What each service style costs, and what it does to the mood of a room.
The same menu feels like three different evenings depending on how it is served.
Plated
The most formal and the most staff-heavy: one server for every ten guests. Choose it for dinners under 200 where speeches matter.
Buffet
The best value past 150 guests, and the easiest way to offer real variety. It needs space: allow one buffet line for every hundred guests.
Live counters
The most sociable option. Guests move, queue and talk. Plan five counters for 200 guests and keep a grazing table for the gaps.
