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buffet for entire reception?

Heather8505Heather8505 member
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in Wedding Cakes & Food Forum
We are having a buffet dinner starting at 630.  With the reception going to 1030, do we need to have the buffet out the whole time?  Or would it be okay to take it away at 830 maybe?  We also want to do the late night snack kind of thing so I thought about clearing the buffet at 830 and having the caterer do the snack at 9 then letting them leave.....thoughts?
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Re: buffet for entire reception?

  • hz80408hz80408 member
    5 Love Its First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    To leave the buffet out the entire time (4 hrs) would be against health code.

    It may differ by state, but from my post-wedding brunch, federal regulations only allowed food to be out for 2 hrs.

    Plus, typically for weddings, there is a time for eating and then for dancing,etc.  I wouldn't worry about guests wanting to eat for more than 2 hours.  If you're nervous they'll get hungry again, then I'd do the late night snack (we served late night pizza and it was a hit!)

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  • kaeshakaesha
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Ditto pp, follow the health regulations.

    FWIW, if you're having a big dinner starting at 6:30-8:30, people will probably not be hungry at 9:30. Our reception had to end at 10, and I'm so glad we nixed the snacks idea (we did energy shooters instead) because no one would have eaten the food. 

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  • mica178mica178 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How about clear the buffet at 8:30, cake and desserts put out at 9:15?  That should cover the nibbles.  If you have a coffee/hot chocolate bar at dessert time, that could also help to slow down the alcohol processing.
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  • vhalbeckvhalbeck
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_buffet-entire-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:7ccffaf7-d39e-4a1b-bfdb-362fb83d7fc3Post:56d38abe-c0e7-45a7-966c-f00fc118d3d9">Re: buffet for entire reception?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Ditto pp, follow the health regulations. FWIW, if you're having a big dinner starting at 6:30-8:30, people will probably not be hungry at 9:30. Our reception had to end at 10, and I'm so glad we nixed the snacks idea (<strong>we did energy shooters instead)</strong> because no one would have eaten the food. 
    Posted by kaesha[/QUOTE]

    Kaesha,  what were the energy shooters??? this sounds like a fabulous idea!
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  • kaeshakaesha
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    They were shots of this lemongrass and ginger tonic (served in ice shot glasses) - great for digestion and energy levels!
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  • 2012JulyBride2012JulyBride
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I would say have the food out for 1.5-2 hours. A little later you can pull out the desserts. If you're concerned about people having something to snack on, you could also put out nuts, pretzels, etc....things that won't go bad sitting out. You could also set out a few different meats and cheese at that time but general rule is 2 hours for foods that can spoil (if it is heated/chilled at a proper temperature and covered, I'm pretty sure that you can keep it out longer but if you have a caterer, they should know). I really wouldn't spend too much on snacks because if you're offering a decent meal and desserts, then everyone shouldn't be too hungry throughout the reception.
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  • NOLAbridealmostNOLAbridealmost member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hmmm...I wonder what the story with those regulations is.  Here it's very typical for the food to be available for the entire time (or up until the last hour anyway).   I wonder if they get around that by refreshing the food every couple hours.  I always noticed that caterers would bring out fresh trays of food halfway through; maybe the health code stuff is why. 
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  • ILoveSnellyILoveSnelly
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Kind along the opposite lines i was only planning on having the food out for one hour, based on the PP it sounds like this is not long enough. What is a good minimum time?
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  • NillaWafer10NillaWafer10 member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    1.5-2 hours is sufficient.  Be sure to have the DJ announce a 15 minute warning for those who want seconds.
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  • Heather8505Heather8505 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    That all makes sense to me.  I wanted to have it out for "dinner time" but the caterer had the entire reception time listed as serving time plus 2.5 hours set up and 1 hour clean up.  Plus my cousin had the food out the whole time at her wedding a few months ago so I just wanted to make sure people wouldn't think it was strange to clean up during the reception.  I also agree the energy shooters sound great!
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  • debi1941debi1941 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are having a brunch buffet and our venue said that he would leave the buffet open and filled for 1.5 hours...we are having aprox 125-140 people....

    He is also splitting the brunch into many different stations so there is not a "single" line around the dance floor of people waiting.....

    Then about 1.5 hours later we are having a dessert table.......and that will stay open until the reception ends.

    So, everyone who stated 1.5-2 hours was right on track...

    Good Luck
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  • idsilvaidsilva member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Two hours is good for buffet. If there are servers/waiters kind of looking over they will know when the guests are done with their rounds and ready for dessert. From my experience 2 hours is good enough. You should know on a wedding day sometimes things get delayed. So instead of at 6:30 you might start your dinner at 7:00 due to minor setbacks/ delays. So plan accordingly. Tell the wait staff to clear the table say 2 hours after they start the buffet, not right at 8:30. 
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