Rest with a buffet. All inclusive in Europe

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))

Content

Many catering establishments prefer the "buffet" system. This approach is very convenient, practical: all the preparatory work has been done, a varied menu is offered on the tables. This allows you to simultaneously feed a large number of visitors, which is perfect for places with high traffic of people, such as hotels, hotels. So, the food is freely available, everyone can choose what they like best. The solemnity of the format makes the meal unusual.

What is a buffet

Buffet serving method is the serving of ready-made dishes, in which the visitor chooses his favorite from those that are displayed on special tables or distribution lines. Any snack is taken in moderation, transferred to your table. There are no waiters, everything is organized on the principle of self-service. Almost always, such a meal is free, the cost is already included in the ticket price.

The term "buffet" is found only in Russian. In Asia, European countries, this way of eating is called "buffet", in Sweden - smorgasbord or "sandwich table", where sandwiches mean absolutely any food. Another idea for the emergence of the Swedish food system is related to the Scandinavian principles of self-restraint in the absence of control.

The "sandwich table" system is widely used by hotels, when each client needs to be fed very quickly, tasty. Beer houses, pizzerias often arrange salad bars, democratic cafes and fast foods - buffets that offer cold and hot snacks, desserts. This approach solves the main tasks of restaurant service: to feed deliciously, to make it fast and convenient for everyone, to attract new customers.

Peculiarities

Organizing a buffet has a number of advantages. They are attractive to customers and organizers:

• A large selection of dishes gives the visitor a feeling of abundance, the impression that for one price there are a lot of menu options.
• The price of food is lower than traditional food.
• Democratic value-added service.
• Saving time for guests and kitchen workers.

The features of this system depend on the religious and cultural traditions of an individual people. Very often there are days of national cuisine. Some countries prefer seasonings, sweets, others refuse pork and beef. Most establishments on the buffet menu include European cuisine, although the local chef always makes his own adjustments. The quantity and quality of dishes depends on how many stars the hotel has: the higher the category, the more varied the menu will be.

Each country has its own gastronomic preferences, depending on the characteristics of the people. For example:

• Indonesia uses a lot of pepper and spices;
• in Egypt, Tunisia, the UAE do not cook pork;
• Eastern countries offer a wide variety of sweets;
• in Southeast Asia, besides pork, they do not use beef, but they prefer a large amount of seasonings;
• Europe loves meat: boiled, fried cooking options;
• Italy prefers spaghetti;
• Spain is not complete without paella;
• Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia include cheese, olives in the menu.

Drinks deserve special attention. If the hotel or hotel does not work on an all-inclusive system, then any drink - water, coffee, juice, tea, wine - is sold for money at all meals, except for breakfast. In Spain, for example, in the morning even champagne is served for free. Varieties of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic, paid or free) depend on the characteristics of the country, and not the "star" of the hotel. Fresh juice is rarely served in Europe, while Turkish and East Asian cuisines, on the contrary, are happy to offer any natural drink.

Varieties

According to the method of payment for consumed food, there are two types of buffet. Both are not included in the cost of the tour (if it concerns meals at the hotel). Their features are that:

1. You can go for food an unlimited number of times. The price is fixed and does not affect the amount of food eaten. Any dish size.
2. At the heart of such catering is the “plate system”: payment depends on the size of the dish (small, medium, large) and the number of approaches to the table.

The serving formats according to the Swedish system are designed to satisfy the tastes of all visitors. The varieties are:

• salad bars (salad, light soup, simple snacks) - for those who did not have time to have breakfast;
• American table (cola, hamburgers, greasy snacks) - served next to places of entertainment, for example, near the beach;
• National cuisine;
• the dietary diet is designed for wealthy clients and those who prefer only healthy food;
• buffet lunch is organized in the afternoon;
• a coffee or tea table is offered between main meals.

A form such as brunch or "family lunch" is ideal for a weekend meal at lunchtime. Often bonuses are offers for partial payment or free food for children of a certain age. Brunch is often used for birthdays and other holidays. The income from this form of food is small, but it is considered a good marketing method to attract customers.

