unless a large tray to hold all items is offered. The caveat to this is that younger campers will have difficulty balancing a large tray full of food and drink, making them more apt to drop items or drop the tray altogether. Compartment trays can offset this. However, I personally have found that these are more time-consuming to clean and seem more institutional, giving less of a "homey" feel.

This style requires plenty of staff to serve, which can drive up labor costs. Survey respondent Katherine Porter, food service director at White Oak Conference Center in South Carolina observes, "It’s a little more time-consuming. You must tell guests what (foods) you have . . . then wait for them to decide what they want."

Family Style Service

PROS

Benefits of family style dining are numerous. Students at each table are part of a family, so all are likely to feel included. Motor skills are sharpened by learning to use serving utensils and serving or passing food and pouring drinks. Family style dining is an opportunity for teaching etiquette, such as how to set a table and saying "please" and "thank you." This type of environment can build independence as campers make food choices and foster responsibility as campers pass food around the table, clean up spills, and clean up after the meal. At Dunes Learning Center in Porter, Indiana, "campers learn how to control their food waste by choosing what they like and how much they can eat at each meal," said survey respondent Diane Brown, food and facilities director.

Respondent Robert Money, food service director of YMCA of Northwest North Carolina’s Camp Hanes, said a program positive of family style is "It’s more beneficial for the program staff for everyone to be served at the same time, so they get a chance to sit down and take a moment to relax."

CONS

In addition to plates, cups, and utensils, serving bowls at every table mean extra dishes for kitchen staff to wash. It is also usually hard to manage portion control, which increases the possibility of running out of food, so your cooks will likely need to prepare an increased amount of food. Box shared that food is wasted "because once food hits the table, it has to be thrown away," according to regulations. Money emphasized how vital it is that program or registration staff communicate guest numbers correctly. He also shared the importance of consolidating your group numbers to match number of seats per table.

Money explained that if they have 150 guests, they prepare 15 trays of food, one to serve each table of 10 people. In some instances, guests "would spread out to 17 or 18 tables," requiring kitchen staff to use backup food to make those extra food trays, limiting seconds. Said Money, "[There’s] nothing worse than running out of food when you prepared enough, because it could have been prevented." Guests see this as the kitchen’s fault, not realizing the error in process or communication. Also, the tables with less than 10 people end up with food waste because there is more supply than demand.

Food allergies can be a challenge when serving family style. Specialty plate distribution (i.e., gluten free or vegan/vegetarian) must be separate from the food that goes to tables on family style platters. To cut down on logistical issues, Chef Maggie Vescio reported her camp used a buffet line for specialty diets and family style for mainstream eaters, adding the solution was only partially successful.

Brown said, "Our participant forms include a section for special dietary needs, which are considered when making the menu for each group of campers." They strive to allow everyone within each group "to eat from the same family serving bowls and platters." Whether it’s a time factor, a learning factor for programming, or cost savings to be passed down to campers, find a way to make meals the way that gives your campers the best experience.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Food safety for buffets and parties. CDC. Retrieved from cdc.gov/foodsafety/serving-food-safely.html
• Quiring, S. (2019, July 16). Are sneeze guards the only way to protect food? Lakeside. Retrieved from elakesidefoodservice.com/are-sneeze-guards-theonly-way-to-protect-food/
• Smith, K. A. (2013, December 6). How the "sneeze guard" changed buffet tables forever. Smithsonian. Retrieved from smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-the-sneeze-guard-changed-buffet-tablesforever-180949279/
• US Food & Drug Administration. (2018, January 26). Serving up safe buffets. FDA. Retrieved from fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/serving-safe-buffets

Family Style Resources

For more information on serving family style meals, refer to the following resources:

• The National Center on Health, Health Services Newsletter: eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/ default/files/pdf/health-servicesnewsletter-201503.pdf
• New York State Department of Health: health.ny.gov/ prevention/nutrition/resources/servmealsfs.htm

Kimberly Whiteside Truitt is former food service manager at Camp Gilmont and Camp Zephyr, and has served on Camping Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Committee. Kimberly was a presenter at the 2018 North American Food Service and Maintenance Conference.

Oh the choices, weddings come in all shapes and sizes as do the options of meal styles available. Plated, family style, and buffet meals are some of the more popular choices each having their own advantages vs. disadvantages. Below we’ve outlined the details, pros and cons of each to help you make the best decision and be one step closer to planning the wedding of your dreams.. Here we go!!!

Plated: A plated meal is a dining option in which your guests remain seated for the entire meal, and are served each course by wait staff at your venue of choice. When choosing a plated meal you are giving your guests options to choose from usually a beef or chicken, fish and a vegetarian. Each of your guests will choose which one they would like prior to your event. When giving your guests options keep in mind that you have to keep a record of who orders what and relay this information to your caterer.

Pros: Being waited on can be less stressful for your guests than other service styles, namely buffet meals, because they do not have to wait in lines or get up to retrieve their food. You also will not have any wasted food with these meals, since plates are pre-portioned by staff.

Cons: This menu will have less variety than a buffet, so it is best to serve foods that are widely appealing in order to accommodate guests with dietary restrictions. A plated meal will also take up more of your reception time, reducing the time available for ceremonial activities such as toasts, formal dances, cake-cutting and casual activities such as socializing or dancing.

Family Style: This type of service style has gained a lot of popularity in recent years because it is less formal than a plated meal, yet more formal than a buffet. Essentially, waiters will bring your food to the table in large serving dishes, and these will be passed around for each person to serve their own plate. If you choose to order extra food, the waiters will then refill these dishes whenever they are running low. We would suggest serving a family style meal if you are envisioning a chic, yet casual and comfortable ambiance at your reception. Since this service style is still a fairly new concept, it’s also a great option if you’re trying to do something a little bout of the ordinary.

Pros: Family style encourages your guests to interact, and it creates a warm, inviting atmosphere while still allowing them to sit back and relax at the table. Also, like a buffet, your guests can help themselves to as much or as little of each dish as they want, but keep in mind that you will need to order additional food if you’d like to ensure that everyone will be able to have seconds.

Cons: You will be passing large platters of food around a table, so family style meals definitely have the potential to get very messy.

Buffet: With buffets, food is typically presented in chafing dishes, or on ceramic or glass platters placed on banquet tables, and guests walk along either side of it to help themselves to the food. It is also an option to have staff at each dish to help serve your guests. Buffets can be scaled up or down to match the formality of your wedding, but they definitely lend a much more informal feel than plated or family style meals. They are best for informal weddings or when you are on a tighter budget.

Pros: Buffets enable you to offer your guests a large variety of food in sizable amounts. With this service style, you should not have to worry about anybody going home hungry, and unlike a plated meal, if your guests choose something they don’t particularly enjoy, they can simply get up and find something else to eat. Also, since buffets encourage guests to be mobile and walk around, they will have ample opportunities to mingle with each other.

Cons: This service style can sometimes get hectic if too many people go up to get food at once. Keep lines at a minimum and avoid chaos by only having a few tables get up at a time. Another problem that can be encountered is having too much or too little food. There is no portion-control implemented when guests are filling their plates, and it is hard to know how hungry each person will be. For this reason, food for a buffet typically needs to be over-ordered because it is better to have a little extra than not enough. Your caterer will help you decide exactly how much you’ll need so that you don’t end up wasting lots of food.