Posting for traffic - shared food dishes, yes or no?

[Workyticket]

last minute wedding plans - need to decide today whether to change the menu.

We have sharing platters booked - meat plated up but potatoes, veg etc in shared turines on the table.

Would you be happy with this or should we change to fully plated?

I would personally prefer a ready plated meal.

Well we are having to get our buffet served as it is part of the guidelines, so I would suggest it is the same for yours. Do you really want lots of people sharing serving utensils and leaning over food to help themselves?

Personally prefer plated, but I've been to shared platter weddings and they were fine.

I’d be fine with it personally

Covid is airborne. If they are sitting close enough to share dishes they will be close enough to catch it regardless of a shared serving spoon.

I agree with pp I thought buffets had to be served at the moment?

If not I would still prefer an individual plate.

No. A plated meal.

Dishes on tables, so between 6 people? Or go up to a buffet table and be served it? I feel like both of those seems ok. A buffet free-for-all? Definitely no!

As an allergy sufferer I would either need my own meal, or an allergy free table.

Ignoring the allergy issue.

I have been to events set up like this, usually their either isn’t enough food or space on the table. If people on the tables don’t know each other well it can also be quite awkward during the serving process, some people may feel uncomfortable taking a suitable portion and others may feel uncomfortable asking for the veg etc. Hygiene is also an issue, at a serviced buffet the servers have clean hands and the utensils don’t mix, you can’t guarantee that on a table self serve buffet.

Oh also, unless each bowl/plate is on a heater it will go cold very quickly.

@TheFlis12345

Covid is airborne. If they are sitting close enough to share dishes they will be close enough to catch it regardless of a shared serving spoon.

No one on a table would sit 2m away...

As it's sharing just wothing a table, I would happily go for it. But more may be comfortable with plated

Not because of covid but I wouldn't like this. Unless everyone is only sharing with their immediate family. I could tell my brother "oi don't have all the roasties" but not my auntie, who WOULD hog all the roasties. Buffets are different because there's loads and loads so one person can't take all the sandwiches for 100 people but someone can take all the yorkshires for 6 people. I think you'll just have a lot of unsatisfied people.

I’d be fine with it, but I’m very much on the relaxed end of the spectrum on Covid.

I think fully plated.

• In the current situation, people are likely to be nervous or uncomfortable (rightly or wrongly) and you don't want that.
• no risk of people taking too much of one thing leaving not so much for others
• allergies
• heat
• less room for wine on the table!

Generally I wouldn't be fussed either way but I do think Covid has made people nervous about stuff and there are other legitimate reasons not to have "serve yourself" stuff.

Also, I think fully plated is less fuss. It's served, you eat. No faffing about waiting for the potatoes.

Covid-wise? Why is this a risk? It’s airborne, so if someone on your table has it you’ll be exposed anyway. Transmission via hard surfaces is now thought to be unlikely. And I’m a cautious pro-mask pro-vaccine person.

In general? I don’t want to share serving dishes with people I don’t know (and some people I do know…) because some people are greedy and rude, and others are anxious about taking more than their share so they go hungry.

Sorry- should have been clearer

Selection of meats or veggie option plated

Dishes of roasters, veg, salads, breads etc per table of 6

No allergies

I've been to a wedding where they did this. The food was all on a lazy Susan which avoided passing plates etc. It was great.

They also had a couple of caterers wandering round & topping dishes up if running low.

Fully plated, but that's nothing (for me) to do with Covid.
I hate buffets, and I've never understood the Indian/Chinese restaurant thing where people seem to think I only want a sixth of the dish I've ordered and 5/6 of other people's!

They also had a couple of caterers wandering round & topping dishes up if running low.

Yes, this is standard.

Wouldn't have an issue from a covid point of view but personally would always prefer a player meal.

I loathe a plated meal especially when covered in gravy. I went to a very small wedding and specifically asked when we were being served for one without gravy and was told it was all plated and that wasn't an option.

Equally I don't like a buffet whereby you are walking around with a plate of food. I think vegetables, potatoes on the table is a good choice.

IMO plated is better, since there will always be some people who’ll grab too much and not give a toss about anyone else. (And even more infuriatingly, then leave some on their plates to be binned.).

Covid-wise? Why is this a risk? It’s airborne, so if someone on your table has it you’ll be exposed anyway. Transmission via hard surfaces is now thought to be unlikely. And I’m a cautious pro-mask pro-vaccine person.

Whilst this might indeed be true, there will be some who would be uncomfortable about it regardless. No one is uncomfortable about a fully plated meal.

(No one apart from The PP who doesn't want gravy over everything 😂)