National Buffet Day

by bigmick [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]

January 2nd is National Buffet Day in the United States.

What is a buffet? Well, it's considered to be a version of service à la française - service in the French style - where all the dishes of a meal are served at the same time. With a buffet, these dishes are placed on a table or tables and the diners help themselves, or perhaps get some items served by attending chefs.

Most buffets come with a variety of both hot and cold foods, and those that just have cold food are generally called a Smörgåsbord. Buffets where the food is all designed to be eaten without utensils is called a finger buffet.

Buffets were originally considered to be a more informal way of dining and, since their origins, have become popular as a way of serving diners in restaurants. Hotels especially have tended to use the buffet layout to serve breakfast, whether this be a Full English or a variant, a cold, Continental style breakfast, or a variant that includes both.

Outside of restaurants and hotels, buffets are common at parties, whether these be small home gatherings or celebratory events held in function rooms.