Consumer service form " Buffet(line)" (Smorgasbord) is widely used in hotel restaurant establishments for organizing breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners. The name "buffet" is universal and combines both terms. Most often, the concept of "buffet" refers to a line of specialized self-service counters, which are made to order and are integral elements of the interior design of a restaurant establishment. The main difference between a “buffet” and a line of self-service counters is that here the quantity and weight of a serving of each dish is not limited for the consumer. The concept of a “buffet” refers to a temporary structure, on which all dishes, drinks, and the necessary tabletop equipment for keeping certain dishes hot are placed.Tables with specialized sections for short-term storage and display of dishes and products on the buffet line are mounted in a straight or broken line, in accordance with the interior of the restaurant ( Fig. 3.56).

Rice. 3.56. "Swedish line"

They can be stationary or mobile. To speed up service, the line can be installed with a one- or two-way consumer approach. The distance between the buffet and the eating area is restaurant hall or a cafe must be at least 1.5 m.

Buffets can also be of non-traditional sizes and configurations: round, oval, square or rectangular.

To organize a buffet, a separate room or part of it is allocated. Information about the opening hours of the buffet, breakfast (lunch, dinner), and product range is posted in a prominent place.

The assortment of products on the “buffet line” is placed on the table in the appropriate order, first an assortment of juices, soft drinks, then dairy products, butter, margarine and oil mixtures, salads and vinaigrettes, cold dishes from fish, meat, poultry. Above the counters with cold snacks there can be a shelf on which there are bakery products(incl. Own production) in baskets covered with linen napkins. Baskets with regular, national and dietary types of bread are placed at the end of the buffet line so that consumers can take into account the selected dishes. Sauces and spices are placed either next to the corresponding dishes or in a separate place in the buffet. To prepare hot snacks, a tabletop or mobile stove is installed in the line. To keep soups or main courses hot, the line includes counters with built-in food warmers with space for gastronorm containers, or when organizing a buffet - with tabletop food warmers Chafing-Dishes (shafendishams). Mobile heating trolleys are installed for the corresponding utensils.

When organizing a buffet, in the absence of appropriate equipment, buffet tables or special tables are installed. In this case, the length of one line is 3-4 m, width - 1.5-2 m, height - 0.75-0.9 m. Tables are covered with a white or other color tablecloth and a “skirt” is created of the appropriate length (0.5 cm from the floor). To save space use suitable dishes(rectangular, triangular, square, multi-story, like a shelf, etc.), create a slide in the middle of the table along its axis or in the form of stairs (two or three) when placed near the wall and with a one-sided approach.

The buffet selection depends on the service time (breakfast, lunch, dinner). In the morning, it is recommended to use one of the options weekly menu continental breakfasts: cereals (cereals), muesli, corflakes, fish gastronomy (herring, sprats, cold and hot smoked fish), meat gastronomy (ham, boiled pork, sausage, sausages, etc.), natural vegetables, salads and vinaigrettes , pancakes, pancakes, casseroles, hard and soft cheese different varieties, cottage cheese, sour cream, yoghurts, kefir, fermented baked milk, milk (cold and hot), cream, egg dishes, milk porridges, baked goods, tea, coffee, cocoa, etc. Transfer sets are laid out on multi-serving dishes - table forks and spoons, spatulas, tongs, etc.

During breakfast, a steam table is placed on the table for heating eggs, in which shot glasses made of refractory material and a toaster are mounted.

The lunch menu includes 12-16 types of cold appetizers, 2-3 types of soups, 4-6 main courses, sauces, dessert (jelly, creams, compotes, fruits), flour confectionery, hot drinks, juices and specialty drinks.

The dinner buffet menu includes 8-10 cold appetizers, 4-6 main courses, sauces, dessert, including fruits, pastries and hot drinks.

Range of dishes and culinary products belongs to change according to the days of the week and spend the weeks national cuisine(domestic and cuisines of residents of the hotel complex). It is advisable to organize a separate dessert table for dessert, flour confectionery, hot drinks, on which stacks of dessert plates, tea and coffee cups with saucers, dessert, fruit sets, napkins, sets for rearranging, vases, cake racks, dishes with a cap with transparent material, jam socket, etc. for hot water It is advisable to use electric kettles, electric samovars, thermoses, boilers and the like.

Preliminary table setting depends on the type of service (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Bottles of mineral water are also placed on the tables. still water or jugs of melt, salad bowls with ice (in summer) on a pirozhkovy (snack) plate with a linen napkin.

During lunch or dinner, the hall can organize the sale of drinks and tobacco products for cash through the bar counter or using mobile carts.

To serve a buffet in a restaurant, teams of cooks or waiters are created. Each worker who is part of the team performs a specific job (setting tables, receiving and replenishing the assortment of dishes and snacks during breakfasts, lunches, dinners, preparing hot dishes, setting the dessert table and replenishing it dessert dishes and hot drinks, cleaning up used dishes, etc.).

The buffet operates on a self-service basis. At the beginning of the line, the consumer takes a tray, places it on the guide lines of the table (or counters), selects snacks and dishes and moves along the self-service line, accepting dishes with the help of cooks. Next, he sits down at the prepared table. Dessert and hot drinks are chosen independently. At the consumer's request, the waiter can serve him at the table.

The advantage of this form of service is to speed up the service for tourists and other residents of the hotel complex. On average, guests spend 15-20 minutes on breakfast; for lunch, dinner - 25-30 min. Breakfast on the buffet, if this is the main and only service, is organized from 7.00 to 11.00. When organizing other types of meals, the following operating hours are established: breakfast - from 8.00 to 10.00, lunch - from 12.00 to 15.00, dinner - from 18.00 to 20.00.

