The casseroles are rarely what ruins a Christmas buffet. The line is. Church potluck tables taught me the pattern: plates at the wrong end, the ham out of reach, fifty hungry people queued behind one spoon.
For 50 guests, run one double-sided line on three 8-foot tables: plates first, hot dishes together, meat last, napkins at the end. Rx Catering NWA prices Christmas dinners at $18.95 per person with a 10-person minimum, so 50 guests cost 50 x $18.95 = $947.50.
That caterer cooks in its Fayetteville kitchen and delivers across Northwest Arkansas. Here is the layout I would hand any host.
What order should a Christmas buffet line run in?
Plates come first and napkins come last. The Ellen's Kitchen buffet guide says: "Put plates at the beginning of the table and napkins and silverware at the end." It also says to "start with breads, appetizers, salads, soups, starches and other side dishes, then main courses." That fits an Rx Catering NWA holiday dinner, which is a meat plus one holiday vegetable, one holiday side, a bread and a salad.
- Plates, stacked at the head of the table.
- Salad, served cold: Garden, Caesar, Cranberry Walnut or Strawberry.
- Bread: Cheese Biscuits, Assorted Rolls or Hawaiian Sweet Rolls.
- The holiday side, such as Traditional Cornbread Dressing or Mashed Potatoes with Gravy.
- The holiday vegetable, such as Glazed Carrots or Green Bean Casserole.
- The meat: Holiday Ham, Smoked Turkey, Beef Brisket or Pork Tenderloin.
- Napkins and cutlery at the tail.
The meat sits last because Ellen's Kitchen notes that most caterers put the most costly entree last in line. The same guide lets meats move to the front when servers carve. The Smoked Turkey dinner brings dressing, gravy and cranberry sauce, so those go beside the bird.
Desserts get their own table, and so do drinks, one table for every 50 to 100 guests.
Where do the chafing dishes go on a buffet table?
Put every chafing dish in one unbroken run, hot beside hot, after the cold salad and bread. Ellen's Kitchen says to "group the hot next to the hot, and the cold next to the cold." It also allows "approximately 2 running feet of buffet table for each food container."
A holiday dinner is five containers: salad, bread, side, vegetable and meat. Add Sweet Potato Casserole as a second vegetable and that is six. Six containers x 2 feet = 12 feet down one side of the line. Mirror the same dishes down the other side and the total is 12 containers x 2 feet = 24 feet. That matches the guide's double line for 50 to 60 guests: "at least 3 standard tables (24 feet of line, maximum 12 items.)"
Four of those six dishes are hot, so a mirrored line needs eight chafing dishes. Ask Rx Catering NWA how many arrive with an order of 50.
How many serving lines does a buffet for 50 need?
Fifty guests need one double-sided line, which counts as two lines. Ellen's Kitchen is blunt about it: "each fifty people require their own double serving line; 200 people, means 4 separate 2-sided serving lines." The same page says one 8-foot table "services only 20 to 30 people."
Run the division. Fifty guests over 30 per table is 1.7 tables, and over 20 per table is 2.5. Round up to three tables and you land on the guide's double line.
Two more rules keep the line moving. Parts Town's buffet guide calls for a "clear start point and end point to avoid traffic jams." Ellen's Kitchen caps holding time: "NO item can be left on the line for more than 2 hours." Open the line when guests are ready to eat, not when the pans arrive.
What does the host provide, and what is set up on site?
Rx Catering NWA brings the food and the setup, and the host brings the room and the headcount. Trained delivery drivers carry the order to "your office, home, church hall, or venue." Events get chafing dishes set up on site, while office lunches arrive in insulated carriers, ready to serve. Hot catered meals come with plates, napkins, cutlery and serving utensils, so nothing needs washing afterward.
The host's list is short:
- The room, with about 24 feet of clear floor for a double line.
- Tables and linens: ask whether they come with the order, and plan to cover whatever does not.
- Headcount, date, delivery address and every allergy, ready when you call.
- A drink table, with cups and ice unless Rx says otherwise.
One Google reviewer, Bjay Delatorre, wrote: "Their staff arrived early and set everything up perfectly." That is the goal: a line standing before the first guest walks in.
What does Christmas buffet catering in Fayetteville, AR cost for 50 guests?
A full buffet for 50 comes to $1,349.44, about $26.99 a guest, at Rx Catering NWA's listed prices. Each line below is a menu price multiplied out.
- Holiday dinners: 50 x $18.95 = $947.50.
- Extra Sweet Potato Casserole at $3.50 per person: 50 x $3.50 = $175.00.
- Brownie Bites and Mini Cheesecake Bites at $24.99 a dozen, three dozen of each: 6 x $24.99 = $149.94.
- Sweet tea at $11.00 a gallon. Two 8-ounce glasses for each of 50 guests is 800 ounces, about 6.25 gallons, so 7 gallons x $11.00 = $77.00.
Add it up: $947.50 + $175.00 + $149.94 + $77.00 = $1,349.44, and $1,349.44 / 50 = $26.99 a guest. Those are menu prices, so call for the final quote on your date.
A drop-in party can run cheaper. Sliced Beef Brisket with Party Rolls is $10.99 per person, so 50 x $10.99 = $549.50 for the brisket alone.
When should a Christmas buffet order go in?
Rx Catering NWA asks for 24 hours' notice and can deliver the same day when the schedule allows. December fills up, so booking earlier is wiser, above all for a Friday lunch or a Saturday party in the weeks before Christmas.
Rx Catering NWA is at 121 West Township Street, Fayetteville, AR 72703. Call (479) 502-9879 Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 5 PM or Saturday from 7 AM to 3 PM. For Christmas buffet catering in Fayetteville, AR, every vegetable, side and bread in the holiday dinner is listed at rxcatering.net.
Christmas buffet questions
What is the minimum for a holiday dinner?
Each holiday dinner package has a 10-person minimum at $18.95 per person. Ten guests cost 10 x $18.95 = $189.50.
Which towns does Rx Catering NWA deliver to?
Rx Catering NWA delivers to the Fayetteville area, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and the towns around them, plus Fort Smith, Van Buren and Harrison.
Can the buffet cover gluten-free and vegetarian guests?
Gluten-free hot entrees are marked GF on the printed menu, and vegetarian dishes like Veggie Lasagna and Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms are on the regular menu. Mention every allergy when you call.