With slim profit margins of around 6%, restaurants need to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd.
And that means doing more than offering great food. If you’re running a restaurant, you’ll need to ensure everything from your table settings to buffet tables looks spectacular.
Presentation matters, so plan on elevating your game. Read on to learn how to decorate a buffet table.
Consider Your Space
Start your decorating efforts by ensuring you have a dedicated set-up that fits your restaurant’s space well. You won’t want an undersized buffet setup where every entree or dip sits too close together. Likewise, you don’t want to set up a huge table with only a few dishes.
Scale your table and offerings to the space. And if possible, keep your buffet table away from the wall.
Keeping your buffet table away from the wall will allow guests to access it from both sides. And for restaurants where a buffet is the star of the show, this keeps the line moving more efficiently.
If you are more limited on space, pare down your buffet offerings to fit the limitations. Choose serving containers with decorative flourishes to make each food offering shine. Placing pasta and salads in glazed ceramic bowls, for instance, will add warmth.
Cluster your table decorations. Whether your space is large or small, you’ll want it to look organized. Aim to group decorative flourishes, like vases or votives, to create geometric shapes that will be pleasing to the eye.
Choose a Color Scheme
Next, you’ll want to create a color scheme to keep your buffet table inviting. Too many loud colors together can make food look unappetizing. Steer clear of using high-saturation colors together.
A table with only bland colors, by contrast, won’t offer as much incentive to make a return trip. You can go with subtle colors, like two tones of the same color, but avoid keeping things too uniform.
Consider using the type of food or time of year to inform your color choices. For instance, during autumn, you may want to choose tablecloths in warm tones of orange or brown. During winter, a crisp white and blue color scheme with touches of silver might make more sense.
With an established color scheme, it will be easier to find decor that fits the mold. Consider using two tones of the same color for a simple look or warm and cool colors together.
Once you have colors for your linens and plates, move on to other decorative features. Candles, signs, and vases are all great ways to add pops of contrast and character.
Plants are always a good choice for restaurant decor. All types of restaurants will benefit from having pops of greenery mixed among tables and buffet setups.
Add Dramatic Lighting
If you’re decorating a restaurant, good lighting is critical to setting the right mood. The same applies to a buffet table. You want to ensure that each food offering is spotlighted to look its best.
For a buffet restaurant, lighting can make or break your buffet. You’ll want a mix of clear lighting from the ceiling and softer lighting to build a softer atmosphere, especially at night.
For dinner buffets, make sure overhead lights are angled at your buffet. You can adjust the can lights toward the table. Or if your buffet sits in a constant location, go with pendant lights.
Whether it’s day or night, you can place battery-operated string lights or votives throughout your table. These lights offer a simple way to create touches of ambient lighting. At night, they’ll twinkle to help set a soothing mood.
Vary the Heights of Offerings
You can create more visual interest with a buffet table that has varying heights. Don’t place every serving container at the same height, as this can look dull. Instead, place boxes or other items beneath your table linens to elevate dishes.
You can elevate items that aren’t as likely to be challenging to serve. For instance, bread or vegetable salads would be a good choice. Other dishes that are trickier to plate, like pasta or casseroles, should be placed directly on the table.
When setting up the banquet table, use the linens to your advantage. Especially if the buffet table has a skirt, you may have more linens to work with. Let them bunch together elegantly around elevated dishes for a more sculptural effect.
Be Logical About the Layout
Finally, don’t overlook the practical aspects of decorating a buffet table. In other words, you don’t want someone to have their hands full with flatware and napkins before they grab a plate to load up on food. Make sure you offer a layout that prioritizes convenience.
Consider starting the buffet with salad ingredients. Fresh lettuce and other vegetables will offer a feast for the eyes with bold colors and textures. Starting with your salad options will encourage guests to introduce more vegetables to their plates.
Place dressing at the end so guests avoid ladling dressing on other parts of the buffet. Save napkins and flatware for the end of the line, as well. That way, guests will have free hands to use tongs and other utensils to add food to their plates.
Let your entree options and sides have breathing room. When everything is crowded together, guests may feel rushed into making decisions. Use printed labels that describe ingredients, or notch up your decorative flair with labels featuring handwritten calligraphy.
Learn How to Decorate a Buffet Table
When you know how to decorate a buffet table well, you can give guests a reason to come back to your restaurant. Focus on providing a logical layout and harmonious color scheme. Introduce different heights and textures, too, to create an eye-catching display.
At The Hode Group, we partner with restaurants to provide the products and services for successful operations. With a robust distributor network and 30 years of experience, we can ensure you have everything you need, from the dinnerware to the serving equipment.
Contact us today to learn more.
