When buffets were quietly closed during the pandemic, it might have been hard to imagine that in just a few years, they would come back better than ever in a number of ways. But that’s where we are now. According to a recent New York Times report, even though a number of buffet restaurants have closed in the past couple of years, sales, demand and investment are up at others and are catering to a wide range of budgets. Even if your restaurant hasn’t operated a buffet in the past, it’s a format worth considering. Innovations in buffet design and presentation in the past few years have made buffet service a labor-friendly, waste-reducing option for operators and an experience-rich option for guests. They are also a safe choice for groups trying to accommodate a wide range of dietary preferences and make everyone feel like they have gotten a good value. First, the service structure of buffets has evolved to include more individual portions and enhance food safety. It’s more common to see pre-portioned and -plated items that guests can grab and take with them — as opposed to dishing out large portions that are too much for them to finish. Presentation has also taken a step up, with more premium, Instagrammable options on offer, as well as food stations that lend themselves to theatrical food preparation by chefs. On the food safety side, the increased availability of self-contained hot and cold food storage units are helping operators maintain food temperatures with greater precision. The greater use of individual portioning supports food safety too, allowing guests to limit their time standing over (and likelihood of breathing on) the buffet line. As food safety has played a larger role in consumers’ view of hospitality in recent years, salad bars and other foods served buffet-style have felt the impact. We’ve all seen salad tongs drift into the ingredients they are meant to serve, carrying bacteria with them – and this is more apt to disturb consumers now than it did before Covid. Making salad serving areas feel safe requires vigilance from staff – a difficult task if you have a smaller-than-ideal team right now. But as with so many other parts of the restaurant experience, there are options coming to market that are automating self-service and delivering potential benefits for food safety. One example: touchless self-service salad bars that store ingredients in clear, refrigerated compartments and dispense a set amount of ingredients. No germy tongs or sneeze guards required – and restaurants can manage portion control at the same time. Could your restaurant go cafeteria-style? According to new research from Datassential, cafeteria-style setups may be a modern reinvention of the buffet. In a recent survey of 1,500 consumers, 55 percent of respondents said they like or love cafeteria-style dining. These arrangements are especially popular with consumers who have young children and want a range of choices to suit the whole family. There could be other benefits to these arrangements too: Having a server dish out prepared food in a cafeteria line could provide the labor-side benefits of a buffet and also help protect food safety, since guests aren’t serving themselves.
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