Help! Buffet for 150!

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TravelHearter

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 9:58 am

Just because you wanted thoughts on the menu.
I’m assuming that you want people to feel that there are plenty of options and so you don’t know what to cut back.
First of all, have a separate buffet where the kids are sitting. It’ll make sense if you’re splitting up the seating around the house. So have the mini pizzas near them, plus include pastas and soup. Agree that pancakes seem fun but are totally extra.

Adults: salad and soup bars, pasta bar, pareve bar (salmon etc) - make sure to clearly label what’s pareve. For breads and dips you can either do it on tables or on a buffet table.

Don’t forget drinks! That can easily be put on tables, and if you want to be extra you can have a thing (forgot the word) or pink and yellow lemonade at the kids buffet.

↑ tichellady

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 10:41 am

DVOM wrote:

Interesting idea. I have to think about this. I believe you may be right.

Forgot to say that there are people who won’t stand in line for food so this way they have options at the table. My cousin catered her own bar mitzvah Simcha and did it this way and it worked well. I have no personal experience with this but it just seems simpler

amother

Coral ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 12:28 pm

I hate to bring this up, but find out what the current regulations are for outdoor eating events. You're doing this in the front yard, so it will be easily seen. You don't want to have it shut down. Spreading it out between the front and side might actually help.

We did chips and salsa as an appetizer- it went very well. Two soups, the pancakes and pizzas, maybe an eggplant parmesan and a mac and cheese.

For an ice cream bar for dessert, have it manned. There will otherwise be a giant mess. Best is to have someone scooping out bowls of the basic flavors, and then toppings can be added.

↑ Chana Miriam S ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 12:46 pm

DVOM wrote:

I appreciate this kind but pragmatic professional opinion!

But.... I'm not defeated yet!

Our outdoor space is big enough for the number of people, just oddly shaped.

The staff we've hired is excellent. We could always hire more. Are three staff members enough? Do I need more?

I'm hearing you (and everyone else!) regarding volume vs. variety.

Can I pick your brain?

What would your menu be?

Three staff members for 150 ppl? I’d have more than that in my kitchen! I think in these circumstances you need one staff per table outside and the number inside will depend on your menu. You need buffet staff, wait staff and by the way my experience with frum people in this context ( my Niagara Falls restaurant) is MESSY. Have you thought about bathroom access?

I’m no longer a caterer but in these circumstances I would pare your menu down to whatever you put on the tables, one type of soup, one type of carby pasta/pizza salmon, and vegetables. Have lots of bread and butter or olive oil. Cold prepared salatim. Don’t forget about drinks, glasses, cutlery and the Fact that your guests will not reuse their plates and youll Have to clear every time someone gets up. Every. Time. I’m not exaggerating how much staff. PLUS the weird land will make it harder for staff AND what are they going to do, shlep garbage bags around?

I think all your oven/stove space will go to the things that need to be heated and that takes time, do limit hot food. Salmon can be served cold. So can toasted veg. I like the salad bar because cold and easy to refill but it’s a lot of work and you need one staff just to man that

I think your dedication is lovely but you are asking for disaster. End of free advice because I have a paper to write. Not on catering.

Last edited by Chana Miriam S on Sun, Apr 18 2021, 12:49 pm; edited 1 time in total

Crookshanks ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 12:48 pm

No advice about the menu, but we've used this gemach before for tables and chairs:
http://cheergemach.com/

amother

↑ Plum

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:17 pm

OP - have you checked how much this will cost you vs doing it in a hall.

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:25 pm

really nice variety of snacks on the table (eggroles, grissini with smoked salmon, veggy sticks, pitot and dips). 2 soups, 2 pastadishes, one main fish, 2 sides and dessert is PLENTY. no need for more vairety AT ALL!
choose SMALL plates

you sound like an amazing mother. mazal tov!!!

amother

↑ Slateblue ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:26 pm

amother [ Plum ] wrote:

OP - have you checked how much this will cost you vs doing it in a hall.

I thought it was in the garden because of covid. I might be wrong!

dankbar ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:44 pm

Officially by caterers they consider 9×13 where you cut slices, think potato kugel, to serve 12-15 slices.
I think instead of 4 different pastas you can maybe do eggplant parmesian instead of one pasta dish, unless you do a pasta bar where you have basic pasta with different sauces/toppings customizing per choice, but you need one person to create personal dishes with a working sauce pan.

I would say cold appetizer by each setting could be a fruit smoothie.
You didn't mention any mini fruit cups either

↑ dankbar ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:49 pm

Desserts can be milchig like mini muffins, cheesecake maybe in miniature, iced cappuccino or hot coffee, ice cream etc. You can also do towers of muffins/buns or array of oblong tarts/babkas.

causemommysaid

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 1:58 pm

Def tone down the menu.

Fruit cup or dips/chips for starters

Lots of rolls and cream cheese on each table. Drinks on each table.

1 or 2 soups is more than enough.

For the main, do lots of pasta. It's cheap and yummy. Ziti, mac and cheese, pasta with an oil dressing. Salad bar is easy. Add some protein like egg salad, white fish salad, tuna salad.