Cooks and waiters bear collective (team) responsibility. The financially responsible person receives snacks, dishes, hot drinks from the cold and hot shops, flour culinary and confectionery products from the confectionery shop, and products from the bar according to daily collection sheets, which are issued in duplicate and signed by the director, chief or senior accountant. The first copy is given to the person who received the product, the second remains with the production manager. The financially responsible person submits the fence sheets to the accounting department with an attached receipt for the delivery of proceeds.

A great way to celebrate a corporate party at work or another fun holiday. This form of feast does not require all guests to be at the table at the same time and is acceptable where many people gather, especially with different interests. After all, many are probably familiar with the situation when unfamiliar guests or guests of different ages and preferences sit down at the table - and the conversation does not go well. It is inconvenient to talk only with those who are sitting next to you on topics that are interesting to several people. But if the company is divided according to interests and everyone can communicate with like-minded people, this will suit everyone.

Such tables are especially often set in hotels, at corporate parties, and at holidays after special events. However, some elements of a Swedish, buffet, banquet or buffet table can be used at home. In Swedish, such a table is called smergasbrod, which translates as “sandwich table”.

Buffet usually looks like this: in the center of the room or against the wall there is a table with a variety of dishes. Here, dishes are placed in one place (or on a separate table). Guests take plates and forks and choose any dishes they wish. There is no separate place for guests; they eat standing or sitting. Sometimes such tables do not provide “seating” places at all. But it’s more convenient, of course, if you take care in advance where you can sit and eat, especially if the feast is long. These can be chairs, sofas, benches. If there is enough space, you can put several small tables at which you can sit. The buffet includes the usual menu: hot dishes, cold appetizers, sandwiches, etc. Meat dishes should not lie on the same dish with fish, but cold cuts and sausage “get along” well with cheeses. Jars of salt, pepper and mustard are placed on the table. It is customary to cover sliced ​​bread with a napkin. Here they put everything that can be spread on bread - butter, pate, caviar (not necessarily black and red). Thus, guests will be able to make themselves any sandwich - from a bun with butter to complex sausage and cheese combinations.

You should also not try to surprise someone with an abundance of dishes. Usually there are 1-2 mains (for example, country potatoes and chops) and several salads. Further - at will. Drinks are usually placed separately, and not throughout the area, as in common table. Soft drinks(juices, fruit drinks, compotes) are poured into jugs. Guests should be warned in advance that, for example, hot food will be served later, and at the end there will be a sweet table.

There are no special rules of behavior at such a table. It is not customary to put many dishes on a plate at once. For the hosts, such a table also has advantages: there is no need to serve guests, but you can participate in the celebration with everyone.

Also, if you want to make your life easier, use disposable tableware. After all, housewives know well what it takes to wash and put away the dishes after large quantity guests. Ready meals can be placed on disposable plates.

Since guests do not sit at the table, but go for dishes or generally eat while standing, the food should be portioned or not too liquid or hard (so that it does not have to be additionally cut with a knife). It should be such that it is convenient to pick it up with a fork. Ideal for sandwiches, pancakes, meat, pizza, meat or fish pies, cut into portioned pieces. Meals can be served on wooden skewers– meat or fish mini-kebabs, quail eggs, olives, diced vegetables, cheese strung on skewers. Or make simple sandwiches from black bread, cut into small squares, on which pieces of herring are placed on top. Even salads can be put into tartlets. Of course, you can’t buy them everywhere. But such edible plates are easy to make at home. Prepare the dough (sheet or shortbread). Take metal molds for cupcakes and put a piece of dough into them, after greasing them from the inside with fat. Knead the dough to form a kind of basket. Bake until done, remove, cool and fill with salad.

Desserts are a separate issue. When preparing to serve the cake, cut it into portions and use a spatula to scoop out pieces. You can immediately put them in saucers. Fruit candies are appropriate on a sweet table. Large fruits - apples and bananas - are cut into slices. Bunches of grapes on small branches so that they can be easily picked up by hand. They also prepare portioned desserts in glasses: prunes with sour cream, fruit with whipped cream, jellies, mousses, ice cream. They are comfortable to hold in your hands.

Tea and coffee can be placed in cans or disposable bags, and next to them there are cups and saucers and a kettle with boiling water. Whoever wants it will cook it.

As you can see organize a buffet not so difficult, and in some cases even more convenient than a traditional Russian feast.

Sincerely,

P.S. Did you like the article? I recommend ->>subscribe to receive the latest articles by e-mail<<- , чтобы не пропустить самые свежие вкусняшки!

Now that the buffet (or, as it is called in other countries, “self-service buffet”) has conquered the whole world, it will no longer surprise anyone.

- required attribute; it is installed in many restaurants and cafes, it is often indispensable at banquets and catering events. So in our time, it makes sense to talk not so much about what a buffet is, but about why it is needed and what it should be.

What is good for the guest...

A buffet will come in handy wherever you need to offer a varied assortment of dishes to a large number of guests in a short time. Firstly, its device allows you to serve many clients at the same time. Secondly, the cooks and waiters have enough time to prepare everything for this.

It’s also good that the buffet does not require a fixed menu (unless it is a themed table specifically dedicated to some national cuisine). From a technical point of view, it is very convenient to use: compact, mobile, versatile, versatile, economical and at the same time looks quite beautiful.

Buffet very popular among visitors: many prefer to see in advance the dishes they will eat (which is not always possible to do when ordering from the menu), and it costs less, since the client does part of the work himself “for free.” It is also beneficial for a restaurant to host a buffet: although guests think that they can eat more food than they paid for, in fact the opposite happens. (Appetite has big eyes, but the capabilities of the human body are very limited.)

