Planning Christmas staff buffets can feel like a mighty task, particularly if you’ve never planned one before, but with a few tips and tricks, you’ll soon be bowing to the accolades that come your way when you’ve pulled it off!

Here are our top tips on planning Christmas staff buffets:

 

1.  Set a date and check availability

When planning Christmas staff buffets, the most important thing is to have a couple of dates in mind.  Check the venues out for suitability and accessibility and then check out your staff’s availability for those dates.  Once you’ve chosen your date and venue, you can then let everyone know to try to keep the date free.

 

2.  Ask for feedback on last year’s party

Obviously, you want your staff Christmas buffet to be the talk of the office for months, so any feedback on previous buffets will give you some insight into what’s good and what to avoid.  Was there enough food?  Was the food selection good? What did they think of the venue?  All these questions will give you a really good base on which to start planning your own Christmas staff buffet.

 

3.  Consider a theme for your staff buffet

Well, it’s Christmas after all!  And with the year we’ve all just had, it’s the time of year that we can all just kick back, relax and enjoy ourselves.  The theme for your Christmas staff buffet doesn’t have to be Christmas!  Again, get some feedback from your staff and go with the flow!

 

4.  Don’t scrimp on your budget

There’s nothing worse than a lean looking buffet or when you know that people leave the buffet still hungry.  This is your company’s way of thanking your staff for their work and dedication throughout the year.  It wouldn’t look great if you’ve only given lip service to the event.

 

5.  Serve high quality food – and plenty of it!

Going on from tip no 4 – people know when you’ve put the effort into a Christmas staff buffet.  They can see the quality of food and the creativity in the table layout.  Care and attention on the food and beverage front will guarantee a great vibe at the event and give you a lot of kudos for months after!  A win-win situation, don’t you think?

 

6.  Organising the buffet table:

a.  Choose a colour scheme for your linen and napkins that complements the food

b.  Have a clear start and end point to the buffet so that people can clearly identify where to begin

c.  Group similiar flavours and types of food together, such as sausage rolls and scotch eggs

d.  Display more expensive foods or food that you have less of, at the end of the buffet.  Most people tend to fill their plates at the beginning of the buffet, rather than at the end of it!  If you put the most expensive food at the end, chances are they’ll only be a very small space on their plates for it!

e.  Label your dishes so that your staff know what’s on their plate

f.  Vary the height of your dishes – this will give you extra space to layout your buffet and it also adds interest

g.  Serve more cold food that hot – it’s all about making your life easier on the day but still putting on a really good spread for your staff!

h.  Put out small plates to put serving spoons.  This keeps the linen smear free, looking good and the buffet inviting for all the staff!

i.  Fill in any gaps in the table with seasonal or themed decor so that the buffet table looks full

j.  Put eating utensils and napkins at the end of the buffet – this simple trick will keep the flow of traffic moving

k.  Provide some strategically placed rubbish bins in order to keep the buffet table clean (and it saves you time and effort later on!)

So there you have it!  Our top tips and tricks for planning a Christmas staff buffet!  We are Lauren’s Caterers based in Gloucester with over 25 years experience in the catering sector.  Let us help you with planning your Christmas staff buffet!  Take a look at our website www.laurenscatering.co.uk or call us on 01452 382690 – we’d be happy to help!