The speed at which food is served at Women’s Ministry events can make or break your schedule and your guest’s experience.

Nobody likes:

• Waiting for their food
• Cold food
• To be the last table served

Getting food out fast is a challenge!

I’ve got 10 tips to share with you today to help you get food out faster.

1. Set up double buffet lines. Pull those tables away from the wall and have lines going down both sides of the table.

2. Call tables up to get food. Your guests can visit while they are waiting and it eliminates standing for long periods of time which can be difficult for some of your older women.

3. Place your salads and desserts on the table before the event begins. It also removes the temptation to over-decorate the tables.

4. Increase the number of servers and kitchen help. Enlist youth and college students if you are struggling to find men in your church that are willing/able to serve. A good rule of thumb is at least one server per table – 2 is even better!

5. If you are distributing box lunches or pre-packaged meals set up multiple pick-up stations.

6. Utilize separate beverage and dessert stations with pre-filled drinks and plated desserts. Place someone there to re-fill and pour to keep things moving.

7. Buffet style for a large group? Set up multiple buffet stations (with the same foods). The more lines you have the faster they will move.

8. Pre-portion any food you can. Cut cakes, brownies, pies, quiche, casseroles, etc. so that your women can scoop rather than scoop and cut.

9. Put a suitable serving utensil with every single dish. Load up on utensils at The Dollar Store. This is a great help for those with food allergies too.

10. Juggling silverware at a buffet slows down the line. Either place the silverware on the tables or wrap it all nicely in a napkin so it’s easy to carry.

Your turn to share: What do you do to speed up the food service at your events?

You may also want to read:
Transform Your Coffee Station
Addressing Diets and Food Allergies
Fellowship Food Fix
8 Food Bar Ideas