 It’s that time of year when groups are gathering to share festive meals – and often, that involves a buffet table. While buffets provide seemingly high-value experiences to guests at a time when quantity is the new quality, they also pose a range of risks to operators. For one, they generate food safety challenges. Though anyone can get food poisoning, guests who have weakened immune systems, are pregnant, are aged 65 and older, or are younger than five years old are at higher risk of contracting a severe illness due to food poisoning, according to the CDC. When foods are served that are more prone to contamination, or if staffing difficulties prevent you from refreshing food or monitoring serving frequently, it becomes easy for food to be left out for too long, to be mishandled or stored improperly, or for cross-contamination to occur.
Beyond safety, nearly half of the food served from buffets goes to waste, according to Global Research and Consulting Group Insights. Taking steps to change people’s habits around buffets may help – both in improving safety and minimizing waste. Try using smaller plates and serving utensils to encourage manageable servings. Focus on a reduced selection of quality servings so people will be less tempted to sample more than they can eat. Provide cook-to-order stations where possible – and scale down buffet preparation toward the end of a shift (possibly offering individualized ordering as items run low). One study on improving the sustainability of buffets advises making structural changes to the setup of the buffet. Perhaps you can change the layout of your buffet so it’s easier for guests to return for seconds, gamify the meal to encourage guests to sit and savor their food, and provide rewards or discounts for those leaving zero plate waste.  Covid-19 ushered in a period when safety became the new hospitality – and equipment that supports this shift is now coming to market. That has injected new possibilities into some aspects of foodservice (like labor-saving buffets) that have become less practical in the past few years. For example, Nation’s Restaurant News reports that at the recent North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers show, new solutions included a salad dispensing machine that can automatically portion out salad ingredients, as well as a hot and cold buffet station that can keep foods at multiple temperatures on the same buffet line. If your restaurant relies on buffet service – or once did – how can you automate tasks that tend to pose food safety challenges?
 The past few years have been an odd period for buffets. As they have begun creeping back in various forms, now may be a good time to ensure your facility and staff are up to speed on the safety protocols that can manage the food safety risks buffets can pose. Make sure your staff have easy access to handwashing sinks throughout their shift. Ensure tongs and other utensils are changed often and washed thoroughly to prevent cross-contamination. Clean and sanitize food serving surfaces regularly. Finally, make certain you have a reliable (preferably digital) system for checking and recording the temperatures of the hot and cold foods you’re serving, as well as for replacing them promptly.
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