Chafers: Old Fashioned or Industry Stalwart? Hoteliers’ thoughts on the future of this banquet and catering staple. By Michael Costa
HARBOR BEACH MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA Fort Lauderdale, Florida
David Cronin, Director of F&B
“Food and beverage has changed dramatically over the last five years. Food
shows now dominate the networks, and it’s cool to be a chef. We want our
guests to be a part of the show, so my team
and I prefer to make each event an experience
by using action stations and unique
presentation plates. Chefs creating fresh food
and interacting directly with guests enhance
the event by making it more fun and
educational. It’s also easier to control portion
size, and the food quality is superior. That
said, chafers are not obsolete and are ideal
for very large groups with time constraints—
the key is to replenish often. Cost is always
a factor, as the labor on action stations is
higher, and not all groups are willing to pay
that premium. This is why it’s so important
to make the customer a part of the process at
the sales phase and sell the action stations as
an experience, just like theater.”
SHERATON NASSAU BEACH RESORT Nassau, Bahamas
Ricardo Pearce, Director of F&B
“While chafing dishes are not used as often as they were in
the past, there will always be a need for them—particularly
for events with large numbers of people in an outdoor setting,
where the chances of food temperature loss is more
likely. For example, we use chafers on our vast beach and
pool areas for Junkanoo
BBQ and Fish Fry events.
Junkanoo is a local cultural
festival celebrated in the
early mornings of Boxing
Day and New Year’s
Day, and Fish Fry is open
outdoor cooking, usually
frying seafood delicacies
such as conch, grouper,
and snapper. We also use
chafers for many cocktail
receptions and themed buffet
meals. Overall, chafers
are definitely not outdated
and are still essential for
many events.”
FELCOR LODGING TRUST Irving, Texas (Headquarters)
Don Falgoust, VP of F&B
“Chafers are remembered for
their historical value, but I
believe they may be old school.
I do recognize there is a time
when, because of some volume
applications, chafers are required,
but we’re continuing toward
more contemporary ways
of displaying hot food. There
are some neat things happening
with induction cooking.
I’ve seen people making use
of over-sized cast-iron skillets
with a remote heating element,
like a disguised heat lamp, to
display food for guests. We’re
always looking at residential items for presentation, such as
hibachis, cast-iron skillets, miniature brick ovens, and things
of that nature. “
EMBASSY SUITES-PARSIPPANY Parsippany, New Jersey
Christopher Akoury, Director of F&B, New Jersey Cluster Director of F&B for Hilton
“For some corporate clients, the chafing dish
is not the preferred serving piece since it does
not allow our chef to truly show off his food.
We use cast-iron skillets to showcase our
food for all of our corporate clients. By using
the skillets, we’re able to serve restaurantquality
food in banquets, and the skillets
allow the aromas of the food to fill the air. I
still believe the traditional chafing dish does
have a place for our social clients though.
Social events normally run at a slower pace,
and traditional chafers hold the food hot for
a longer period of time than the skillets do.
And our social clients still want a traditional
look, from the room sets to the foodservice.”
Michael Costa’s culinary school training and work as a journalist—in addition to several years of hotel F&B
experience—enhance his position as Industry Relations Editor for HOTEL F&B.
