Why Food And Drink Tables Need To Be Separated At Your Buffet

Opting for a buffet-style meal can take all the stress out of meal planning on a wedding day or a casual backyard barbecue. With numerous options to customize the meal, a buffet can offer something for everyone and guests can have a say in exactly what ends up on their plates. When opting for a buffet-style spread, keeping food and drink tables separate ensures that order is kept. Having plenty of food for guests is important, but so is keeping things organized, and the last thing any party host wants is chaos or the potential for chaos.

The eyes of guests may widen when they see a colorful, varied spread of food. But if food and drink tables are together, guests may be forced to play their own individual game of Jenga as they juggle a salad bowl, a dinner plate, and a drink in two hands on the way back to their table. When a hand slips or a plate falls, food and drink spills, potentially creating a mess at the buffet table.

For larger gatherings, such as a wedding with a few hundred guests, keeping the food lines moving at a steady pace keeps guests from getting restless. By having separate tables, guests can easily bounce between lines, grabbing a drink and then food, or vice versa.

So how does one pull off the perfect buffet? With eye-popping visuals, careful planning, and strategic placement. A buffet display that's visually appealing — from the appetizers and salads to the hot main courses — will have guests' mouths watering. Using bowls and dishes of different sizes and heights can highlight certain foods and give guests a good look at the meal that's in store.

A buffet line should allow guests to move quickly (but not feel rushed) and then allow them to return to their tables. The line should also allow guests to move in sequential order with their food, so they get everything they need by the time they reach the end of the table.

Drink tables should be kept separate from the food, so guests can make separate trips to each table if they need to. For the drink table setup, beverages should be arranged so as to allow guests to grab and go. Non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks should be kept apart and mixed drinks should be pre-mixed and poured to avoid hangups and spills.

Placement of the food and drink tables should also make sense, so the layout of a venue must be considered, keeping food apart from things like dance floors and horseshoe pits to avoid congestion. Food should also be placed away from guest tables so those returning from the buffet aren't bumping into other guests — which is probably why buffet-style restaurants don't use such a setup.