CWPR Fall 2016

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B A N Q U E T S , R E C E P T I O N S , S H O W E R S & P A R T I E S
C H I C A G O W E D D I N G & P A R T Y R E S O U R C E
16
Station to Station
Whatever your wedding vibe, food stations
allow you to offer a variety of delicious fare
that is sure to satisfy all your hungry guests
By Jill Jaracz, CTW Features
How many wedding receptions have
you suffered through where you’ve been
starving and have had to choke down a
plate of rubber chicken, yet you told the
bride and groom the food was delicious?
The days of cookie-cutter plated dinners
and lukewarm buffets are over. Enter the
food station, a way to create a unique
dining experience your guests will
remember for years.
Food stations are good for personalizing
because you can turn them into vignettes
of yourself. Couples can create food
stations around their personal history. For
example, if you met in Chicago, you could
create a Chicago-style hot dog station. You
can share elements of your romantic story
in food.
It becomes interactive. Food stations can
encourage conversation among guests
and create camaraderie, particularly if
the station is more interactive, such as a
carving station or fresh pasta station.
It also means that your guests don’t have to
enviously eye other tables that get served
or asked to go to the buffet first. Guests
don’t have to wait for food, they can just
start having fun.
As fun as food stations can be, they do take
some planning. For starters, you really have
to think about the type of food you serve.
Food stations can be all over the board.
They should complement one another, and
the menu should have continuity.
Food stations also can help couples
accommodate guests who have food
allergies or sensitivities as well as those
who have specific food preferences.
Guests love choosing from multiple food
stations, but it’s important to have staff at
the stations who are vigilant about keeping
foods neat and tidy. If you have a mashed
potato bar or a salad station, toppings can
get mixed. A caterer will always make sure
food separation will happen.
Figuring out how many food stations
you’ll need certainly takes planning. For a
wedding with 150 guests, have two types of
meats and a salad station, keeping in mind
that each station is like a mini buffet.
Although food stations can be a hit with
your guests, they also inflate your budget if
you’re not careful. Some stations, such as a
carving station or fresh pasta bar, require
extra staff. 483 Spring Road | Elmhurst, IL | 630-279-8486
www.robertosristorante.com
At Roberto’s, we
would love to help
you entertain, whether
it’s a wedding, birth-
day, corporate events
or any other occasion.
Our private parties
o er a beautiful
setting, gracious
service and of course,
extraordinary cuisine!
Roberto’s dining
rooms can accommo-
date up to 55 guests.
Warm, inviting, and
look
forward to serving
you soon!
Additionally, each station requires its own
plates and silverware. The more stations
you have, the more you’ll need to budget
for china, silverware and staff to transport
and clean it.
Still, an evening of food stations can be a
hit with your guests and allow you to cater
to a variety of palates for the entire evening
– for appetizers, the main course, dessert
and after-dinner snack stations. It’s like a
choose-your-own-adventure kind of deal!
© CTW Features