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Planner
Buffet Flow Planner
Plan an efficient buffet: how many serving lines or stations you need, single- vs double-sided, the table length in linear feet, and the resulting serve time and peak wait, sized to the window you want everyone served within.
Event & layout
Buffet Flow Plan
150 guests · target 30 min
Recommended layout
1 double-sided line
Double-sided line · ~16 ft of table
28
min to clear
28
peak wait (min)
5.5
guests / min
Buffet table length16 ft
On target, the last guest waits about 28 minutes.
Hospitality insight
To serve 150 guests within about 30 minutes, plan 1 double-sided line (~16 ft of table). At this setup the line clears in roughly 28 minutes.
Layout tips
- Put plates at the very start and place settings on the tables, not the buffet.
- Run lines double-sided whenever space allows, it doubles throughput on the same table.
- Keep dessert and coffee on a separate station so they never clog the main line.
- Position the buffet away from the entrance so arriving guests don't collide with the queue.
- Label each dish so guests decide before they reach it, not while holding up the line.
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