Food Stations at Reception?

This is going to depend on prices in your area. Because this is an international forum, there is no one size fits all answer due to the wide variation in cost of living from one area to another. A large metropolitan city will have a wider range of low budget to astronomical prices and services than a smaller town which is expensive due to lack of resources. You need to get price quotes for all options in your city and compare equally. For example: get the same menus from multiple caterers and compare which is the best choice. If you get a price quote for buffet rib eyes from 1, it won’t be the same or a fair comparison as plated pasta from caterer 2.


Generally stations provide more food and that costs more money. They are also set up with the assumption, like a buffet, that all guests will visit all stations at least once. Plus they have the option to go back as many times as they choose. Depending on the station offering, you are required to pay for the chef to work for the duration, times the number of chefs. You can simply this by having multiple buffets. Meaning a table of Italian dishes, another table of steakhouse offerings, another table of a Mexican buffet. Unless you have a carving station, these are all going to be self serve, which cuts the staff labor beyond replenishment of trays. But you are also paying for each guest to get one serving minimum of everything on every table. Plated requires a full waitstaff and still has potential for failure because the food may be cold unless it is cooked onsite (in addition to people potentially not feeling full). Whether plated or buffet is cheaper depends on the caterer because they all have different pricing methods. Even in the same city with the same menu, no two places will have the same prices. Stations tend to be more expensive overall but the benefits can outweigh the disadvantages when compared to other options. That is something that only you and your partner can decide after consulting with a variety of caterers in your city to weigh the options.

Do not book any caterer without a tasting first. Don’t rely on reviews because what one couple enjoys/tolerates will not be what someone else enjoys.

Our wedding was a combination. The salad course was plated and was served at the very beginning of the reception. We also had a buffet and stations. The food on the buffet included potatoes, mixed veggies, and a rolls with buffet. Guests served themselves these items. We had two stations also set up which were a pasta station and a craving station. The pasta station include penne and tortellini with your choice of alfredo or vodka sauce. The craving station was turkey and prime rib. We had to pay an additional fee to have someone man each station. We paid per person for the meal.

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So how many guests did you have total and did you pay for all of those guests for each buffet station?

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We had approximately 100 guests. We paid $70 per person which included passed apps during cocktail hour, the buffet & stations, drinks, and cake.

In my area, stations can easily end up costing as much or more than a sit down meal. Sometimes, couples have both, stations during cocktail hour and a plated dinner.

This sounds like a NY wedding with a cocktail hour format. Try looking for a venue that offers a variety of stations with optional chefs like a well-known hotel. Get tastings first. This may be easier than piecemealing multiple caterers in an event space that allows outside catering.

View Quoted Comment My uncles are chefs and would be the caterers

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Then consider Michelle's comment and note more food = more cost, chef-manned station = more cost. Count each person as visiting and eating from every station. Also, smaller-sized appetizers require more labor and therefore more cost, e.g. a tray of devilled eggs is more time intensive/ costly than a dish of risotto.

Also, think of dinner timing. Will you have dancing as part of your schedule, so guests have a defined time limit to eat, similar to a buffet? Or will stations be open all night for grazing? This will require more money for food and paid servers to replenish food trays, keep areas clean, bus tables, and more plates/flatware rentals.

Having stations does allow variety of cuisines as well as dietary preferences. As CM suggests, you can introduce this during your cocktail hour and serve a plated dish after.