Guides
Guides for the banquet office
Written by a hotel banquet operations manager
Every guide here is written from the banquet office and checked against the product, in English and Spanish. Pick a topic, or start with how to read a BEO.
Event orders
- How to read a banquet event order (BEO)How to read a banquet event order (BEO), line by line: times, counts, service style, menu and bars, and which lines change your staffing.
- Free banquet event order (BEO) templateA free, printable banquet event order (BEO) template, no email needed. Every section operations runs from, with a filled-in example to copy.
- Guaranteed guest count (GTD): what it means for staffingWhat the guaranteed guest count (GTD) means on a BEO, how it differs from expected and set, and which number to staff and prep from.
- BEO change orders: handling a revised BEO mid-weekHow to handle a BEO change order or revised BEO mid-week: confirm it, walk it through every department, restaff without cutting people by reflex, and retire old printouts.
- Banquet setup styles: rounds, classroom, theater and moreThe main banquet room setup styles, with diagrams: rounds, crescent rounds, classroom, theater, U-shape, hollow square, boardroom and reception, and what each means for your crew.
- Banquet room turnover: planning a flip between eventsHow to plan a room flip between two banquet functions: read strike and setup times, check combined rooms, and size the setup crew for the new layout.
- BEO checklist: 12 things to check on every orderA banquet office checklist for reading an incoming BEO: date, room, times, counts, service style, bars, special meals and the lines that change your crew.
- Setup, start, end and strike times on a BEO explainedWhat setup, start, end and strike mean on a banquet event order, how they differ from crew call times, and a worked timeline for one evening function.
- BEO vs event contract: what each one doesA BEO tells the hotel team how to run a function; the event contract is the agreement behind it. What each holds and what operations does when they disagree.
- BEO vs function sheet vs Daily Event SheetA BEO covers one function in full. A Daily Event Sheet puts the whole day in one place. How the two differ, what "function sheet" means, and which one the crew works from.
- Hosted bar vs cash bar vs consumption bar on a BEOWhat hosted, cash and consumption bar mean on a banquet event order, who pays in each case, and what the bar section changes for your bartenders and setup.
- Multi-day and multi-function BEOs: how to read themHow to read a banquet event order that holds several functions or several days: read each function as its own event, check each room and time, and staff each one.
- Overset in banquets: meaning and how many to setOverset is the number of seats a banquet team sets above the guarantee. What it means, how to work it out, and why staffing does not follow the overset.
- Run of show vs BEO: what each one coversA BEO says what the hotel provides and when the room is ready. A run of show says what happens minute by minute. How they differ and how banquet teams use both.
- Who writes and who gets a BEO: distribution listSales or catering writes the banquet event order. Kitchen, captain, setup crew, bar and the banquet office each need a copy, and a few need only part of it.
- Banquet terminology: English–Spanish glossaryBanquet terms and BEO abbreviations explained in plain English, with the Spanish word your team uses: GTD, EXP, strike, overset, call time and more.
Staffing and schedule
- Banquet staffing ratio sheet, printableA printable one-page banquet staffing ratio sheet: servers, bartenders, bussers and captains per guest, as starting points to adjust for your hotel.
- How many servers per guest at a banquet?How many servers per guest at a banquet: starting ratios for plated, buffet, stations and passed hors d'oeuvres, plus when to add people.
- How many bartenders per guest at a banquet?How many bartenders per guest: a starting point of 1 per 100 guests and at least 1 per bar, 1 per 50 at a cocktail hour, with worked examples.
- Banquet staff schedule template (weekly, printable)A free weekly banquet staff schedule template built around events: date, event, room, role, call and out times, and breaks. Print it or copy it to a spreadsheet.
- Banquet staffing calculator: servers, bartenders, captainsEnter the guest count, service style and bars to get a starting crew of servers, bartenders, bussers and captains, with the math shown.
- How many barbacks do you need?How many barbacks for a banquet: a starting point of 1 barback from 101 guests and 2 from 251, only when the event has a bar. Worked table.
- How many housemen for a banquet?How many housemen for a banquet setup: starting points by setup style (rounds, classroom, theater, dance floor, staging) and guest count.
- Banquet call times: when staff should arriveBanquet call times by role: when servers, captains, bussers, bartenders and housemen are called before an event, and when they are out. With a worked example.
- How many servers for a plated breakfast?How many servers for a plated breakfast at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a plated lunch?How many servers for a plated lunch at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a plated dinner?How many servers for a plated dinner at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a buffet breakfast?How many servers for a buffet breakfast at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a buffet lunch?How many servers for a buffet lunch at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a buffet dinner?How many servers for a buffet dinner at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a reception with stations?How many servers for a reception with stations at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a passed hors d'oeuvres reception?How many servers for a passed hors d'oeuvres reception at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
- How many servers for a coffee break?How many servers for a coffee break at 25 to 500 guests: Hotelwright's starting crew, how it is worked out, and how to change it for your hotel.
