Mr. Trainor

Food & Beverage

The Art of the Buffet: Beauty is in the Eye of the Diner

By Robert Trainor, Exec Chef, Hilton

In the past, buffets were extraordinary displays of food used during banquets to feed vast numbers of people. The method was quicker and easier than plating a traditional banquet meal. Many culinary teams also viewed the buffet as a great opportunity to express their creativity; chef garde mangers and pastry chefs, along with their teams, really had the opportunity to shine. Not only was there an abundance of food, but the centerpieces and garnishes were considered equally important to the whole buffet.

Changes in the hospitality industry, economy and guest tastes created an emphasis on cost-cutting that led to a creative lull in the world of buffet preparation. Changing times and shrinking culinary staffs greatly influenced buffet presentation. Decorating buffets became almost an after thought; the salt dough sculptures, ice carvings and confectionary displays were slowly disappearing. Today, many hotels cannot afford to carry staff that specialize in the art of garde manger, or maintain their own pastry departments. Buffets are generally used as a tool to expedite service under time constraints. Buffets are very popular in the catering sales arena when hotels are selling complete meeting packages. The majority are served during breakfast and working lunch periods so that meeting attendees can eat and not lose too much time from the real purpose of their day.

But it seems buffets are making a comeback, and one area that is proving particularly popular, and profitable, is the Sunday Brunch. Although Sunday Brunch never really went away, presentation styles and creative buffet cuisine are definitely enjoying a renaissance. Hotels have always recognized Sunday Brunch as a strong profit center and a great opportunity to market their food and beverage departments. Now they are once again delving into the singular opportunities for creativity presented by a buffet, while keeping their new budget-minded focus.

Creative brunch fare definitely leads to increased catering and social business. At the Waldorf=Astoria, brunch has been popular and acclaimed for years. Our culinary team approached the brunch as we would any dinner in the other food and beverage outlets. Every dish was created to stand on its own. Decoration was neither an afterthought nor overwhelming distraction, but a well-thought-out enhancement to the overall presentation of the buffet. The quality of the brunch led to more catering customers requesting buffets for the dinner period. Even in the CMP segment, where a plated dinner would have been possible during the more leisurely dinner time, we found organizers requested dinner buffets because of the variety and quality of foods, as well as the presentation.

Enhancing your buffet presentation can be cost-effective and labor efficient. It is important to establish and follow a theme, and to know as much as possible about the clientele. Try to break away from the two most popular mainstream approaches: multiple levels with tablecloths loosely draped over the risers, and cold foods displayed together, separate from the hot foods all in chaffing dishes lined up like soldiers. These approaches can work well, but do not separate you from the competition. Here are some ideas:

Abandon the straight line buffet

Instead of row upon row of chafing dishes, try creating stations, each with a theme. Mix the hot food chaffing dishes in with the cold food display. By breaking up the buffet into area stations, you can create an almost market feel, eliminate lines of guests waiting for food and generate guest excitement about what is at the different tables. The atmosphere becomes festive, and the fluid arrangement can create the perception much more food is being offered than what is actually there.

Style your layout around a theme

Find creative ways to incorporate your theme into the presentation, as well as the cuisine. While overseeing all the catering events at the Philadelphia Museum of Art during its acclaimed Paul Cezanne Exhibit, we approached each buffet with a very simplistic layout that was evocative of the simple, yet elegant lifestyle of Cezanne and the Mediterranean region. Buffets were displayed on available furniture, with no table cloths and no risers. All the food serving equipment had a rustic feel. Food was displayed on broken marble slabs, terra cotta bowls and traditional serving dishes. Instead of keeping hot food warm in chaffing dishes, we used terra cotta casseroles or copper pans and pots propped on hot bricks. Buffet decorations included stone or pottery urns filled with colorful vegetables and fruits commonly used in Mediterranean cuisine.

Make them feel at home

At Hilton Short Hills, we've enjoyed great success by giving the buffets a residential feel. We use different style and color on the platters and bowls, wooden cutting boards instead of silver platters, to create the feeling that our guests are dining in the home of a well-loved, familiar host. The effect is furthered by using candles, fresh flowers and home decoration pieces that can be purchased in a more popular, upscale home store.

Add movement to the buffets

Guests like to see the chef in the dining room, and that goes likewise for the buffet. Incorporate interesting action stations that go beyond the usual omelet, carving or pasta station. Try a sushi station, crepe station or, one that's worked well for us at brunch, an eggs benedict station that features the popular dish prepared in a variety of ways. Stations create movement within the buffet and are also a great way to get people to try new dishes that the culinary staff may be considering for future menus. Action in the buffet immediately creates an interactive environment between your staff and the customer, adding another layer of excitement to the overall effect.

On a very practical note, the labor cost that goes into a buffet can be very limited. A number of great time-saving products can help manage the most labor-intensive part of the buffet, the preparation time. Labor to service the buffet during the opening times is minimal, as the productivity per employee increases because it is easier to service a buffet than to prepare individual dishes each time.

Staffing to handle the action stations can be an added expense. Generally, most kitchens to do not have enough employees to work stations without affecting the on-going production in the kitchen, thus resulting in overtime costs. One way to combat this is by cross-training hotel employees in other departments to work the various stations. Once an employee is comfortable completing the simplest station, you then train him or her on the next level, and so on. Soon you will have a team of employees that will be able to work any station required, and your culinary team will not be taxed with the extra duties.

The buffet is a time-honored device for giving customers the value, quality and service they demand. It is also a way for hotels to compete with the growing number of freestanding restaurants that are becoming theatrical events unto themselves. A great buffet doesn't have to be overwhelmed by too much food or elaborate centerpieces of ice or beeswax. It should merely be inviting to all the senses, have exceptional food and give the customer the feeling that he or she has experienced something unique.

Robert Trainor is executive chef of Hilton Short Hills. He manages all aspects of menu and meal preparation, staffing and training in the hotel’s restaurants, room service and all banquets. As Executive Sous Chef at the Waldorf=Astoria, retooled the menu of Oscar’s, while maintaining elements of the restaurant’s tradition. Educated at Johnson & Wales University, Trainor’s achievements include becoming a certified sommelier, serving as the 95th Distinguished Visiting Chef of Johnson & Wales University, and garnering numerous gold and silver medals in international culinary competitions. Mr. Trainor can be contacted at 973 912 7974 or Robert_Trainor@Hilton.com Extended Bio...

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