Of course, it is not without difficulties. Organizing a buffet- first of all, preparing dishes requires a lot of time. Errors in calculations happen (the number of guests cannot always be accurately predicted), and then it happens that food is wasted - after all, the leftovers from the buffet are supposed to be written off and thrown away. The next day you can only use fresh, untouched products that were intended for the buffet the day before, but did not have time to get there (and what got there was lost). It’s not easy for those restaurants that offer a daily buffet. As you know, he called himself a milk mushroom - climb into the back, and no matter how many visitors come, organizing a buffet becomes an inevitable task. It should not look empty, even if you only have to serve one or two people. Nevertheless, the buffet has many more advantages, and with a sufficient number of guests, it brings a good profit to the establishment.

Features of serving a buffet

Buffet is formed according to the principle of a regular menu: cold appetizers, soups, hot meat dishes, hot fish dishes, side dishes, desserts and bread. In general, its structure is approximately the same everywhere, but in hotels in the morning, for example, an option is possible when an oval Buffet is divided in half. On one side there is a treat for those who ordered a “continental” breakfast (juice, tea, coffee, jam, buns), on the other there is a full buffet for those who paid for breakfast in full.

The main rule of serving: appetizers should be next to appetizers, hot dishes should be next to hot dishes, desserts should be next to desserts. Cold snacks and bread are placed closest to the entrance to the hall. Behind them are soups. Then - main courses (separately - fish, separately - meat). At the end - desserts. Drinks are located on a separate bar table also near the entrance. It is not customary to place drinks and food on the same table. An exception may be made for a special drink from the chef included in the buffet menu.

Between each other, dishes of each type are arranged more or less in a free order. But, for example, meat snacks should never be on the same plate or tray as fish snacks. Even if there are several plates inside one tray, only other fish and seafood can coexist under the same “roof” with fish, but in no case meat. If there is not enough space, it is better to leave only fish appetizers on the buffet, and bring meat appetizers from the kitchen upon order or vice versa. Vegetables and berries also need to be placed separately. Drinks can be in any order, as long as they are concentrated in one place.

If it is a permanent buffet in a hotel or restaurant, everything is served at the same time. If we are talking about a banquet, then cold appetizers are offered first, and only then hot dishes are placed on the buffet. Desserts without cream can be served immediately, with cream - after hot dishes. Non-perishable snacks may remain on the buffet until the end of the banquet.

Dishes (both cold and hot) are served in stainless steel containers, which, accordingly, are either cooled in snow baths or heated in special devices - shefings (bain-marie). Salads are sometimes placed in round ceramic refrigerated bowls. Also, cold appetizers and desserts are served on cold trays with or without roller lids. Whether a lid is needed or not is determined by how convenient it is to take the product. The cuts are usually served without lids. In some places, there is an arched static roof made of plastic glass above the buffets. It prevents a large number of bacteria from getting on the food and helps maintain the desired temperature for a longer time. Cheeses and desserts look great on trays with lids. But a dish with cold cuts will look better in a bathtub filled with snow. (Cooling elements are often added under the snow in order to save it, so that it does not need to be changed throughout the entire event.) Some restaurateurs use cooling baths with air conditioning. On a buffet, cold appetizers should be kept at a temperature of up to 5°C, hot appetizers at a temperature above 60°C.

Appetizers and desserts are placed on cold trays with lids in advance (an hour and a half before serving), covered with film and placed in the refrigerator. During this time, the plastic tray reaches the desired temperature and itself becomes an additional refrigerant. Hot dishes, on the contrary, are laid out “hot and hot.”

All dishes on the buffet must be constantly updated, regardless of whether the guests managed to eat everything or not. Snacks should be changed on average at least once an hour, and in hot weather, especially if the dish is open, even more often. Hot dishes are usually replaced when the container is half empty.

Drinks are served in special dispensers or jugs (which are also suitable for serving muesli). Which is better is a matter of taste. Jugs look nicer, but they have less volume and are not as convenient to use. Small glass rosettes are placed next to jam and honey dispensers or, for example, near a container of yogurt. The buns are usually served in baskets.

Each dish must have a serving device - either tweezers or a spoon and fork. Such devices are made mainly of stainless steel, but sometimes also of plastic (although plastic is considered unacceptable from the point of view of European restaurant service). Sometimes wooden spoons are used for salads, but then the dishes should also be wooden, and the table should be designed in an ethnic style.

Signs are a necessary part of a buffet. But in order not to overload it with unnecessary information, they should be placed or hung only where something may not be clear. For example, if there are two milk dispensers next to each other, you must indicate that one of them is normal fat, and the other is low fat. (This is extremely important, for example, for health-conscious Americans who drink only skim milk.)

Service specifics

In the main restaurants that offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, the buffet must always be open.

Usually the principle of self-service applies, but in five-star hotels a free waiter is obliged to offer assistance to guests just in case. Some places even provide a special position for a bartender (bouffetier in French), who is solely responsible for “supervising” the buffet: bringing plates, changing cutlery, and monitoring cleanliness. The kitchen, in turn, prepares desserts, bread, cold dishes in advance and hot dishes immediately before the restaurant starts operating. All this is laid out on the buffet 5 minutes before opening, the films are removed - and the restaurant is ready for service.

During lunch and dinner, drinks are not offered at the buffet - the client orders them and pays separately, like alcohol. The price of the buffet includes drinks (juices, milk, tea, coffee) only at breakfast.

There are always common utensils at the buffet. With them, everyone puts the selected dishes on their plate, and then goes to their table, where, as is customary in a restaurant, all the necessary cutlery is already lying.

