Tips for Creating Your Thanksgiving Buffet

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner? Unless your dining table is gargantuan, you're going to need to set up a buffet. Here are some tips to pull off your Thanksgiving buffet without a hitch.

Choose a Roomy Location
Choose a location with plenty of space, ideally one where guests can pass on both sides of the buffet table. The last thing you want is guests bumping into each other with plates full of food!

Optimize the Layout
There's an optimal way to lay out your buffet that makes it so you guests can breeze through. Start with plates, then main dishes, then sides, and then napkins and cutlery (pro tip: roll the cutlery in napkins). The logic is simple: you need to start with a plate, otherwise you have nothing to put the food on; you arrange your sides around your main course, so start with the main; and you don't want to have to hold cutlery while you serve yourself piping hot food, so leave it for the end.

Keep the Food Warm
Use chafing dishes with chafing fuel to make sure the food is still warm when guests go back for seconds. There's no need for expensive metal chafing dishes. Foil ones work just as well, plus they store neatly in your fridge when the meal is over, so there's no extra dishes!

Label the Food
Help out your guests with special dietary restrictions by labeling each dish. List the major allergens and if the dish is vegan/vegetarian. Use labels with festive designs so that they add a decorative touch as well.

Set Up Separate Stations for Drinks and Desserts
By setting up a separate table for drinks and desserts, you make sure that guests who just want a quick refill aren't slowing the buffet traffic. Plus, guests who skip seconds and go straight to dessert don't have to wait and have all their options conveniently laid out.

Don't Put Every Dinner Food on the Buffet
Certain side dishes, condiments, and spices are best placed on the dining table so that guests can access them without having to get up. Salt and pepper, cranberry sauce, gravy, and any condiments are all items for the dining table.

Create Your Best Buffet This Thanksgiving With Party City
Shop Party City for all your buffet needs. Find tablecloths, chafing dishes, plates, rolled cutlery, and everything else you need to create your best Thanksgiving buffet.