Banquets are generally large dinners with several courses that are part of a celebration or ceremony. In any operation, but particularly in an operation involving as many unique and disparate elements as a banquet, it is important to understand how each element affects the others. Planning decisions do not exist in a vacuum. A plan works or doesn’t work as it fits in with the entire flow of the event. Thus, you must consider each aspect of a banquet, not in isolation, but in the context of its impact on all other considerations. In addition, banquets take place in real space and time, with real people. You must take into account how your guests and your employees flow through the space and time of the event if you are to set up and service a functional banquet. Few businesses challenge the full range of a manger’s skill like the catering business. From an intimate, gourmet dinner for a select group, to a reception for several thousand, every event tests your ability to plan, communicate and lead. This book is an effort to help the readers understand how banquet and outdoor functions are organised and executed.