Bread can be brought by waiters, but, as a rule, it is also at the buffet - laid out on a tray with a lid or on a wooden board, which is accompanied by a napkin (to hold the bread) and a knife so that everyone can cut a piece themselves (bread slicing is too fast dries out). Where a knife is offered, the available waiter is encouraged to offer assistance to customers so that they do not cut themselves, and this is also seen as additional concern for the guests. By the way, in a self-respecting establishment they bake the bread for the buffet themselves, and in extreme cases they buy it from another restaurant.

The approach to the buffet should be safe, without steps (it’s easy to trip when going downstairs with a plate). A convenient (preferably separate, fenced) approach for cooks and waiters to the buffet is definitely needed. Otherwise, with a large crowd of guests, the staff will have to stand and wait until the approach is clear. At Balchug, for example, the staff is seated inside an oval buffet. There are refrigerators downstairs, and waiters take out prepared dishes on trays directly from there. To avoid overspending, the quantity of preparations depends on the number of expected guests.

What is served at the buffet

The buffet menu depends on its cost, season and the task facing the organizers. The set of dishes of a regular buffet can include anything. Sometimes it consists only of cold appetizers (like a salad bar), and hot items are offered on the menu. Many chefs do this, rightly believing that a hot dish should be freshly prepared and not reheated.

-Dishes that dry out too quickly, such as duck breast or any carpaccio, are not suitable for a buffet - says the chef of the Golden Apple restaurant, Erwin Peters.
- It is preferable to make hot dishes with sauce, but serve the sauce separately, otherwise it will also dry out. To prevent the meat from sticking to the metal surface of the gastronomic container, you can add a little gravy there or put a piece of bread under each piece of meat. Guests will take the meat on top, and the bread will remain at the bottom. Usually the meat is taken in portions (beef or pork medallions, fried chicken breast). As a side dish you can offer potatoes, rice, vegetable stew, grilled vegetables.
Salads with mayonnaise require caution - they should only be freshly prepared. Delicacies such as foie gras, shrimp, and lobster are not recommended (unless it is some kind of exclusive VIP banquet).

Some restaurateurs, noticing that cottage cheese served for breakfast instantly loses its visual appeal, separating the whey too quickly, began to replace it with yogurt. A lot of difficulties also arise with ice cream, which is why you don’t often see it on a buffet.

It is worth taking into account the peculiarities of national tastes. Thus, foreign chefs and guests believe that the main thing is hot dishes, and salads are not what you should come to a buffet for. Recipes for all kinds of cold appetizers should be actively used when working with Russian visitors - these dishes are the most popular among them.

Coffee should only be brewed (served in a special thermos or poured from a machine) - it is not customary to serve instant coffee in restaurants. Tea bags are allowed, but a decent restaurant will then offer not a cheap option, but expensive tea bags (for example, Ronafeld, Newby).

Types of buffet

In the cafe

A buffet in a cafe is almost the same in appearance as a restaurant buffet. Recipes and quality of products are the main difference. A mid-range cafe will prepare fairly simple dishes from cheaper ingredients, while a restaurant will try to use only the best. The equipment in cafes is also usually cheaper.

Brunch

This is a special buffet offer that is held in the restaurants of all major hotels on Sundays, the so-called “family lunch”. The range includes drinks, including alcoholic ones. It's not too cheap, but cheaper than an evening trip to a restaurant. It usually takes place from 12 to 16 - 17 hours. The introduction of such a special offer is due to the fact that hotel restaurants operate effectively only during breakfast and dinner, and then only on weekdays. There are usually no guests on Saturday, and on Sunday, to fill the restaurant, they hold a brunch for everyone. At the same time, as a bonus, children up to a certain age are often offered food for free or for half the fixed price. Sometimes people come to brunch to celebrate birthdays and other holidays. Expenses for brunch often exceed income from it, but the restaurant still receives “real” money and has the opportunity to provide employees with work (during brunch, as a rule, all staff work). In addition, brunch is a good marketing ploy to attract new guests.

Banquet

Unlike a simple buffet, it provides for simultaneous serving of a very large number of guests. In four- and five-star hotels, juices are not always in containers; more often they are poured at the bar along with alcoholic drinks to avoid queues. There may be several such improvised bar counters. In addition, waiters serve the most popular drinks on trays (mineral water, red and some white wine, orange juice).

The rest (strong drinks, champagne) is offered to guests at the bar. Also, to resolve the issue of queues in the banquet hall, several identical sections of the buffet are placed. For this purpose, special furniture is used: folding tables of different shapes with attached skirts. They come together quickly and look beautiful. Thus, you can build any structures (straight, oval, alternating), transforming any room. The oval or round design of the table allows more people to approach it.

Catering events

In this case, the buffet can be compared to a banquet. The difference is that everything is arranged not on the territory of a hotel or restaurant, but in another room not specifically designed for this purpose or in nature. Some foreign companies with a representative office in Moscow, located in separate mansions, can organize similar events in their courtyard. A catering company is invited for this purpose. The day before the banquet, tables and chairs are brought to the place and set up, and the next day in the morning they begin to deliver restaurant linens (tablecloths, napkins, etc.).

The structure of an off-site buffet is similar to a regular one, but there are still some nuances. Snow and ice for baths under gastronorm containers are prepared in advance. (The snow is placed in large plastic bags and stored in the freezer. On the day of the event, it is shoveled out, loaded into the car and used during this time to keep cold snacks warm.)
For hot dishes, chafing-dishes or food warmers are carried - either electric or gel fuel. The hot dishes themselves are transported in special heating cabinets. However, before transportation they are not brought to full readiness, but arrive in food warmers closer to the time of serving.

