The Banquet Manager

The banquet is a large range of service styles for catering activities such as weddings, award ceremonies, charity dinners, and sports teams where food & beverage are served for a pre-arranged and pre-fixed number of peoples, date & time, menu and price agreed. There is service characterized by uniform décor, including round dinner tables topped with utensils and drink-ware for each guest. It is a place where guests having their Food and Beverage together.

The banquet Manager is over-all in-charge of the events. He administrates, deals with guests, and coordinating all the arrangements. The Supervisor assists the banquet manager, he/she coordinates the function arrangement, set up, control staff, and allocate the job. The Waiters and Assistant Waiters make the actual agreements and do the service. The banquet representatives are present with the fact sheets, layouts, and ensure functions that guests are satisfied completely. The secretary is responsible for handles all correspondence and filing and often take bookings on the phone.

Banquet Booking Procedure

A special information sheet called a Function sheet or Function Prospectus is used to record the details of a booking. The type of information recorded is:

Name of booking party, Name of person to whom the bill is to be sent to, Nature and type of function, Date and Time of function, Maximum number of people expected and Minimum number guaranteed ( guaranteed minimum number of people for whom a charge will be made even if the numbers are lesser then minimum), Menu and Type of service requirements, alcohol and Non-alcoholic drinks to be served, Type of table layout, Special arrangement such as, band, microphones, lectures, ramps, flowers, ice-sculptures, etc., Price to be charged per person, Price for hall and special arrangements.

Banquet Table Layouts and Procedure to service a State Banquet

The type of layout is dependent upon:

Nature of function, Numbers of covers, Size of hall allocated, Desires of the guest, The type of service to be provided.

Reception and Dinner preliminaries

It is customary for a banquet to start with a cocktail. Snacks and drinks are served. The cocktail lasts usually for half an hour.

Before reception and dinner start the Mise-en-place has to be done. All cutleries should be on the table arranged neatly for the number of courses to be served. Fruit knife and fork are not kept but a place on the sideboard. Various wine glasses are kept. Water goblets are placed (Liqueur and cordial glasses are never placed). Salt and pepper shakers and the bread and butter are placed on the table. The name of the guest is written on cards which are placed at the head of the cover where the guest is to sit. Seating should be arranged such that gentlemen and ladies are seated alternately. Husband and wife should sit opposite each other. A station number-stand should be placed prominently for easy identification of waiters. Napkins should be attractively folded for each cover. Flower vases with fresh flowers should be placed on the table.

Once the dinner is ready on the table line, the announcer rang three times and announce “Mr. Chairman, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, dinner/lunch is ready to serve” in a loud clear, formal, and pleasant tone voice. The diner hall door is opened and guests take their seats. The waiting staff stands at attention at their respective station. The staffs make sure that the service is going smooth and hassle-free.

The Space and Guest per Waiter

Usually, a banquet table accommodates two to six guests on each side. There should be Spaces between covers a minimum of 20” and a maximum of 32” per covers (24” ideally). Space between tables should be a minimum of 4 feet to 6 feet. Two waiters are allocated to 8-10 covers/per table or four waiters to 20-24 covers/per table. The wine waiter may serve up-to 30-35 covers depend on the service styles, too many varieties of alcohol/non-alcohol may need 2-3 waiters to manage the service. All the services depend upon the types of service. If it is buffet then the waiters have to be behind the dish counter to serve them if needed. If it is Pre plated services then the guest will sit on their tables and the waiters will serve them on the table as per the allocation.

The banquet supervisor normally stands behind the chairman during the meal and the manager stand right opposite the banquet supervisor for signal or instructions.

Timing and Movement

The waiters stand at the allotted station when the guests arrive in the banquet hall.
Waiters draw the chairs out to enables guests to sit. Ladies are given first preference.
The wine waiter stands near the last chair of the table and also helps in the seating of the guests.
After all, guests are seated the banquet manager signals the functions supervisor to commencing service.
Note: Timing is the most important element in this service which should be done with precision and grace.
Service starts only after a signal is received given that the function captain has served the chairman.
On getting the signal the function supervisor commences removing the chairman’s plate.
The waiter carries continental trays for clearance and another waiter comes with a napkin in hand.
On getting the signal they do the clearance, removes soiled dishes, and stacking them properly on the clearance tray held by the waiter.
Every time clearance is done, all soiled dishes and cutlery about that course only, are removed and replace for the next dish.
Before the dessert is served, all salt and pepper shakers, sauces, bread, and butter along with the soiled dishes and cutlery are removed.
Side by side the dessert spoon is placed on the right and the dessert fork on the left.
The wine waiters do not go out with other waiters, but stay back and serve wines according to courses and serve water. They may also take orders for drinks.
The wine glasses are usually not removed but, red wine glasses may be removed before serving dessert.
Cognac and liqueurs are served by the wine waiter.
Coffee (Black) is served from the right and demitasse cups are placed from the right.

Toast Procedure after the Meal

The coffee cups are been placed in front of the guests, the toastmaster announces “My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, pray silence for Mr. Chairman who will propose the toast”. Ashtrays are put as soon as this has been announced. The toast indicates that the meal is over and guests are allowed to smoke. Coffee is poured. The wine butler quickly moves and serves cognac or liqueurs. Ashtrays are frequently changed by covering the used one and remove both together and replacing it with the clean one.