Banquet Room Service With Ease and Speed

Oftentimes, we don't use our newsletter to toot our own horn, so to speak. Sure, we can promote shows and events and specials, but we don't often boast about what we are good at. Well, this week I am going to take a chance to do that and hopefully alert a few guests to an option they may not have known was available to them. Our banquet room.

This Tuesday night, we had a work group meeting/awards ceremony for 50 people in our banquet facility. The bar was open and available, and the menu was pre-determined which does allow us to be a little bit more prepared going in. This particular group wanted to have a meeting and get the show on the road. So it was decided ahead of time that salads were to be served at exactly 6:30pm. We synchronized our iPhones, and at 6:30pm, out went the salads. 

Then the kitchen begins its process. We never cook food ahead of time, whether we know what each customer is ordering or not. The food is not cooked until the server enters the meal and the kitchen counts them all up. Profit margins are slim... those extra, unused meals add up!  Again, nothing is plated at 4pm, held warm and served at 6:30pm. This is hot off the grill, or hot out of the oven meals.

So began the kitchen, cooking 100 chicken breasts (as the meal Tuesday was our double infused chicken), a couple fresh batches of rice and steaming hot fresh steamed vegetables. While the food is cooking, we gather our utensils, our plates, we grab a couple of staff members from the kitchen and assign each one a responsibility on our assembly line. In this particular instance, I handled the chicken and its sauce while one person handled the rice and another handled the vegetables.

When we were done, I just happened to pull my iPhone out of my pocket, and it was 6:53pm! After thinking about it for a minute, I was amazed with our staff, the quality of service provided and the meal that was prepared. The first salad went out the door at 6:30pm, the last meal plate was dropped off at 6:53pm. 23 minutes to serve 50 people, including the salad course! That's less than 30 seconds per person for a full-course, freshly cooked meal! The food doesn't even have time to get cold! 

When you see and do things every day over and over, sometimes we don't take the time to stop and think about how efficient we might be at performing certain activities. And to be honest, I'm not sure, as a host, why you wouldn't want to allow us to host your event. Yes, there are other places that do a great job at catering or preparing a buffet. But, if you want to have a sit down, full-course meal, I really think we can do the best job.

Whether it's a work group, a Rotary Club meeting, an insurance meeting, a pharmaceutical meeting, a small luncheon, a shower, wedding reception - you name it - we have the staff and the capability to leave you impressed. So whether you are in the beginning stages of planning an event or if you will take note and keep us in mind for the future... just remember all we need to impress, is a chance!