The cost of the event affects the menu and the price of drinks and food, but not the external design. Disposable tableware is not used in such cases. The exception usually applies only to beer glasses.

Thematic events

The organization of a buffet at themed events is distinguished by special menu elements and serving details. For example, if it is a day of Italian cuisine, there should certainly be Parma ham, tomatoes with Mozzarella, fried bell peppers, and risotto on the table. The cook prepares the obligatory pasta for guests separately, in small portions. Dishes that are not related to Italian cuisine (say, herring under a fur coat) are unacceptable at such an event. The table decoration should include details typical of Italy: this could be a tablecloth in the shape of the Italian flag, a bottle with a candle, a special clip for Parma ham, etc. Waiters will need uniforms that match the theme.

If the focus is on a holiday, for example, New Year or Valentine's Day, you need to choose the appropriate decorative design for the table. In general, any theme can be used in serving, but it is advisable to do so in such a way that the decorations do not obscure the dishes. After all, the main thing in a buffet is not the form, but the content.

Text: Julia EIDELKIND

The Restaurant Vedomosti publishing house presents a book addressed to everyone who is faced with the difficult task of organizing a buffet. The recipes contained in the book were developed by chefs of the best establishments in Moscow.

Hotel clients enjoy using the buffet service.

A buffet is a serving method in which the guest can choose the snacks and dishes they like from those presented on a specially arranged buffet (table, serving line), put them on a plate in the required quantity and bring them to their table. The buffet menu depends on the hotel category.

Advantages buffet services:

• Fewer personnel are needed, and less qualified employees can be used;
• greater capacity of the restaurant hall;
• faster service process - the client does not need to wait for the waiter to take the order, prepare the food and serve it;
• the ability to clearly control the purchase and consumption of products, i.e., purchase only those products that are guaranteed to be on the menu;
• no losses from purchasing products for the restaurant that remain unclaimed by customers. Losses on purchases of products with a short shelf life are especially noticeably reduced.

The basis of a buffet is a properly selected menu.

The menu must contain the names of the dishes, the number of the dish according to the technical and technological maps or the current Collection of Recipes, the number of dishes, serving size, and price.

The list of dishes (column 3) can be strictly fixed by order of the hotel director or be flexible and compiled daily, depending on the food set in the pantry and management factors aimed at increasing efficiency and service.

Menu - the basis for compiling requirements (invoice) to receive food raw materials from the warehouse.

The request (invoice) indicates the name and quantity of food raw materials necessary for preparing dishes, its cost; financially responsible persons put their signatures. The document is necessary to write off the cost of raw materials supplied to the kitchen from the storekeeper.

It is unacceptable to offer guests the same assortment of salads, hot and cold appetizers for several days.

For your information

Most hotels only offer breakfast buffet style. Hotels located in resort areas may provide Swedish dinners and lunches.

The optimal composition of the menu is determined experimentally.

No hotel can know in advance what the appetites of their guests are. Therefore, as a rule, they calculate the approximate amount of food that an average person can eat. The resulting amount is multiplied by the number of people staying in the hotel and the number of meals.

You can conditionally divide guests into several groups:

• eat all the dishes offered and in large quantities;
• eat all the dishes offered, but in small quantities;
• choose a small number of dishes from the assortment, but in large quantities;
• despite payment, for various reasons they do not attend the buffet at all or skip meals - they go on excursions, were invited to a cafe, visited a nightclub, were busy with a business meeting, etc.;
• limited to sandwiches and coffee.

Another approach to menu planning is to assume that each customer will eat a certain amount of all types of dishes offered.

The hotel must provide every paying guest with the opportunity to try all the dishes presented on the buffet and in the quantities he wishes. It is unacceptable that a guest, coming up, for example, for a canapé, sees an empty dish, no matter how many times he approaches.

Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to prepare “with reserve”. On the other hand, decide how to minimize returns from the buffet (re-serving such dishes is unacceptable!), what to do with the excess (sanitary rules are strict) - for example, dispose of it, transfer it to farms for animal feed.

Some hotels conduct statistical observations of your clients, fill out forms (age, purpose of visit, etc.). With this information, you can design your buffet menu more efficiently and reduce the number of returns.

The menu is compiled taking into account the time of year, the complexity of the cooking process, and consumer demand. They also create special menus for certain groups of visitors - for corporate holidays, with a large number of children staying, or for religious dietary needs of visitors.

The listed features are associated with the difficulties of developing a uniform buffet price for all residents, which is included in the cost of a hotel room.

The main task of a hotel economist is to calculate the cost of food services so as not to end up at a loss. To do this you can use the form “Monitoring the cost of the buffet service.”

In our example, the average cost of food for the period was 550 rubles, and the room price included 600 rubles, i.e. the hotel is “in the black” by 50 rubles. (8.33%) per person, and if we also take into account returns, then by 57 rubles. (9.5%).

Returns are rather an indicator of the correctness of the compiled menu, both in terms of assortment and quantity, a direction for studying demand from guests and optimizing costs.

For your information

Sometimes, to be on the safe side, the total cost of food, determined by calculation according to average indicators and the menu (in our example - 550 rubles), is increased by 10-30%, thereby ensuring guaranteed profitability for the restaurant hall and the hotel as a whole.

Calculating the price of the buffet service

Calculation of the selling price of the buffet service is carried out on the basis of recipes and standards for adding products to each dish.

