A buffet is the easiest way to serve a crowd—simply prep, set it out and let
people serve themselves. Here’s how to pull it off with panache.
Utilize
open space.
Create more space for party guests to serve themselves at
your outdoor buffet by keeping all table sides open. The buffet will feel less
crowded and you’ll
be able to fill the whole table, keeping everything within easy reach.
Add
height to your buffet.
Make your buffet table appear larger and more visually
appealing by adding height. Here, a tall bouquet of flowers, a fruit-infused
water pitcher and a tiered cupcake display add height in different
places on the outdoor buffet table.
Add
color with food.
Don’t fret about trying to create the perfect outdoor buffet
display with servingware, napkins and decorations in the right hues—let your food do the work. A platter of
brightly colored veggies, such as tomatoes, carrots, beets, beans and radishes,
doubles as a bright buffet decoration.
Use
clear drink pitchers.
Show off fancy party drinks, such as fruit-infused water or
lemonade, in clear pitchers. Party guests will immediately see their drink
options, and the fruit and herbs in the pitchers will add pops of color to your outdoor buffet
table spread.
Label
each dish.
If you’re hosting an outdoor potluck, label each dish on the
buffet spread as soon as it arrives. Guests—especially ones with dietary
restrictions—will
appreciate knowing what each dish is. If you have various sauces and garnishes
for each dish, make sure you label those as well.
Create
a themed outdoor buffet.
Stick with a simple decorating theme to create a cohesive outdoor buffet spread. Here, we
used garden elements, such as large pots and birdbaths, for servingware
and stashed silverware in a small ceramic pot secured to a wrought-iron frame
adorned with wildflowers.
Label
individual drink glasses.
For a smaller outdoor buffet, decorate clear glasses with
paper drink labels for each party guest. To get the look as shown here, use
pinking shears to cut a band of patterned oilcloth to fit around each glass.
Glue or sew a white oilcloth rectangle to the center of the band, then adhere
the ends of the band together to fit around the glass. You can write each guest’s name on the glass beforehand,
or provide permanent markers on the drink tray so they can do their own.
Tip: The oilcloth band should easily slip over the narrower
bottom of a glass and slide upward until it stays snugly in place.
Wrap
individual servings.
Add pops of color—and decrease the need for paper plates—by using brightly colored cloth
napkins to wrap individual sandwiches on an outdoor buffet tray. Party guests
can grab their sandwiches and napkins all at once.
Tip: If you’re serving different types of sandwiches, wrap them in
different colored napkins to signify each selection.
Serve
food in simple containers.
For a polished, put-together look on your outdoor buffet
table, skip serving outdoor food staples, such as potato chips, in their
original packaging. Instead, line galvanized pails with napkins, but keep the
original bags nearby so you can refill as needed.
Organize
silverware.
Keep silverware organized on an outdoor buffet spread in
labeled clear plastic containers. To make the labels shown here, cut out thin
circles of cork and carefully attach paper labels using a thumbtack. Attach the
cork circles to the plastic containers with thin adhesive strips. A quicker
alternative: decorate large mailing labels with a colored pen and adhere to the
plastic containers.