Step 2: Planning the Menu

Buffet menu planning is a complex task. Planning successful menus of any kind requires a broad knowledge of the culinary arts and years of practical experience. Entire books are written on the subject of menu planning, and culinary schools offer complete courses of study on it. Clearly you cannot learn all there is to know about planning buffet menus from reading a few paragraphs here. However, as you begin to explore buffet work, the guidelines can help you.

In most cases, your menu must be approved before you can go on to the remaining planning steps. If the buffet has been ordered by a client, you or your representative will meet with the client and review the menu. If the buffet is internally generated, you will likely meet with the owner or manager of your operation. Be prepared for questions, and be flexible about making changes if requested to do so.