Recipes are set:

• uniform for enterprises of all forms of ownership valid Collections of recipes, which indicates the consumption of raw materials, the yield of semi-finished products and ready-made dishes, and the technology for their production;
• designed by the hotel chef technical and technological maps, if the recipe of the dish differs from that presented in the Collection of Recipes or if the dish is prepared according to a proprietary recipe.

Technical and technological maps are developed by the head. production, chef, approved by the hotel director.

Dish yield standards and loss standards are drawn up act of control study.

Based on one of the listed documents, the economist forms calculation cards. We recommend grouping them into a single folder intended for storing documents on calculating sales prices for the buffet service.

To avoid confusion with the calculations of other dishes sold, for example, according to the “a La Carte” system, we recommend that you indicate “Buffet service” in the calculation, since the same dish (for example, “Chopped poultry cutlets”) for “ buffet" and for "a La Carte" may differ in recipe, composition and weight of ingredients, portion yield in grams, and presentation of the dish before serving.

Calculation cards are compiled according to the following algorithm:

The price of a dish is not only the price of food. In our case, since the restaurant hall in a hotel can be classified as a catering establishment, additional costs are included in the form of a markup.

Thus, for 100 dishes there is a markup of 3911.46 rubles.

The purpose of the markup is to cover the hotel’s costs for the salaries of kitchen workers, restaurant hall administrators, depreciation of equipment, inventory, electricity, water supply and other costs, classically classified as general production and administrative.

If the hotel has such analytical data for each of the listed cost items, then instead of the “Markup” line they are listed as costing items.

Initially, the calculation can be done per unit. But, firstly, in the catering industry it is customary to make calculations for 100 units of dishes, and secondly, a “buffet” is not a piece product or dishes to order, so it is quite logical to make calculations for a certain volume of dishes.

When prices for raw materials change, a new selling price for the dish is calculated, a new Calculation Card is drawn up, which indicates: “Calculation serial number, approval date - No. 2”, etc. If we refer to the standard form No. OP-1 “Calculation Card”, then when prices change, a new calculation is performed in the same calculation card in free columns.

Another feature of calculating the buffet service is that side dishes and sauces are included in separate calculation cards.

Fence sheet

Hotel clients are served at the buffet for several hours. Therefore, even if this service only provides breakfast, the prepared dishes are brought to the restaurant hall in parts so that the dishes are fresh.

Each such release of dishes from the kitchen is prepared "Daily fence sheets". They are drawn up in two copies daily, separately for each financially responsible person. The first fence sheet remains in the kitchen, the second is issued to the financially responsible person (restaurant administrator, senior waiter) along with the kitchen products.

LLC Hotel "Visit"

Day fence sheet No. 212 from 03.11.2016

No.

Product (dish)

Unit change (portion weight, g)

price, rub.

Products released

Products returned

Total issued including refund

Note

Recipe

Name of product (dish)

Vacation time

Total released

Qty

Amount, rub.

Qty

Amount, rub.

Qty

Amount, rub.

Sandwich with pate

Seafood canapes

Greek salad

Vegetable salad with seaweed

Dried fruits compote

Deep fried potatoes

Potato zrazy

Mushrooms in sour cream sauce

Omelet stuffed with meat products

Chopped poultry cutlets

Total

22335,00

22045,00

In total, four hundred and forty-five units of food were supplied per day

in the amount of: twenty-two thousand three hundred thirty-five rubles. 00 kop.

Released: Head. production (chef) Miller B. Yu. Melnik

Accepted by: Restaurant hall administrator Zinoviev O. N. Zinovieva

Checked by: Economist Kazantseva A. V. Kazantseva

At the end of the working day, the natural indicators are summed up and the cost of the supplied products is determined for each fence sheet.

The collection sheet also reflects the return of dishes from the restaurant hall to the kitchen.

The first copy of the daily pick-up sheet is submitted to the accounting department simultaneously with the commodity report by the materially responsible persons, the second manager. production (chef) along with a kitchen report.

Note!

If there were several daily collection sheets per day, an inventory (register) of them is compiled and the head. production (chef) displays the total cost of products released from the kitchen.

Control calculation of product consumption

After the accounting has a plan - costing cards - and a fact - daily intake sheets, a report on the kitchen, requirements (invoices) for the pantry, inventories of leftovers - they carry out “Control calculation of product consumption according to recipe standards for released dishes”. Such a report can be generated for a period (week, month) or for one day.

If the kitchen and restaurant hall of the hotel operate exclusively using the buffet method, then all dishes in the control calculation will be from the buffet, otherwise it will not be possible to display a report only on the buffet.

The report should include all the dishes for which food was consumed, i.e., everything that the kitchen prepared, otherwise it will be impossible to correctly display deviations in food consumption, and the cooks, in the event of an overexpenditure of food according to calculations, will refer to the preparation of dishes not for the buffet "

By comparing the actual consumption of raw materials with the standard, a deviation is established (savings or excess consumption of raw materials), which are reflected in the control calculation.

For your information

This report can be used not only to identify deviations: if kitchen accounting is not detailed enough, based on it you can derive the number of products to be written off in a given period according to the standards. Then the lines “Actual consumption” and “Deviations” will be absent.

If the hotel uses software, the control calculation can be generated automatically. Since this is a rather bulky form (contains all the dishes and all the ingredients of these dishes), you can use the functions of MS Excel.

So, the economist created a control calculation and discovered deviations.

Important!

To work with deviations, an economist needs to know the specifics of the industry, technological tolerances and the position of hotel management in relation to deviations.

