While planning for opening, the F&B team at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston, took advantage of the opportunity to consider banquet service from new perspectives and perhaps do things differently. “As a new hotel, we had to think about each buffet setup,” says Sala Chnioui, director of banquets. “Our idea was for the buffet to be sleek and clean, not cluttered or crowded. So we took a look from an operational standpoint and also from the guest perspective. We asked, ‘Is it easy to get to the plates, silverware, and napkins? Does it create a traffic jam?’ We looked at how a guest typically approaches a buffet. They like to view a table from all corners and tend to go right to the middle to have a look around.”

Chnioui and his team recognized the stream of guests rubbernecking in the middle of the buffet was a traffic problem. Grazing guests had to wind around to find plates, napkins, and silverware before working their way back to the center for the food that first caught their interest. Their solution was to move away from self-serve platters and chafing dishes entirely and present all buffet food in individual servings. “Wherever the guest goes, there’s a small plate with the food already on it,” Chnioui says. “We figured having pre-plated servings at all sections of the buffet eliminates the extra trip.”

At each station, an attendant continuously replenishes the individual plates. And the room is filled with servers bussing as guests cycle through all those little plates.

Since opening in October 2008, the team has implemented a variety of buffet stations using this approach. “Our paella station has a chef in back cooking on a couple of induction burners,” Chnioui says, noting that, in Boston, ordinances disallow open flames at buffets. “The paella is dished into individual bowls and put on beautifully shaped glasses that form risers with unique legs.” Chnioui also uses S-shaped dishes as individual cheese plates, perched on a giant cheese display wheel.

The rustic Asian Heritage station uses bricks for display, with Sterno placed in the middle beneath a Chinese wok with bamboo. The station serves duck spring rolls and prawn tiger shrimp, with hot water and spices providing enticing aromas.

“We also do a carving fish—red snapper with the head,” Chnioui explains. “We position the fish so it is sitting up looking at you. It makes a big impact on everyone who sees it.” Another marquis presentation is a full roast pig.

For buffet décor, “We have funky tables from Australia in black and red oak colors,” Chnioui says. The tables are made of pressed wood with reversible laminate tops, allowing for a skirtless table on folding steel legs. “We always discuss what colors will complement the buffet, and we flip them whichever way looks best.”

For banquet bar service, the hotel has three mobile bars, each with two separate semi-circle bars that may be used alone or together as a full circle. The back of each has a shelf for glassware, a cabinet on the bottom for extras, and a container in the middle for items on ice, such as wine, bar juice, beers, and sparkling wines.

“Many banquet bars have a black linen-wrapped area,” Chnioui says. “This eliminates that. The back is curved and has a platform on the right for making mixed drinks. It also has a drainage system, shelving system, and a couple of cabinets. It’s very straightforward and neat.”

“These strategies and attention to detail have increased business for us,” Chnioui reports. “We’ve been in operation a short time but have had significant success, and the best way to tell this is by the fact that many groups have rebooked their event business with us for next year. The word-of-mouth marketing is very important in generating new business, especially in the wedding and social markets.

“We know that we have exposed our clients to something new, beyond regular banqueting food presentations, and we feel that the community has embraced our ideas. We have the opportunity to express our Oriental heritage in our food presentations, and it is a joy to see how many of our guests enjoy taking photos of these as memories to take home with them.”

John Paul Boukis helped develop the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s publishing division and is a founding editor of HOTEL F&B. He is based in Tampa.

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