The banquet provides for the simultaneous service of many guests. Drinks, juices are poured at the bar counters located in several places. The most demanded drink - mineral water, orange juice, wine, champagne - is served by waiters. Snacks are displayed on special tables (round, oval, rectangular) with tablecloth skirts attached to them.

According to the principle of banquets, catering or thematic events are organized when the celebration is held in nature or in a room not intended for such purposes. For the organization, special catering companies are invited to take care of the event, from the arrangement of tables, the design of the hall or territory, and ending with the preparation of dishes.

Serving

There are a number of rules that must be followed by serving a buffet, and the most important thing is the grouping of dishes: an appetizer is displayed on one part, a hot dish on the other, sweets, fruits on the third. For example, appetizers are placed at the beginning of the table, then bread, then first courses, second courses, and desserts at the end. Mixing products is strictly prohibited, so as not to create the impression of chaos. Fish and meat cannot lie side by side on a tray or plate; seafood is allowed next to fish dishes. You can not lay out vegetables and berries, fruits nearby.

The grouping rules also apply to dishes, drinks, spices and sauces. They are:

• Trays, plates are arranged at the same interval.
• Appliances for imposing food for each dish have their own. It is important that they are made of stainless steel, you can use wooden appliances, plastic ones are prohibited.
• Separate places are organized for drinks (near the entrance), used dishes (away).
• Sauce, spices are placed in small containers next to the dishes they are suitable for.
• Honey, yogurt, jam are served in small glass or ceramic rosettes.

The shift and frequency of serving dishes is also subject to certain rules. In hotels, all food is put up at once, but at banquets you need to follow the order:

• Snacks remain until the end of the banquet, are updated 2 times an hour in the summer, and once in cooler times.
• Hot meals are served before consumption.
• Cold snacks are laid out on metal dishes (for cooling), salads can be served on ceramics.
• Bakery products lie in baskets or on pie plates.
• Space-saving multi-level stands.
• Drinks can be served in glasses.

Particular attention is paid to the decoration of the buffet. Flowers, tablecloths, bows, etc. are used. The rules for decorating the table are as follows:

• The presence of flowers speaks of a special chic, but they need to be changed periodically.
• The tablecloth should not reach the floor by 10 cm.
• Napkins are preferable to paper ones (it is more convenient to throw them away, rather than fold them with dirty dishes). They are laid out next to the plates in a pile or fan.
• The decor of the table should be combined with the interior.
• It is acceptable to use tall candelabra or small candlesticks with lighted candles.

Menu at the hotel

Buffets serve more than just cold appetizers. It is important that there is no cooked food that you need to cut off for yourself with a knife: all dishes are exclusively a la carte. More restrictions on the buffet menu in the hotel, the hotel does not have. It consists of:

• snacks;
• first hot dishes;
• meat or fish hot;
• side dishes for fish and meat;
• drinks;
• desserts.

In different countries, for the “sandwich” table, they use their own dishes and drinks. For example, the buffet menu in Turkish hotels offer the following:

The Spanish diet is somewhat different from the Turkish one. In hotels in Spain, chefs are ready to offer the following menu:

How to behave at the buffet

In almost all countries, before breakfast, it is suggested to drink fresh juice on an empty stomach. The drink must be poured into a glass. Bread or a bun is placed on a small dish, a pie plate. Everything is placed on the dining table in the following order: a snack or main dish, on the left - a small dish with bakery products, in front of the main one - a glass of juice. Then everything that is on the snack plate is eaten.

The rules of buffet etiquette forbid coming to him in beachwear. The meal sequence is as follows:

1. On a plate located in the left hand, a couple of pieces of food are superimposed. It is better to do several approaches, and not to "fill up" the dishes with food. Different dishes are used for different dishes.
2. To the left of the food container, a fork is placed with the teeth up, a knife on the right.
3. On dishes with food, the seasoning in the socket is placed on the right, the bones are in the upper left corner. You need to use wipes all the time.
4. When the food is finished, the knife and fork are left on the plate.