Let us indicate individual features of product consumption:

• the amount of liquid in the recipes of sauces, soups, and drinks is indicated taking into account boiling losses;
• the standards for waste and losses during cold processing of meat already include losses when stripping shiny tendons from thick and thin edges, cutting large-sized semi-finished products into portions or small pieces and storing them;
• the standards for waste and losses when processing poultry and rabbit provide for losses when chopping raw poultry into portions and small pieces for stewing, as well as when portioning poultry and rabbit after heat treatment (boiling, frying);
• as a rule, it is allowed to increase or decrease (within 10-15%) the norms for the consumption of vegetables, fruits, herbs for salads, vinaigrettes, side dishes for cold dishes, replacement with other similar products, provided that the norms for the yield of the dish are maintained (perhaps the norms allow, but here the hotel management - no);
• if products are replaced by others not provided for in the recipe, it is necessary to follow the standards of interchangeability of products when preparing dishes;
• standards for waste and losses during cold processing, losses during heat processing for individual raw materials and products depend on the calendar time of year (for example, this is true for potatoes, vegetables).

This list is not exhaustive; detailed standards are given in the Recipe Directory. Knowledge of such technological losses will help to draw the right conclusions regarding deviations: are they caused by theft by kitchen or hotel workers, or are they acceptable.

In the case under consideration, the economist needs to request an explanation for the overconsumption of chicken (12 kg) from the manager. production, chef.

conclusions

The proposed document flow for the buffet will allow:

• control the consumption of food and the yield of dishes;
• record consumer preferences of hotel visitors (if you don’t like the dish, it will be returned);
• keep statistics of actual costs for a buffet in different seasons, for different groups of clients (if separate groups of residents order a separate buffet for “themselves”);
• prevent losses by timely increasing the cost of food included in the room price, or, conversely, “reduce the cost” of accommodation by changing the buffet menu;
• provide the accountant with the necessary supporting documents for accounting and tax accounting.

If your home or office during the New Year turns into a “assembly point” for a large number of guests, who, as a rule, will bring their other friends with them, then the best solution for your New Year’s party will be buffet table— it is set for receptions with a large number of guests.

The reception a la buffet was originally invented in France. This method of organizing a festive table has a number of advantages. A buffet is a way to receive guests, which eliminates the need to purchase additional pieces of furniture, since the main purpose of the reception is communication, not a feast.

In most cases, a buffet is associated with the need to organize a reception of guests in a short time. The name itself can be literally translated from French as “on a fork,” which characterizes the entire process of eating.

The advantages of a buffet table are that the number of guests is not related to the amount of furniture available in the house. An additional advantage for the hostess is that she does not need to worry about the presentation of dishes, the degree of their warmth and the fullness of the guests’ plates.

Guests move freely around the room, gather according to interest groups, communicate freely, choosing those snacks on the table that are more to their taste. Snacks should be quite varied: variety is the key to a good buffet!

Several useful recipes

At buffets, up to three dishes are always offered. Eg, side dishes: boiled potatoes with parsley, dill and onions, vegetables, rice with saffron; meat and fish dishes: kebabs, red fish steaks, chicken breast in sauce. As for salads, tartlets, puff sandwiches and canapés, you can prepare countless of them.

Don't forget about the cheese platter. Cheese- a high-calorie and very tasty product. And now there are so many types of cheese on sale that you can easily fill several plates with hard and soft varieties. Plus please your vegetarian guests. The cheese is cut into pieces of 25-40 grams. The varieties are placed not too close to each other in a clockwise direction, for example: first a spicy blue cheese, then a soft cheese with a penicillin crust such as Camembert, then a hard, mild and sliced ​​spicy one. A classic addition to cheese is grapes. Pears and melon slices are combined with cheese.

The housewife should also not forget about pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, corn on the cob, champignons, bell peppers, cauliflower, as well as olives and spiced herring.

Snacks, several types of sliced ​​bread, and salads are placed closer to the edge. The second tier in the back is for sweet dishes, pastries, and fruits. Each dish with food should have an appropriate device with which you can put a portion on your plate.

Buffet serving depends, among other things, on the position of the table: if you can approach it from all sides, then you need to serve the buffet table in a circle.

Spices are traditional - salt and pepper. If dishes require sauces, they are placed next to the corresponding dishes.

When served, non-alcoholic drinks are poured into glasses or served in jugs. Alcoholic drinks are placed in open bottles in groups at different ends of the table, next to the glasses. For used dishes, an additional, small one is placed next to the main table, on which guests will put the empty dishes.

There are no restrictions on the buffet menu. The only requirement concerns the convenience of the dishes. For the most part, these are a variety of snacks that are easy to put on a plate and eat.

Since the same utensils are used when setting the table as during a regular feast, the dishes can be varied. The only requirement concerns that the dishes for the buffet must be served already cut and divided into portions - they must be in such a form that it is as convenient as possible for guests to put them on an individual plate and help themselves, as they say, “on the go.” If it is fish, then in the form of fillets, if it is chicken pieces, then without bones.

Vol-au-vents - snack bars (baskets) made from purchased puff pastry

Tartlets

Tartlets are small cups of dough prepared according to a specific recipe, which are filled with various fillings - meat, fish, mushroom, vegetable. Some recipes call for adding sauce to filled tartlets and then leaving them in the oven for a while to thicken the sauce. Shortbread dough with the addition of egg or yolk is optimal for tartlets.

Tartlets with caviar. Tasty, beautiful, fast.

A recipe for an unsurpassed evening dessert - glamorous tartlets made from caviar, rice, avocado and cream cheese.

Products :

Rice - preferably milk or sushi rice
Ripe avocado
Salmon caviar
Cream cheese

Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

Preparation:

Boil the rice and cool it. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, mash the pulp with a fork, season with salt, pepper, add a little lemon juice to preserve the color.

