Restaurant equipment needed for breakfast buffet: Tips to help you get started
Breakfast buffets are a great way to get your restaurant ready for an influx of customers. It’s no secret that breakfast buffets are very popular in the industry.
It is essential to make your menu stand out from the other restaurants in town. A breakfast buffet is essentially the same as a lunch or dinner buffet, substitute breakfast food items.
It can be hard to figure out what equipment you’ll need and how much it will cost when starting this type of business, but don’t worry; I have some tips that should help streamline everything for you!
What does a breakfast buffet consist of?
A buffet is a self-serve breakfast. The buffet setup should be simple and easy to use with minimal production of dishes and silverware. The first step to starting a breakfast buffet is determining what specific types of food you want.
Breakfast buffets are typically a large-scale operation offering many different dishes. It usually consists of bread, jam, cereals, pastries and cold meats, dairy products, and cooked hot dishes. Fruit, eggs, pancakes, french toast, and waffles are often served as well.
What will you need to execute an entire shift without washing a dish?
You’ll need to ensure you have an adequate number of serving dishes in different sizes. You should also invest in a large assortment of plates, bowls, cups (for both hot and cold beverages).
A large variety of silverware is essential for your buffet. Most customers will use multiple utensils since they are picking from a wide array of different types of items.
For example, a customer will use a bowl and spoon for yogurt, a fork and small plate for fruit, another bowl and spoon for oatmeal, a large plate fork and knife for an omelet, a coffee cup, and a spoon for their tea. As you can see, having enough silverware for every buffet goer will be the key to a successful, smooth-running breakfast buffet.
Some buffets find it most beneficial to have a place setting with silverware set up at each table. This idea is helpful because it limits the number of dishes and flatware each customer uses.
What is the Best Buffet Equipment for your Food Service Operation?
The best equipment for your buffet depends on the setup, space, and number of people.
A serving station can help increase efficiency by having multiple stations without sacrificing quality or presentation. Some examples of serving stations are specific to omelet making and carving meats.
The most important and expensive part of a breakfast buffet is the food, so it’s critical to have high-quality equipment that provides the best presentation.
Below is a breakdown of the most necessary items for your breakfast buffet:
- Variety of different plates for your customers to use while plating their buffet favorites
- Serving utensils that are appropriate for the food you’re offering, such as forks, spoons, and knives.
- A Conveyor toaster, which can toast large quantities of items quickly. It’s also helpful if your food service is high volume because it takes less time than an oven or stovetop skillet. Another option is a countertop toaster.
- Syrup warmers, keep this item at the end of the buffet for pancakes, french toast, and waffles.
- Oatmeal dispensers will help reduce the mess during breakfast service.
- Beverage Disperser: Orange juice – or any other fresh juice, is also a great place to have milk since the dispensing is quick and straightforward for customers.
- Serving Tray: Unless you’re solely serving plated breakfast items, serving trays is essential to helping guests gather their breakfasts for easy carrying.
- Coffee Brewer: Keep this near other beverages so your customers can utilize the milk as well.
- A hot food station (steam tables and chafing dishes) is where you’ll be able to cook eggs on demand and keep already made hot dishes warm and fresh during buffet hours.
- A cold food station with fruit and yogurt or salads is essential not to spoil your food. Here is also a good place for different bread and cold pastries.
- Cereal dispensers are an excellent investment that keeps the buffet line moving and clean while customers pick out their selection.
- Display bowls and dishes to hold items like shredded cheese, salsa, and cottage cheese.