If an additive is required, then with your dishes you need to go to the common table and put the desired dish. After using the sauces, the plate must be replaced with a clean one. When the meal is over, the cutlery is placed parallel to each other, the knife blade is inward, the dirty dishes are carried away on their own or by the waiter. It is forbidden to take something out of the hall. You are allowed to take only one piece of fruit with you or leave with finished pastries.

Video

It should be borne in mind that every year more and more varieties of the all inclusive system are offered - Mini all inclusive, Max inclusive, Ultra All inclusive. Another caveat: Full Board is a full board, that is, breakfast + lunch + dinner, alcohol is paid separately. And the ALL system - three meals a day + local alcohol + the possibility of snacks: lunch, afternoon tea, barbecue, cocktails and snacks on the beach, a nightly dinner. You should be aware that the number of hotel stars directly determines the features of the all-inclusive meal option.

What food options do hot tours come with?

So, if you buy an all-inclusive package with accommodation in a hotel of the category:

• 2 * or 3 *, then the package will include three meals a day (buffet) and local drinks, you will have to pay extra for imported alcohol. In budget hotels, the most common service option is mini all inclusive, which allows you to enjoy the service only from 10.00-21.00.
• 4*, you will be able to count on a generous table (three times a day) with an extensive menu and the possibility of an additional choice of second breakfast or late dinner, as well as drinks and local alcohol. You will be glad to see you in the bar from 7.00 to 00.00.
• 5 *, then you will be able to appreciate all the advantages of the Ultra All inclusive system - these are enhanced features of the standard all-inclusive service. Premium class service is offered to guests by luxurious hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Antalya, Alanya, Kemer and other famous resorts in Turkey and Egypt.

All inclusive

Buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner + possible additional meals, free drinks throughout the day.

bed & breakfast

Only breakfast or buffet

bed & breakfast

Abbreviation for Extended Breakfast

half board

Meals at the hotel "half board", breakfasts and dinners

"Buffet" - these words mean that you can eat as much as you want at dinner in a hotel - put a full plate, and then come back for more and more. And if the hotel works on an all-inclusive system, then you can overeat all day. Russian tourists love it.

Waste - mashed

“I will never choose a hotel with a buffet, where all the food is included in the price,” says Gennady STOYANOV, a cook who has worked in the budget catering system in Russia and abroad for many years. - I know how this food is prepared. First, the cheapest products are often purchased. They do not disdain anything: neither GMOs, nor "fodder" varieties of vegetables, nor unripe fruits. Often, products written off from wholesale warehouses and stores come to the kitchens.

At the beginning of the tourist season, the National Food Safety Agency of Bulgaria conducted a food test in such hotels. It turned out that more than a third of all such hotels for cooking "purchased" only products with an expired shelf life! They were "written off" as spoiled, and they miraculously ended up in the kitchen.

The all-inclusive kitchen has its own secrets. The main one is that the food here is virtually waste-free. “What you haven’t eaten today will be used tomorrow,” says Zulfiya NEMOVA, who has repeatedly worked as an animator in Turkish hotels. - Yesterday's meat can be washed off the gravy and fried again. Vegetables from salads often go to soup.

In some hotels, I came across the fact that not only unclaimed dishes from the buffet were used, but also leftovers collected from tourists' plates: the waitresses brought the plates to the back room, where the servants sorted the contents: folded onto a plate, but untouched - into one tank , tomorrow it will be served in exactly the same way; bitten - in another, they will make soup, pizza, stew from it. You don't need to be a doctor to understand - with such a "kitchen" the transmission of diseases from one guest to another is guaranteed!

“It is very easy to disguise the low quality of the product or its re-processing,” G. Stoyanov assures. - There are universal techniques: firstly, cook with sauces or with a lot of seasonings, and secondly, deep-fry the dish; thirdly, to build puree soups from “illiquid assets” - in this form, tourists can even be fed rotten potatoes or frozen cauliflower five years ago.