Buffet labels and allergens
- Buffet food labels with allergens for hotelsBuffet food labels from your event order menus: dietary codes, a confirmed Contains line for the 9 major US allergens, on Avery cards or tents.
- Buffet allergen label legend, printableA printable buffet allergen label legend: dietary codes and the nine major US allergens in English and Spanish, with the wording Hotelwright prints.
- Buffet label requirements for hotelsWhat a hotel buffet label usually carries: dish name, allergens, dietary codes and a legend. Check your local food code for what you must show.
- Menu dietary codes: what V, VG, GF and DF meanWhat the dietary codes on a buffet label or menu mean: V, VG, GF, DF, PN, TN, SE and H. Why GF says "made without gluten-containing ingredients".
- Banquet allergen checklist: confirm the menu before doorsA short allergen checklist for banquet menus: read every dish, check it with the kitchen, resolve each word hint, have a manager confirm, then print labels.
- Banquet special meals and food allergies: a floor guideHow a hotel banquet team handles special meals and guest food allergies: what the event order says, who tells the kitchen, and what the captain does on the day.
- Bilingual buffet labels: Spanish and English on one cardHow to put Spanish and English on the same buffet label: the dish name in both, fixed allergen and dietary code wording, and labels printed in your team's language.
- FDA Food Code and buffet allergen noticesWhat the FDA Food Code is, what its 2022 edition says about written notice of major allergens in unpackaged food, and what to check with your health department.
- Buffet label design: type, borders and what stays readableHow to design buffet labels guests can read at arm's length: dish name size, type, borders, logo and colour, plus the four label styles Hotelwright starts from.
- Buffet label software: from event order to printed labelThree ways a hotel can make buffet labels, hand-typed, merged from a spreadsheet, or built from the event order, and when label software earns its place.
- Menu changed after buffet labels printed? What to doWhen a buffet menu changes after labels are printed: pull the old cards, re-check allergens, reprint. How Hotelwright marks labels Stale and holds the Contains line until re-confirmed.
- Buffet label template, free and printableFree printable buffet label template for hotel banquets: dish name in English and Spanish, dietary codes, a Contains line and a legend, with filled-in examples.
- The 9 major food allergens in English and SpanishThe nine major food allergens the FDA lists, in English and Spanish, how a Contains line reads on a buffet label, and what to say when a guest asks.
Roles
- Banquet captain checklist for every eventA practical banquet captain checklist for before, during and after an event: BEO check, room set, line-up, service, breakdown and hand-off.
- Pre-shift meeting template for banquet line-upsA free banquet pre-shift meeting template and a five-minute line-up script: the event, the menu, special meals and allergens by table, the timeline and who to ask.
- Banquet captain duties and job descriptionWhat a banquet captain does before, during and after an event, the skills the role needs, and a job description template you can copy.
- Banquet manager duties: the week in a banquet officeWhat a banquet manager does each week, from Sunday's event orders to Saturday's last strike, plus a job description template for directors who are hiring.
- Banquet houseman duties and job descriptionWhat a banquet houseman (setup crew) does: room sets, flips, staging and strike, how their times follow setup and strike, and a job description.
- Banquet server duties and job descriptionWhat a banquet server does before, during and after an event, what the busser does beside them, and a job description you can copy.
Software and paperwork
- Banquet staffing and scheduling softwareBanquet staff scheduling from the event order: crew counts from the guarantee and your ratios, a Suggested order per slot, and flag-only schedule checks.
- How to staff banquets from the BEOUpload the week's banquet event orders as PDFs, review what was read, plan staffing from your ratios and publish a schedule your team confirms.
- Banquet Daily Event Sheet from your BEOsWhat goes on a banquet Daily Event Sheet, and how to build it from your event orders, with reprints that show what changed.
- Banquet staff scheduling app for phonesCaptains see their event, crew and tasks; staff confirm shifts and pick up open shifts on their phone, in English or Spanish.
Free sample PDFs
- Daily Event Sheet: sample dayDownload a sample — PDF: Daily Event Sheet: sample day, English (6 KB) · Daily Event Sheet: sample day, Spanish (6 KB)
- BEO templateDownload a sample — PDF: BEO template, English (6 KB) · BEO template, Spanish (6 KB)
- Staff schedule: sample weekDownload a sample — PDF: Staff schedule: sample week, English (22 KB) · Staff schedule: sample week, Spanish (19 KB)
- Pre-shift line-up card: sampleDownload a sample — PDF: Pre-shift line-up card: sample, English (5 KB) · Pre-shift line-up card: sample, Spanish (5 KB)
- Buffet allergen labels: sample sheetDownload a sample — PDF: Buffet allergen labels: sample sheet, English (5 KB) · Buffet allergen labels: sample sheet, Spanish (5 KB)
- Banquet allergen checklistDownload a sample — PDF: Banquet allergen checklist, English (5 KB) · Banquet allergen checklist, Spanish (5 KB)
- BEO review checklistDownload a sample — PDF: BEO review checklist, English (5 KB) · BEO review checklist, Spanish (6 KB)