We are pretty excited about doing something new this Thanksgiving. After talking about how crowded and cramped our table is with all the people and food, we decided to risk our lives (and tradition) and give buffet style a try.

Instead of waiting so long for the sweet potatoes to get passed to you that your food is cold, or eating your food as you get it (resulting in a perpetually empty plate), you can skip along the line and fill your plate as you please.

This also cuts out any awkward comments on “Oh, are you not eating turkey? You must never eat meat” or, “Why aren’t you eating much?” (answer: pie > mashed potatoes).

We are very much looking forward to trying out buffet style, and with that extra room on the table we might even spruce it up with some fancy napkin folding!

How to put on THE BEST Buffet!

Give the appearance of abundance.

When you think of a buffet, you probably don’t envision a dinner where there is just barely enough food for all of your guests. Buffets should give the appearance of abundance, inviting people to enjoy the bounty. But does this mean making twice as much food as you need in order to put on a buffet spread? Nope!

Try scooting all your dishes of food close together, giving the table a feel of fullness. If you are serving a small crowd, keep the food over at one side of the table and fill the other side with decorations, drinks, or plates and flatware.

If you do have enough food to fill the table, place dishes at varying heights, such as tea sandwiches on a tiered platter and deviled eggs on an oblong tray. This buys you some extra room and also makes the table a little more upscale.

Keep plates at the front end of the table.

Obvious, right? people need something to put the food on. But put just the plates at the front. If you have silverware, napkins, cups, and plates at the front of the table, something is going down before guests reach the end of the buffet line.

Keep the silverware at the finishing end of the table.

Trying to juggle your silverware while you fill your plate at a buffet is not the easiest thing to do. Place the silverware at the end of the table so guests can pick it up on the way to their seat. If you have time, bundle the silverware in the napkin, or purchase them this way. Setting them out like this prevents people from dropping silverware.

One downside to bundling the napkins and silverware is that people end up taking (and tossing) a knife, fork, and spoon, even if they only needed a fork. If you are using real silverware, this isn’t really a concern. Whatever you do, just make sure your guests have easy access to the silverware and napkins, and that they don’t have to hold them the whole time they are in line for food.

Keep beverages at a separate table.

My family is odd in that the minute guests arrive we are ready to eat. Maybe we don’t like to socialize? Who knows. But if your event allows for people to mingle before the food is served, it is nice to keep beverages at a separate table with the cups. This way people don’t feel like they are rushing things by stepping up to the buffet table to get a drink.

Serve recognizable foods.

Unless you walk with an adventurous crowd, keep your menu basic enough for people to recognize. It can also help to provide labels for each dish, so people know exactly what they are getting. As a (mostly) vegetarian, I appreciate knowing if I am eating vegetable egg rolls or shrimp egg rolls (sorry to shrimp lovers; that’s just one thing I don’t do).

Set up your serving to be one-hand friendly.

Two-piece bamboo salad tongs are classy, but trying to use them while holding a plate in one hand is just asking for trouble. Keep your serving utensils one-hand friendly by using tongs or large spoons. It’s also a good idea to leave a little space along the edge of the buffet table so people can set their plate down if they need to.

Consider setting up two lines.

If you are serving a large group, consider setting up two or more lines of food. People are much happier when they don’t have to wait forever in line for food. They are already hungry, don’t make them hangry.

Make trash cans easily accessible.

I recently went to a wedding in downtown Denver at the clocktower. It was a great wedding, full of character and personal touches. The unique venue was not especially spacious, and the trash cans were well hidden. I had no choice but to happily munch sliced fruit and cheese cubes until we discovered a trash can. Not a bad situation for me.

It can be awkward as a guest to ask where the trash can is, so try to make it easily accessible. Empty it often too so that it doesn’t become an eyesore.

Equip yourself to give away the goods.

Unless you have plans for the leftovers, have some containers ready for guests to take food home in. Restaurant-style Styrofoam containers can usually be purchased as stores like Sams Club, but I go the simple (and free) route of using empty margarine or whipped topping tubs, or having guests bring their own containers. If the buffet is for an office party or something with a bit of a classy feel, don’t go the butter tub route; purchase something specifically intended for leftovers.