Not only alcohol

Even worse than with food, the situation is with drinks. As you know, the all-inclusive system most often includes local drinks, and imported alcohol is poured for a fee. “In practice, even if the tourist pays, the first 1-2 glasses are imported,” Z. Nemova is sure. “Then the person loses his vigilance, and he is topped up with low-quality local alcohol.”

When paying for the "ultra all inclusive" system, it is assumed that the tourist gets access to any alcohol for free. But even here, most often in “expensive” bottles there is ... a local analogue. “I personally saw how, before the start of a new shift, at 5-6 in the morning, bartenders pour dubious liquids from huge canisters into bottles with European labels,” recalls Zulfiya.

It is also not known what kind of water is used to dilute breakfast juices, how often the tanks in which drinks are placed on the buffet are washed. And finally, from what water ice is frozen.

The likelihood that something like this will happen in a hotel that does not work on the all-inclusive system is an order of magnitude less. “If you order from the menu, the dish is supposed to be cooked just for you. Want to check it out? Ask to change something in the recipe: say, not to add some ingredient. This is a guarantee that the portion will be made just now,” advises G. Stoyanov.

“If you choose a three-star hotel, then I do not recommend the all-inclusive ones,” warns Maya LOMIDZE, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. - And it doesn't matter what country we are talking about. On such a system, take only 4-5 stars.

By the way, when concluding a contract, you should be informed which products will be used to prepare buffet dishes - only local or imported. “Often this information is not available,” says Viktor PETROV, a lawyer. “This is regarded as providing false information, and the tourist has the right to count on a reduction in the cost of the tour.”

As a rule, we use turkey meat as red meat.

This meat has an elastic structure, so it can be fried several times in a row.

Instead of trout and other local fish, shark meat is served.

It is boiled in salt water to bring down the taste. Forgery is almost impossible to detect.

We don't throw away 50 - 60 kg of meat left over from yesterday's buffet. This is wastefulness.

We wash the sauce from the meat, and the next day we cook it with a new sauce.

Pike perch and squid in the kitchen are canned foods.

These are canned food pre-soaked in beer.

Dishes with potatoes dominate the menu, as they are very high-calorie and keep a feeling of satiety for a long time.

In the kitchen where I work, three people are busy all day peeling potatoes. I add potatoes to at least 3 meals a day.

There is no waste left in the meat department, all pieces of the carcass are used.

Usually veal brisket, brisket and a lot of things that you don’t like are put in cutlets, so try not to eat cutlets in hotels, but choose only whole pieces of meat. I repeat: cutlets are better not to eat.

Take your time to devour snacks on a Turkish night.

Let's figure it out. It takes 2 hours to cook 1 kg of “Turkish raw meatballs”. Depending on the number of guests, it is necessary to cook at least 20 kg of meatballs. All ingredients are mixed in a large cauldron. To do this, the younger ones in the kitchen put plastic bags on their feet and climb into this same cauldron. The consistency is excellent, the taste - I do not know, because I have not tried it. But guests love it.

Do not eat salads with mayonnaise.

It would be naive to believe that in a hotel where food is prepared for 2,000 people, everything is happening properly in terms of sanitary and hygienic standards. It is foolish to exacerbate the situation by choosing salads prepared with mayonnaise, which promotes the growth of bacteria.

And now for the sweet...

The stale cakes that remain from yesterday are collected from the windows together, kneaded again, decorated with pralines, chocolate drops, fruit, whipped cream and sent back to the buffet.

Still, costs are inevitable.

In order to deceive customers, we prepare decorations from watermelons and pumpkins in abundance. According to my calculations, there are 50 decorations for 20 dishes. First, you need to saturate the eyes, and then the stomach. We know a lot about this.

Choose dishes prepared by chefs in front of you, accompanied by a gastronomic presentation.

I know I have to line up. I know it's not the tastiest thing on offer. However, the most hygienic thing you will find in a hotel.

Even worse than with food, the situation is with drinks.

As you know, the all-inclusive system most often includes local drinks, and imported alcohol is poured for a fee. In practice, even if the tourist pays, the first 1-2 glasses are imported. Then the person loses his vigilance, and he is topped up with low-quality local alcohol.