Buffet: In buffet style, caterers offer one or more tables laden with different types of food. Modern buffets often incorporate a “hot station,” where the catering staff either serves food kept warm in terrenes or actually prepares food cooked to order while guests wait. Buffets are considered less formal than sit-down meals, but ensure every guest will find something they enjoy. They also allow you to skip reply menu cards and can make donating leftover food easier, added bonuses from an environmental standpoint.

Family Style: Family style offers a sort of hybrid between the sit-down meal and the buffet with large platters served to each table. Guests’ then help themselves. Family style meals feel more intimate than formal sit-down dinners, but allow those notorious double dippers to wreak havoc if communal dips and sauces are included in the spread.

Food Stations: A less formal and more versatile version of the buffet, each food station offers a different type of food (meat, fish, pasta, etc) or a different themed selection (South West, Israeli, etc). Food stations are fun because they offer a lot of variety but require more staff and more space to set up than a traditional buffet, often increasing cost.

French/Russian Service: These styles are similar to family style, but waiters bring around large serving dishes and either serve guests (French Style) or have guests serve themselves (Russian Style). These styles are considered very elegant, and offer the benefits of a buffet without the lines.

Sit-Down: The sit-down style meal is served like you are in a traditional restaurant where waiters bring out various courses one place setting at a time. Some vendors require guests to pre-order their meals, while others offer a limited menu card and come around to take guests’ orders. Many sit-down meals are preceded by a cocktail hour where hors d’oeuvres are either passed, served buffest style or offered in both formats.