As summer approaches, more people plan to hold their outdoor events. As much as the warm climate during summer is ideal for outdoor events like picnics and weddings, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has completely changed how events are held.
The government-imposed social distancing rules have made many venues to reduce their indoor capacity, while others have completely transitioned to outdoor catering and spacing. Consequently, more people have favoured outdoor catering, choosing it over the other. Perhaps, the reason behind it is that not only does outdoor catering meet the social distancing rules, but also gives attendees more space to move around.
When you are seeking to set up a friendly catering area, you ought to have had previous exposure to a permanent venue. Furthermore, the previous experience might still not be enough when working on an outdoor catering space. That confusion is the reason we’ve drafted some ideas on what you should do to set up a friendly catering area. These tips ideas work even better when you’re working on a standing buffet.
Set Up Beverage-only Tables
It can be very effective if you set up smaller beverages tables in various parts instead of having them placed on a single large table. This is a good way of controlling crowds especially in this coronavirus times. In addition, attendees will freely walk around as they enjoy the event.
Flow Optimization
The number of attendees will determine how your tables are arranged. You will, however, need a tactical approach if you want to regulate the flow of your attendees. Carefully place food tables at a place where they can’t interfere with the free movement of attendees. It is also important to place food tables in places where guests can reach easily without having to bump into each other.
Make a Decision on Self Service
As many caterers would agree, this a very challenging decision to make. Going for self-service option will however, save you some money because there will no extra personnel needed. The tricky part is no one will be regulating the amount of drinks guests take. Drinks could easily run out when some individuals with higher appetite decide to take 5 times more. This will come down to you, make a decision on whether you want catering personnel or not depending on the kind of attendees you are expecting.
Decide on How Soon to Serve Appetizers
Picture this, you decide to serve your attendees with appetizers only instead of buffet. By doing so, your catering personnel will freely mingle with people distributing food and beverage carts. They will also be offering different appetizers. This will be a repetitive action depending on the amount of canapes you wanted to serve.
Depending on the time frame, it is important to note how long it takes for an item to be distributed accros the attendees. If there’s limited time, you can ask that the items be distributed only once and quickly. Similarly, you can also ask your catering personnel to slow down if you feel like it’s taking too long.
