Salad Plates for Buffet Dinner?

I probably wouldn't go for the salad plate, but that's my opinion. I'm clumsy enough as it is, carrying a plate and silverware is enough for me. Plus going back through for seconds should be great.

We had a buffet style as well, and we didn't have salad plates.

I wouldn't waste your money on salad plates. No one will use them. I probably would plan for some people to go back up. So rather than getting the exact number of plates as people, do plan for some extra plates.

I think I've heard of some people who do salads at the table.

For example, can you have the servers put salad, rolls, etc on the salad plates and have it already set at each person's seat? And they can use the big plates for the main courses and sides?

Ask to serve the salad plated. Sorry, but I don't think most salads are special enough for guests to want to juggle plates or stand in line twice.

I've been to only 2 weddings with buffets and I didn't use a salad plate. Both served 2 meats, starch, vegetable, roll, and salad. The only way I was able to only use one plate/trip is because I'm a vegetarian.

I like my salad on a separate plate, but I wouldn't want to carry two plates through a buffet line. The most recent wedding I went to had a buffet that included salad with one plate. At the time, I didn't even notice. The food was good, I was happy.

I definitely wouldn't carry two plates. I'd avoid the salad plates and instead go with extra normal dinner plates. You can't go through a buffet with the same plate you already used, at least not in my state, so it's a good idea to have extras on hand.

If they can have the salads already plated and at the tables that would be ideal, but my venue wanted to charge an extra $3pp to do that so we just kept it at the buffet. In that case, I wouldn't have 2 separate plates...too cumbersome for guests to carry back and depending on how many you have seated at the tables and what other decor you will have at the tables, you might end up with a space issue if everyone comes back with two plates.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I felt dumb asking the question, but my caterer was insisting and I didn't want to be a d*ck to my guests (if it was proper to have a salad plate and I'd just never seen it before). I'll just stand firm on my no-salad-plate approach and get extra dinner plates.

I agree you will be better off with extra dinner plates. Keep in mind, for health code reasons, anyone who gets seconds in a buffet needs a clean plate. Also, I'm weird and don't like certain foods touching so I regularly fill 2 plates at buffets.

This my is one of my biggest NO NO you don't add or serve a salad on the same plate as your dinner entre. The proper way and most etiquette way is to pre-set all your salad for each guest. Or as in a wedding server the bride and groom their salad and then their guest. Once the guest are finished they can proceed to the buffet line. This is a great ideal for corporate parties or large class reunions, that normally would not have an predetermined list of table to be release to go to the buffet. The last thing you would want is all 200 people to head to the buffet at one time, and up standing in line for long time. This is why wedding will usually have the DJ or coordinator release tables to go to the buffet and eliminate any long lines. The key to a good caterer would be aware of this and only suggest a particular salad that comes with only one kind of dressing, or provide two different dressing on each table. For example Cesare salads are easy to make a plate.

I would never expect my guest to carry even one plate to the buffet yet alone two. I would avoid any wedding coordinator that decorates with the main dinner plates on top of a charger because obviously has no clue how a reception or dinner is served. All those dinner plates have to be collected and washed to be put on the buffet, you can't expect you guest to carry their own plate to the buffet.

Especially with Covid now days.

Events by Lissa