No one will go hungry with a starter, a soup, a pasta, a salad, a protein, a dessert, plus rolls and cream cheese.

Make it all in bulk and you will save yourself loads of aggravation.

As for seating. Can you fit 15 large round tables of you use your front and side yard? That will give you 10 pple per table.

If not, then you can do men in the front yard and women on the side and back patio.

I think for buffet you can do random seating all over but if you are doing starters at the tables then you can't have random chairs without a table.

lamplighter

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 2:45 pm

The menu sounds like you thought of every milchig yummy option and included it.

Total overkill.

You can wow your guests with decor etc without preparing a milchig cafe menu of options.

Make a kid section/buffet area. Have the pizza pasta and veggie/chips platter there.

For the adults no need for soup, especially if it's outdoors, buffet style and in the spring/summer.
Have 2 dairy pastas.
1 pesto pareve pasta
Side of salmon platters
A salad bar.

On the table have breads and spreads/dips.

A candy or ice cream bar for the kids is fun for dessert.

You do not want to be a shmatta at your simcha. You want to enjoy it!

In terms of pans. 9x13 feeds 10. Same with salmon sides.

↑ DVOM ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:17 pm

Thanks so much everyone for your input! I was just able to get back online and read all these helpful posts.

I feel much calmer. I don't have all decisions made yet, but this had definitely helped me focus.

↑ DVOM ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:30 pm

andrea levy wrote:

Good luck on your paper, and thanks for taking the time to write!

Buy this calculation, you'd be advising about 20- 25 staff members. To me that sounds excessive (kind of a Downton Abbey level of service) but what do I know?

When I hosted a Shabbos sheva brachos in a tent in my yard for about 45 people for 3 sit down meals and a breakfast buffet I had one waiter helping out, and that was plenty. I have lots of neighbors and friends and family helping with the cooking and setting up. Three waiters sounded enough to me; it's what the owner of the wait staff company recommended based on the number of people we have coming and the way I'm planning on serving the food.

Mamas, what do y'all think? More wait staff?

keym ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:35 pm

DVOM wrote:

Maybe 3 for set up but a 4th during the actual event?
I had 3 waiters for 90 people and it was ok, but 150 might push it over the edge?

amother

↑ Peach ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:36 pm

DVOM wrote:

I've made events for 150 people and had 3 waiters and no other help from guests. For set up we had more help though, not for the actual event

↑ sky ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:36 pm

For a sit down simcha I was advised 1 per 20- 25 + 1 person in kitchen.
I think a buffet you could have a bit less, unless you plan to have ppl manning the buffet and dishing.
Keep in mind setting up will take time. It will take 3 ppl some time to setup for 150 ppl outside (it took my 2 waiters over an hour to setup from scratch for 40 ppl indoors with tables and chairs already laid out right next to the kitchen - with us pitching in / moving tables and chairs, tablecloths, setting up, dishing food, etc).

↑ dankbar ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 4:47 pm

In a hall it's usually 1 waiter to every 2-3 tables when it is sit down.
If it's buffet will it be self service or one serving by each station?

↑ DVOM ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 5:23 pm

Really helpful, thanks guys!

I am going to have lots of set up help.

But maybe to be safe I'll hire one more waiter. Certainly it can't hurt!

↑ Chana Miriam S ↓

Sun, Apr 18 2021, 5:28 pm

DVOM wrote:

You’re awfully casual about this. I’m happy to give feedback. I have a lot of experience in weird circumstances ( wedding in a barn in a park once, wedding in a non kosher restaurant where I had to kosher everything and rent everything from a kosher provider, wedding in a winery... lots of back yard events.) I could go on... the paper is calling...

If you think three is enough then ok, but who is in the kitchen? Who is replenishing buffet? Who is clearing mess? Do you even have that much fridge space? Oven space? Stove top? This is not a well equipped catering hall. Staff going In/out of house? FRUM GUESTS? (Messy and largely inconsiderate) you have to have it all planned out and someone You trust to execute.

There is a HUGE difference between 45 and 200(if I understood your original post correctly. There is a huge difference between a professional working their hardest and you being in charge while attending and enjoying your own Simcha. Three staff and who is in CHARGE? Who does what when things go wrong? ( and they WILL)

Yes, we all know how to do twenty but I’ll tell you now that I had events in my learning curve where I had too much and too little. Crises that thank goodness someone ran to the store, and all of this MOST of the time with appropriate staffing. I did an event in a winery with 25 guests and we were drastically understaffed with three in the kitchen and three Wait staff because of the set up. In my shul? That would have been downton level service. Thank goodness the florist stayed to shlep and so did I.

Plus if I understood correctly, dishes? Weird table set ups? I can’t actually imagine how you do this will less than at least 15 staff in these circumstances. Have I done events with less? Yes. Is it ideal? Possible to enjoy? No!

That winery time I had to hire a fridge and an oven that was large enough ( that had to do with kashrut and lack of facilities) and in a home situation you’d likely need them to be in the street or front yard. Hygiene facilities? Hand washing stations? The lust is endless. Think about hiring a caterer and being done with it. I can’t see how this ends well ( and I did two of my own Simchas WITH infrastructure and trusted staff.)

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