What is banqueting? Explained, and how it differs from catering

Banqueting is a term you often come across at hotels and large event venues, but what does it actually mean? And how does it relate to catering, which is what you deal with every day as a caterer? In this article we explain what banqueting covers, where the term comes from, and when it does or doesn't apply to your own work.

What does banqueting actually mean?

Banqueting is the term for running large, formal dinners and events, usually organised from a fixed venue such as a hotel, conference centre or event space. Think of a wedding dinner for two hundred guests, a gala evening or a large corporate banquet with full table service. The term comes from the hotel trade, where a dedicated banqueting department handles everything around big events: from the room layout to the menu and the service.

In the Netherlands and Belgium you hear the term less often than in the international hotel world, but you'll know the concept. Any time you run a full-course dinner for a group of guests at one fixed venue, with a tight schedule of courses and service, you're effectively doing banqueting.

The difference between banqueting and catering

The distinction mainly comes down to where the food is prepared and served. Banqueting always happens at the venue's own site: the kitchen, the room and the staff all belong to the same place. Catering is broader and covers preparing and delivering food for an event, often at a location other than where you normally cook.

As a caterer you're usually delivering bespoke work on location, while banqueting teams work from a fixed base with a fixed running order. A few practical differences, side by side:

• Location: banqueting is tied to one place, catering travels to the client.
• Scale: banqueting menus are often standardised for large numbers, while catering leaves more room for tailoring to each client.
• Setup: a banqueting department works with fixed rooms, fixed staff and fixed equipment. A catering business builds each event back up from scratch.

In practice the two overlap. A hotel with a banqueting department sometimes brings in a caterer for a dish its own kitchen doesn't run. And a caterer who's often at the same event venue ends up working with that venue's fixed layouts and set routes as a matter of course.

When do you run into banqueting as a caterer?

Even without a hotel or a fixed event venue, you still run into the banqueting approach. Large corporate events, gala dinners and weddings with lots of guests often call for the same structure: a tight schedule, a fixed layout, and service that runs smoothly for hundreds of guests at once.

Caterers who take on these bigger events deliberately borrow elements from banqueting: a detailed running order, a fixed role for each team member, and a menu you can scale up easily from eighty covers to two hundred.

Some caterers also work directly with event venues as a regular banqueting partner. They then run the catering for all the big events at that venue on an ongoing basis, often under a long-term agreement. It saves you on winning new business, but it does mean working within that venue's kitchen, room layout and house rules.

Frequently asked questions

Is banqueting the same as catering?

No. Banqueting is a specific way of serving food at one fixed venue, usually a hotel or event venue. Catering is broader and also covers preparing and delivering food at locations other than where you normally cook.

Where does the term banqueting come from?

The term comes from the hotel trade. Large hotels often have a dedicated banqueting department responsible for weddings, conferences and other big events on site.

Can a catering business also offer banqueting services?

Yes. Some caterers work as the regular banqueting partner for an event venue or hotel, running the big events at that venue on an ongoing basis. You'll be working in that venue's kitchen rather than your own.

What is the difference between banqueting and a banquet?

A banquet is the event itself, an elaborate celebratory dinner. Banqueting is the way that dinner gets organised and run.

What goes into a running order for a banqueting evening?

For each course, the time it has to leave the kitchen, who serves it and where the plates come from. Plus the room layout, the numbers per dietary need, and the moment the speeches interrupt the service. With large guest numbers, that timing plan makes or breaks the evening.

Do you charge a different price for banqueting than for catering on location?

Usually, yes. With banqueting, the venue shares in the proceeds and you use its kitchen, room and equipment. With catering on location, you charge your own transport, equipment hire and setup hours, and those costs are often already folded into the room hire with banqueting.

Working on large events with lots of guests? Catermonkey tracks what you're buying in, who's working that day and what it costs, per event, so a dinner for two hundred guests doesn't mean hunting through separate lists.

Try it free