Whether your dining event is slated for breakfast, lunch or dinner, each mealtime serves up its own set of challenges for planners. Pleasing palates and maintaining energy levels—while still adhering to a tight F&B budget—requires a shift in strategy throughout the day.
For advice on how to best navigate the banquet table from sunup to sundown, Meetings Focus spoke with three meetings F&B experts, each taking on a different mealtime.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast may be the most important meal, but it’s also the one attendees are the most likely to skip, says Arlene Sheff, CMP, former senior meeting & event planner for the Boeing Company and a veteran meetings educator. As the meeting goes on, the number of people showing up for breakfast each day tends to decline, she adds.
“Especially if it’s the morning after a big function, attendees are less likely to want to come down early for breakfast,” she says. “If you have a history with the group, you can track how many people will come to breakfast. It can help in judging how much to order.”
As with all meals, the demographics of the group are important to consider when planning breakfasts, Sheff says. She notes that while executives on expense accounts may opt for room service, budget-conscious groups are the ones most likely to not miss the provided breakfast.
“When planning what to offer, you need to get a sense of how health-conscious your group is,” she says. “Tastes are changing and many people want healthier items, but others, perhaps a group of factory workers, may have more traditional tastes.”
When working with a catering department, Sheff recommends ordering the elements in bulk, as in coffee by the gallon or juice by the container, rather than ordering a continental breakfast per person.
“If you order in bulk, you can monitor how much is consumed and then adjust it for the next day,” she says. “It gives you more flexibility.”
While the budget may dictate a continental breakfast, planners can up the ante on creativity by adding customized touches. Yogurt parfaits, hard-boiled eggs, and hot oatmeal with various topping offered on the side are good add-ons to the basic continental, Sheff says.
“People like to feel that they are being given a choice,” she says. “If I was doing a meeting for executives, who are often carb and calorie conscious, I would have an omelet station so they can have their eggs how they want them. If I couldn‘t do the omelet station, I would offer scrambled eggs with cheese, chives and salsa on the side—it looks different than just basic scrambled eggs.” PageBreak
LUNCH
Lunch at meetings, which often features a presentation, is usually the most attended meal, says Marjorie Risinger, CMP, of MYR Consultants and a frequent presenter on F&B topics. It’s also the hardest one to plan, given the importance of ensuring that attendees won’t be so sated that they’ll nod off during the afternoon sessions.
“Lunch should be light, but not too light,” she says. “A salad usually won’t satisfy the men, but something like turkey with mashed potatoes will make it hard for people to stay awake.”
However, either a salad or meat and potatoes can work with the right approach, she adds. If opting for the salad, pair it with slices of a cold protein, perhaps salmon, chicken or hangar steak.
“Each day you can pair a different protein with a different salad, if you want,” she says. “It creates a salad that will satisfy the men as well as the women. And it means that you can serve two courses instead of three.”
If opting for a hot lunch, keeping it from being too heavy is all in the preparation, Risinger says.
“Meat and potatoes are not out of question during lunch, but avoid butter, cream and fried goods,” she says. “Instead of mashed potatoes, go for roasted potatoes. You can serve substantial food if it’s prepared in a healthy way.”
While a buffet will be more expensive than a plated lunch because of the variety of foods required, an affordable alternative is to serve the food family-style at the table.
“Family-style compares well with a plated lunch in price—it’s cheaper than a buffet because the chef has more control over the portions of food,” Risinger says. “And attendees like the causal and sociable aspects of it.”
When it comes to box lunches, Risinger suggests replacing them with a “grab and go” set-up in which attendees take a brown paper bag and fill it with items of their choice.
“You can set it up like a buffet, with sandwiches or salads, fruit, chips and so on,” she says. “A sign can tell people to take one of each. This goes over better than the little white boxes because people like choice.”
With lunch, as with dinner, the most effective way to get both affordability and quality food is to work closely with the chef and catering manager, Risinger says.
“The chef knows what ingredients are most plentiful and available, which brings the most cost saving,” she says. “The chef also knows what he and his staff do well. A cheaper cut of meat like short ribs can be tastier than a filet—it all depends on the preparation.” PageBreak
DINNER
Whether it’s a reception, buffet or plated dinner, Chef Chris Savage, executive chef at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., is mindful that many attendees follow dining trends and expect banquet fare to reflect what they enjoy when eating out. A casual atmosphere and an emphasis on fresh and seasonal ingredients—but with some comfort food favorites in the mix—keep costs in line while providing a creative and fun finish to the day, he says.
“For an opening reception, we might do an outdoor event with a cookout theme—burgers and brats or pulled pork and smoked beef brisket,” he says. “These kinds of foods are very popular right now and people really enjoy them. There’s also a trend toward less formality that people appreciate.”
Receptions can reflect just about every popular food trend, whether it’s simulating a food truck scene or offering a wide variety of tastes in small plates.
At the same time, however, traditional fare, including chicken, is still prevalent at plated dinners, but with an updated twist.
“As much as people talk about rubber chicken, chicken hasn’t gone away and it’s no longer rubber,” says Nancy Monte-Frye, CMP, the Hyatt’s director of catering. “People feel safe with chicken. You can serve it with quinoa instead of potatoes and with a relish or pesto instead of a heavy sauce.”
Whether it’s a reception or plated dinner, keeping it local, both in terms of atmosphere and ingredients, is essential. Planners should consider the hotel location, working with the chef to offer some dishes that not only rely on locally sourced ingredients but reflect the destination, Savage says.
“Location didn’t used to matter so much, but now clients want foods and themes that reflect where they are—it’s rare that anyone asks for a Mardi Gras theme anymore,” he says. “And locally sourced means that the food is not only healthier but it tastes better and costs less.”
