Buffet brouhaha: October 2009 morsel
Published: October 5, 2009
I am currently negotiating menus at a downtown property and my client is doing lunch buffets. What a buffet is all about is choices, that is why many clients prefer this option of food instead of plated. Here is my problem: This particular property has a hefty price buffet with only ONE choice of dessert.
I said to the catering manager, “Hey, where are my choices of desserts? Your price reflects choices, but the menu doesn’t.” This person came up with an answer that isn’t even fit to print, and I walked away extremely disappointed at the arrogance of it all.
Hotels, what is disappointing to me as a buyer is that I can go work anywhere else in the world and the buffet menus are LOADED with choices and options, some of which are off the charts. It is NOTHING for a Four-Star property in China or Brazil to have 30+ options on a buffet. Yet in the States, hotel catering departments act like they are the culinary end-all by offering one soup; two salads, two entrees, one vegetable, one starch and two desserts for a pretty healthy price point.
What may come as a surprise to many of you is I don’t mind the price point. What I mind is the lack of value offered for the amount of money they’re asking my client to spend. If you are putting buffet options on your menus, honor what the word buffet is all about … CHOICES.
That is my story for now and I am sticking to it.
Claire R. Gould is the owner of Rx for Catering, LLC, a 12-year-old culinary and logistics company that works all over the world negotiating and designing menus for meetings and events. Her company has done work for Coca-Cola, IBM, Honeywell and Embraer Executive Jets, among others. Gould teaches and writes about culinary and banquet trends and topics, and publishes a quarterly online newsletter "The Claire Diaries." Follow her on Twitter @Rx_for_Catering.
Join the discussion
Soapbox
Have an opinion, experience, knowledge or question about this story? Sound off below.
Note: This space is for comments about the story above. General questions to PYM should be sent via our contact page.
October 6, 2009 at 11:05 am
I too have been surprised by the lack of choices for both buffets and plated menus. But I don’t often use what’s on the menus alone to plan our F&B events. With everyone budget-conscious, I usually work with the banquets department to find something customized that will keep the attendees happy and also fit within our budget.