On 8/16/2012 11:59 AM, Ema Nymton wrote:
> On 8/16/2012 10:21 AM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
>> One problem is that the more meat people see, the more they will take.
>> But if they see plenty of other food, they will take less. If there
>> will be salads, chips, desserts, etc., I would get eight to ten
>> pounds.
>
> In my experience, you are so right. I put out deli meats for a
> conference, and the meat disappeared in no time, we had to run back to
> the store. I would choose 3 different meats and 2 different cheeses,
> the larger your selection to choose from, the slower the line will move.
>
> Use one tray consisting of a 2-3 pound display of meat at a time, and
> keep replacing it with new trays. We had a nice selection of food to
> choose from, but that did not matter, people went directly for the
> meat. Lesson learned.

The very first really large event I coordinated/catered, the buffet
featured two meats and a veggie alternative for the non meat-eaters.
We ran into huge trouble within minutes: the meat eaters got their
meat or meats, then went straight to the veggie alternative and helped
themselves to that, too. Since there was less of that to begin with,
we ran out right away. Crisis.

A quick phone call to a local restaurant got me a couple of pans of
another veggie alternative to finish out the event, but I learned a
valuable lesson: if the vegetarian entree looks delicious, the
carnivores will plunder that, too. Plan accordingly.