How many waiting staff do I need for my event? We get this question asked quite often.Sometimes people that are not used to the events industryforget essential things like:Who will take care of the coats? Who will set up the venue? Who will clear and break down? Who will put the beverages on ice? How far is the kitchen from the dining area? How long will it take to serve everyone? Informing yourself and asking experts is always the best way to find an answer.
Example:One might think that they will need one waiter to serve food on trays for forty people, but what if a guest asks for a soft drink or there is an unexpected dietary requirement? Will this slow down the entire service? Regrettably the answer to this is yes.
We have created a table indicating how many waiting staff one needs in different scenarios, based on London events we have staffed. But before reading it let us write a disclaimer: every event is different and you should ask your caterer and/or staffing agency for their opinion.
We have staffed dinners in London where there were 44 waiting staff, 8 wine waiters, 1 manager and an event organiser for a party of 88 guests. This surely is as good a service as you can get. However,not everyone can afford this waiter/guests ratio. At the other end of the spectrum we have served weddings where there was one waiting staff for every 2 tables (with 10 guests per table) which may be suitable if you are on a budget and are not fussed about having a faultless service as most of your guests are just friends/colleagues just trying to have a good time.
EVENT TYPE
WAITERS
WINE WAITERS
BARTENDERS
SUPERVISORS
MANAGERS
3 course seated dinner for 100 – formal
10
3
0
1
1
3 course seated dinner for 100 – informal
5
0
0
0
1
3 course seated dinner with shared platters for 100 – informal
How many servers do I need for my party? A very general rule of thumb is 1 server for every 25 guests, but here are some more specific guidelines to help you determine how many servers you will need: 1 Bartender for every 50 guests. For seated dinners, 1 server for every 2 tables.
Management team: a good rule of thumb is to have a professional per 50 to 100 attendees. General staff: you require approximately five professionals per 100 attendees. Security staff: you require a security agent per 100 attendees in an indoor event.
A buffet service, where guests serve themselves from a variety of dishes, usually needs one server for every 25 to 30 guests. A co*cktail reception, where guests mingle and enjoy hors d'oeuvres and drinks, usually needs one server for every 40 to 50 guests.
A general rule of thumb is to have one server for every 10 to 15 guests, one bartender for every 50 to 75 guests, and one chef for every 25 to 50 guests.
A very general rule of thumb is 1 server for every 25 guests, but here are some more specific guidelines to help you determine how many servers you will need: 1 Bartender for every 50 guests. For seated dinners, 1 server for every 2 tables. For a buffet, 1 server for every 40 guests.
If you're hosting a party of 50, then you can offer 6 to 9 different items. Parties with over 60-75 guests can easily have 9 or more items without over doing it.
They'll get a chance to mingle while doing so, and will still have our waitstaff to depend upon for questions and cleanup. For this type of service, we recommend 1 server for every 20-30 guests can differ based on buffet spread and requirements.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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