Dinner Service Definitions
There are many different ways that you can serve food to your guests. We would love to help you understand the “lingo” when it comes to deciding what you would like!
Plated - Guests are served their meals. Typically there is a first course, such as a salad. This first course is then followed by an entree or pre-selected entree. One entree is chosen for all guests to be served (along with a Vegetarian or any other dietary restricted dishes for a particular guest) or guests are allowed to choose their entree prior to the big day.
Buffet - With a buffet, a salad or first course can be pre-set, or can also be placed upon the buffet. Guests will wait for their table number to be called, and then join others to obtain the menu items they wish to consume.
Stations - This selection is actually different than a standard buffet. Stations are operated by a chef attendant. This means that guests can create their dish at each station, made to order. For example, a pasta station allows guests to choose their own pasta, sauce, and proteins/vegetables to add in. With pasta on a buffet, it is already pre-made.
Duet - This is actually another form of a plated dinner. The difference with a duet is it is the only entree served to all of your guests. It consists of 2 protein options on one plate, and 2 sides. This gives your guests a choice of entree, without having to tally up head counts. However, this is typically a premium upgrade.
Family Style - Slowly becoming an extremely popular choice for dinner service. You usually have the choice of serving a starter/salad first, and then the main course. You can also serve it all at once. All of the menu items are put into large serving dishes and then are served to the table. Guests at each table pass around the menu items and share amongst themselves.
We can help you decide what style of service is best for your special day! Contact us today for a preliminary and complimentary consultation, we would be honored to be a part of your planning process!