Buffet Management

Getting Started

Before running your first buffet session, you need to set up stations and at least one template. Stations represent physical serving areas (e.g. Hot Station, Salad Bar, Dessert Counter), and templates define which menu items go where along with pricing and portion planning.

Common Tasks

How to Create Buffet Stations (Hot Station, Salad Bar, etc.)

Stations represent the physical serving areas where food is displayed during a buffet.

1. Go to Restaurant → Buffet Manager in the left sidebar
2. Click the Stations tab
3. Click Add Station
4. Enter a Name (e.g. "Hot Station", "Salad Bar")
5. Select a Station Type: Hot, Cold, Carving, Grill, Dessert, Beverage, Bread, Seafood, or Custom
6. Optionally set Capacity (number of items the station can hold) and a Display Order
7. Click Create

Result: The station is now available when building templates and will appear as a grouping on the session dashboard during live service.

How to Create a Buffet Template (Breakfast Buffet, Dinner Buffet, etc.)

Templates are reusable buffet configurations that define pricing, menu items, station assignments, and portion planning.

1. Go to Restaurant → Buffet Manager and click the Templates tab
2. Click Create Template
3. Enter a Name (e.g. "Breakfast Buffet")
4. Select a Meal Period: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper, or Custom
5. Set Adult Price, Child Price, and Infant Price
6. Click Create to save the template
7. Click the template row to open the Template Editor

Result: A new template is created. Next, add menu items to it.

How to Add Menu Items to a Template (Template Editor)

Assign existing menu items to stations within a template, with portion and waste planning.

1. Open a template from the Templates tab (click the row)
2. Click Add Item
3. Select a Menu Item from the dropdown (items already in this template are filtered out)
4. Select a Station where this item will be served
5. Set the Portion Factor — servings per cover (e.g. 1.0 = every guest gets one, 0.5 = half the guests take this item)
6. Set the Waste Factor % — expected waste percentage (default 10%)
7. Click Add Item

Result: The item appears in the template's item list. The Cost Simulator card at the top updates automatically, showing estimated total food cost, cost per cover, and revenue for 100 covers.

How to Create a Buffet Session (Daily Service)

A session represents one buffet service period (e.g. today's breakfast). It copies items from the template and calculates production quantities based on expected covers.

1. Go to Restaurant → Buffet Manager, Sessions tab
2. Click New Session
3. Select a Template (e.g. "Breakfast Buffet")
4. Select the Date for the session
5. Set Start Time and End Time (pre-filled from template defaults)
6. Enter Expected Covers (the system auto-forecasts from reservations + historical walk-in averages, but you can override)
7. Click Create Session

Result: A session is created in PLANNED status. All template items are copied as session items with planned quantities calculated using the formula: expectedCovers × portionFactor × (1 + wasteFactor%) × portionBuffer.

How to Prepare for a Buffet (Production Tab)

Use the Production tab to review what needs to be prepared, check ingredient availability, and track preparation progress.

1. Open the session from the Sessions tab or the dashboard card
2. Click Start Prep in the header to move to PREP status
3. The Production tab shows the prep list grouped by station
4. Review Ingredient Availability — items show green (sufficient), amber (shortfall), or red (critical) badges
5. As items are prepared, enter the Prepared Qty for each item and click Update
6. When all items are prepared, click Open Buffet to move to ACTIVE status

Result: The kitchen team has a clear prep list with quantities. Stock availability is checked against current kitchen stock levels. The session moves to active when ready to serve.

How to Run a Live Buffet (Live Ops Tab)

During active service, track covers, monitor stations, and request replenishments.

1. The session automatically shows the Live Ops tab when in ACTIVE status
2. Adding walk-in covers: Click + Walk-in, select the guest type (Adult/Child/Infant), enter guest name, and confirm. This creates a sales order for billing
3. Adding complimentary covers: Click + Comp, enter a reason (e.g. "VIP guest", "staff meal"), and confirm. No charge is created
4. Station monitoring: Each station shows its items with prepared and replenished quantities. Watch for items running low
5. Requesting replenishment: Click Replenish on a station item. This sends a rush order to the KDS so kitchen staff see "BUFFET REPLENISH — Hot Station" alongside their regular tickets
6. Marking replenished: After the kitchen sends out more food, update the replenished quantity on the session item
7. When service ends, click Begin Closing to move to CLOSING status

Result: Covers are tracked in real-time. Walk-in guests are billed through the POS. Replenishment requests appear on the KDS for kitchen staff.

How to Handle Reservation Covers (Package Guests)

Guests with dining included in their reservation package (e.g. bed & breakfast) are checked in differently from walk-ins.

1. On the Live Ops tab, the system shows reservation covers separately from walk-ins
2. When a reservation guest arrives for the buffet, locate their reservation
3. The system creates a zero-amount folio charge (category: F&B) on their reservation folio
4. The guest is counted as a cover but no payment is collected — it's included in their package

Result: The cover count increases, the folio records the dining usage, and the guest's package allocation is tracked. See Folio Management for more on folio charges.

How to Close a Session and Log Waste (Analytics Tab)

After service ends, log remaining food quantities, deduct ingredients, and review performance.

1. Click Close Session to move to CLOSED status
2. The Analytics tab appears with a waste logging form
3. For each item, enter the Remaining Quantity (food left over after service)
4. Click Log Waste — the system calculates waste cost and logs it to kitchen stock with reason "OVERPRODUCTION"
5. Click Deduct Ingredients to batch-deduct all ingredients used during the session from kitchen stock
6. Review the Summary Cards: Total Revenue, Food Cost, Waste Cost, Cost per Cover, and Margin
7. Review the Per-Item Breakdown table showing prepared, consumed, wasted, and cost for each item

Result: Waste is logged and kitchen stock levels are updated. You have a complete financial picture of the buffet session.

Key Concepts

• Template vs Session: A template is a reusable blueprint (e.g. "Breakfast Buffet"). A session is a specific instance of that template on a specific date and time. You use the same template every day but create a new session each day.
• Portion Factor: How many servings per guest. A portion factor of 1.0 means every guest takes one serving. A factor of 0.5 means half the guests take this item.
• Waste Factor: Expected percentage of food that will be wasted (trimmings, spoilage, display loss). Used in production planning to prepare extra.
• Portion Buffer: A multiplier (default 1.15 = 15% extra) applied on top of the calculated quantity. Safety margin to avoid running out.
• Cover Forecasting: When creating a session, the system auto-forecasts expected covers by combining confirmed reservation dining items for that date with the 4-week historical walk-in average for the same day of the week.
• Session Status Flow: PLANNED → PREP → ACTIVE → CLOSING → CLOSED. Each status determines which tab is shown and what actions are available.
• Replenishment via KDS: When a station item runs low, requesting replenishment creates a rush kitchen order that appears on the existing KDS alongside regular tickets.
• Batch Deduction: Unlike à la carte orders (deducted per-order), buffet ingredients are deducted once at session close. This matches the physical reality of batch production.

Related: Restaurant POS and KDS, Menu Builder, Recipes, Restaurant Intelligence, Folio Management.

Troubleshooting