By Sara Perez Webber
The once-ubiquitous heaping buffet platter is losing its place at the table. At corporate gatherings and weddings alike, caterers are seeing a decisive shift toward smaller, more curated food experiences that prioritize presentation and guest engagement over portion size.
That was among the key takeaways from the inaugural meeting of the CFE News Editorial Advisory Board, held this month. The board brings together leading U.S. caterers to discuss the trends and challenges shaping the industry.
Small Plates and Smaller Appetites
“Small-plate stations have become very popular, particularly with corporate groups,” says Christie Altendorf, marketing and brand experience director of D’Amico Hospitality in Minneapolis. She describes the “chef performance station” approach as shrinking an entrée down to a beautifully composed dish on a seven-inch salad plate—perhaps salmon atop zucchini noodles with an avocado cream sauce.
“It’s creating something that’s really satisfying and presents extremely well, leaving guests with the feeling of being satiated,” says Altendorf.
Adam Noyes, CEO of Atlanta-based Proof of the Pudding, says small plates at chef-attended stations are a big hit with his clients, too—and align with the overall trend of guests eating and drinking less at events. “People used to hit four or five different stations,” says Noyes. “Now they’re hitting one or two and having maybe one drink and a mocktail.”
For a recent Proof of the Pudding leadership conference, the company’s chefs presented small plates that conveyed current culinary trends. Examples included the vegan Brown Butter Turnip “Scallop,” with celeriac puree, creamed leeks, brown butter beurre blanc, benne seed crumb and scallion oil; and Liquid Nitro Crudo, such as hamachi with blistered tomato oil, mint chimichurri and fried fennel.
“People are being healthier,” Noyes confirms. “We’re seeing people leaning into vegetarian and seafood dishes.”
The Vessel Is the Message
Perhaps no theme emerged more strongly than the critical importance of presentation.
“The vessel you present food in or on is almost more important than the food itself,” says John Crisafulli, president and CEO of Behind the Scenes Catering & Events in San Diego—who joined the meeting from Milan, where his company was catering another Olympic Games. “If it’s the right vessel, the right look, the right way to eat it—whatever you put in there will taste better and be more appealing.”
The payoff extends beyond guest satisfaction to the bottom line. “It helps that added value you’re offering to the client, so you don’t have to worry about justifying your price,” Crisafulli explains.
Crisafulli describes scouring restaurant supply stores for serving inspiration—as he recently did with his chef while in Milan. “Sometimes we’ll buy something, not having sold it to anybody, but we just think it’s a cool presentation,” he adds. “Then we’ll figure out how to sell it to somebody.”
Inspired Passing Trays
Altendorf echoes this philosophy, saying she’s “constantly paying attention to” what they’re passing food on: “We have big boxes now that you can easily brand with vinyl. We have oyster belts, we have caviar belts.”
For an Alpine-inspired winter menu, her team repurposed vintage snowshoes as passing trays for pork schnitzel sliders. “The food has to taste great, but it also has to look great,” she says. “How are we creating that experience where guests feel every small detail, even if they can’t articulate what those details are?”
Experience Over Everything
Interactive elements are increasingly driving station design. Anthony Lambatos, CEO of Footers Catering & Events in Denver, Colorado—fresh off a successful MIBE Summit—has seen strong demand for stations with theatrical components.
His team has built a “Cookie Plinko” board—like the “Price Is Right” game—where cookies drop through pegs before reaching stations where guests can customize them with toppings. They’ve constructed a slide for their slider station, where chefs send sliders gliding down to guests. At the recent MIBE Summit, the leadership retreat run by Lambatos, a zip line transported Puffin koozies to the bar.
“Anything with a show or experience piece has become very popular for us,” Lambatos says. Such action components also play well on social media, adding a smart marketing angle.
Capturing the Moment
With social media amplifying the importance of visual appeal, caterers are thinking more strategically about documentation. Crisafulli recommends proactively coordinating with event photographers to capture food presentations—both for clients and for the caterer’s own portfolio.
If the food presentation “looks good both in person and on Instagram, and everyone’s taking pictures, that’s the memory they’re going to walk away with,” he says. “They’ll gravitate toward it and walk away more satisfied.”
Beyond Stations: The Return of Family Style
While small-plate food stations continue to present opportunities for creativity, some caterers are finding success with an alternative approach.
Bill Hansen, CEO of Bill Hansen Catering in Miami, sees family-style service gaining traction, particularly at weddings. The approach is more cost-effective to serve and creates natural opportunities for guests to interact—especially valuable when wedding guests at a table may not know each other.
Like the small-plate station trend, family style also addresses changing attitudes about portion size. “Looks are hugely important, and portion size does not necessarily need to be that large,” Hansen says.
Hansen has also observed renewed interest in classic desserts. Tiramisu towers, old-fashioned strawberry shortcake and creative wedding cake alternatives are finding favor. One popular option: a small ceremonial cake for the couple to cut, with individual 10-inch cakes at each table for guests to serve themselves—bringing the family-style dining experience full circle.
“People like the idea of sharing,” notes Hansen. “It’s a great way to create that communal atmosphere.”