With wet hands, form rice balls and press them. Place the next layer of avocado on top, then a layer of cheese mixture so that the dish looks like layer cakes. Place the last layer of red caviar.

If possible, the layers should be equal in volume. The size can be any. Small cakes can be eaten as canapes, large ones - with a fork and knife. You can decorate with greenery.

In principle, dough baskets can be filled with any salads. The only requirement is that salads should not be too liquid so that the dough does not get soggy. For this reason, vegetable salads that give juice are not placed in tartlets.

• You can prepare a salad of boiled shrimp, green peas and fresh cucumber with mayonnaise dressing. The salad is sprinkled with grated cheese on top and decorated with sprigs of parsley or dill.

• Another option is a salad of fresh pineapples with smoked chicken fillet, seedless grapes and grated cheese. As a dressing, you can use not only mayonnaise, but also sweet yogurt. Depending on the sauce chosen, the taste of the salad will be different.

Canapes

Of the snacks, canapés are the easiest to prepare and the most effective. They are prepared in the same way: the loaf or black bread is peeled and cut lengthwise into strips approximately 5-6 mm thick, then the bread is cut into small pieces (the pieces can be round, square, rectangular, triangular, etc.) . Then each piece of bread is greased with a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise (with the exception of canapés prepared with fatty foods), a leaf of lettuce is placed, garnished and decorated to taste.

Canapes with bacon and tomatoes

biscuits - 1 piece
bacon - 20g.
tomato - 1 pc.
sauce to taste
green onions

Cooking method:

For the filling: cut the bacon and tomato into small pieces and mix with the sauce.
Cut the pancake into three parts. Place the filling in the center of one of the parts, gather the edges and secure with green onions. The canapes are ready.

Lavash roll

A thin layer of lavash is smeared with mayonnaise, string cheese and Korean carrots are laid on top of it on one edge. The roll is wrapped tightly and cut crosswise into portioned roll pieces of the desired size. The filling can be varied - rolls with smoked fish and fresh cucumbers or with ham and mushrooms are no less tasty.

You will need:
Avocado
Tomato
Fresh cucumbers
Bell pepper
Lavash or thin pancakes
Curd cream or cheese
Lettuce leaves
Salt spices

Salmon roll

To prepare it, you need wide thin layers of salmon, which are rolled into a cone and laid out on a dish with the wide part facing up. A small piece of butter and a slice of lemon are placed inside each cone. To make it easier to cut the butter, it must first be cooled in the freezer.

Avocado mousse with caviar

1 avocado
- 1 egg /* chicken, a couple of quail eggs, hard-boiled */
- 1 tbsp. l. sour cream
- dill
- salt and pepper to taste, I added a fair amount of both, avocado somehow really absorbs all the spices
- caviar

Grind the avocado and egg in a blender. Mix, add sour cream, salt, pepper and finely chopped dill, grind until smooth.

Dry the pieces of bread until golden brown in a frying pan without oil. On bread - mousse, on top with caviar.

Trout rolls

It's actually very simple.
Lightly salted fish, season with curd cheese, serve on cucumber slices. You can use cream cheese rather than cottage cheese, and you can also add a little blue cheese to the filling, and sprinkle with lemon before serving. In general, there is room for imagination.
Simple, but very, very tasty.

Curd mousse with red fish and caviar

200 g low-fat cottage cheese
- 5 g gelatin
- 60 ml milk or cream
- 100 g salted red fish
- 0.5 tsp each salt and sugar
- a pinch of black pepper
- dill
- caviar

Soak gelatin in milk, after swelling, heat in the microwave or on the stove, dissolve.
Beat the cottage cheese, adding salt, sugar, pepper and finely chopped dill.
Carefully combine cottage cheese with gelatin. Stir in finely chopped fish and caviar (I didn’t add caviar to the mousse, I just decorated it on top).
Divide the curd mixture into the molds. I put it in silicone muffin molds, and then everything came out of them perfectly. Place in the refrigerator for several hours to harden.
When serving, garnish with caviar and herbs.

MORE RECIPES

Greek canapes.

Cut the mozzarella into 1.5 by 1.5 centimeter cubes. Alternately thread cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cubes onto skewers, wrapping them on both sides with basil leaves. You can add pitted black olives and the canapé is ready.

Salmon canapes.

For the recipe you will need: wheat bread - 100g, butter - 20g, salmon - 50g, caviar - 20g, greens. A piece of salmon is placed on an oval slice of bread, one end of which is folded, decorated with butter, black caviar, and parsley leaves.

Canapes with cheese and grapes are a real delicacy.

Any cheese is suitable for making canapés with cheese and grapes, but it is best to use blue cheese. Cut blue cheese into cubes. Place a grape and a cube of blue cheese on decorative skewers or toothpicks

Canapes with red caviar

Loaf, soft cheese, butter, red caviar Using a glass, cut out even circles from white bread. Spread with cheese. Squeeze the soft butter from a pastry syringe onto the bread in the form of a side. Spread red caviar on top with a spoon.

Closed canape "Snowflakes" with red fish

The base is prepared from white bread using pastry molds; a small pattern is drawn on the outside with mayonnaise, which is the main idea of ​​serving this snack.

Snack "Kiss"

Boil the eggs, chop finely, and chop the onion finely. Mix eggs, onions, cheese and mayonnaise. Cover cups with cling film, place sliced ​​red fish in them and fill half with the resulting mixture, put a tomato in the middle and fill to the brim with the remaining mixture. Wrap the edges with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Then unfold the edges of the cling film and carefully turn the cup over to the plate, remove the cup and film. You can decorate the top with caviar.

Upcoming holidays!!!