Large restaurant events: plan capacity and delivery

A large enquiry can be good business, but guest numbers are only the beginning. Before accepting, establish what the client wants and what the restaurant can deliver within the limits of the premises and team.

Confirm capacity first

Use the premises’ documented occupancy, fire protection and evacuation arrangements. Removing tables does not automatically permit more people. Boverket explains how design occupancy relates to the building’s conditions. Check with the property owner and responsible authority if the proposed layout is uncertain.

Also assess cloakroom space, toilets, accessibility, service routes and dishwashing. Then assess kitchen capacity: how many portions can be cooked and plated within the promised time?

Write a shared event brief

Confirm the date, start and finish, expected guest numbers and deadline for changes. Describe layout, food, drinks, equipment and programme elements. Name the client’s contact person.

Specify what the price includes, what costs extra and who can authorise additions during the event. Prepayment, invoicing and cancellation terms should be communicated when booking. Visita’s booking guidance explains the importance of what is actually agreed. No universal cancellation scale suits every event.

Staff the tasks

Break the event into arrivals, drinks, serving, clearing, washing up and closing. Identify simultaneous tasks and required skills. Include preparation, breaks and work afterwards.

Use comparable event experience and a practical rehearsal rather than a generic guests-per-server ratio. Appoint an event lead and kitchen contact. Additional staff need an introduction to your menu, premises, equipment and procedures.

Choose a menu you can deliver

A set menu or preordered choices can help, but the format must suit guests. Gather allergen questions and adjustments early and have the kitchen confirm what it can accommodate.

Test cooking, plating and the route from kitchen to table. Check plates, glasses, serving tools and dishwasher capacity. Plan ingredients from confirmed portions, recipes and stock rather than applying a blanket percentage increase.

Agree payment before the event

Will the organiser pay everything, or will guests pay for some purchases? How are extras recorded and approved? Staff need to know before the first order.

Test the POS, kitchen orders, partial payments and receipts on the actual devices. A KDS can support order visibility and booking can bring planning information together. Features do not replace responsible coordination.

Calculate and review the whole event

Use revenue excluding VAT and all relevant costs: food, drinks, labour, rentals, transport, equipment and payments. Consider ordinary sales you may be giving up. A markup on ingredient cost alone does not establish profitability.

Afterwards, compare actual sales, working time, extra purchases and exceptions with the plan. Keep the lessons with the event record. See Vendion live to explore how bookings, orders and reporting can work together.