Pre-Event Preparation and Setup
Review Relevant Documentation and Equipment Inventory
Pre-event preparation and setup involves reviewing relevant documentation and equipment inventory.
The most important documents include a Banquet Event Order (BEO) and a Run of Show (ROS) (with a menu), a rental list, a staff list, a floor plan, an order form, and an expediting sheet.
Banquet Event Order (BEO) and Run of Show (ROS) (with a Menu)
A Banquet Event Order (BEO) is a comprehensive document that serves as a blueprint for planning, executing, and evaluating an event. It lists specifications, including details on vendors, setup, and staffing. A manager is responsible for creating and circulating the BEO to all relevant departments.
The Run of Show (ROS) is a document that provides the chronology of an event (from setup to breakdown). It lists specifications on how an event will proceed, including transitions between service types and service areas. The ROS may be included in the BEO or may be an independent document.
The BEO/ROS often include a menu for a plated seated dining event.
The floor captain uses these documents to anticipate guest behavior and consumption, as well as staff expectations for engaging with guests, by identifying:
The type of event occurring (and so the service style as either sweep or synchronized)
The number of guests
The duration of the event for guests
The number of courses being served
The timing of the courses being served (considering key event moments such as speeches and entertainment)
The requirements for a set menu or order-based menu
Menu offerings, focusing on proteins and allergens
Special guest or client requests
Table information
Table numbers
Table's position one
The floor captain also uses these documents to anticipate setup, execution, and breakdown times with respect to timing based on:
The duration of time between the event setup and the event start
The duration of time with respect to the event breakdown and the event end
The logistical and operational protocols to consider with respect to service types, service areas, and the transition between them
Rental List
A rental list is a document that provides the inventory of equipment and materials a given vendor supplies for an event. It lists items including furniture, linens, tableware, station equipment, and décor. It details items, item details and/or descriptions, item quantities, vendor information, delivery details, condition notes, setup and/or usage requirements, and return instructions.
The floor captain uses this document in conjunction with the BEO and ROS to understand:
The full inventory of the equipment provided
The details related to the sizing of equipment
If the equipment is sufficient for the type of event, number of guests, duration of the event, the service types, the service areas, and the transitions between these
Staff List
A staff list is a document that provides the names and relevant details of staff (members of the service professional team) working a given event. It lists information including positions, contact information, start and end times, and total hours.
The floor captain uses this document (in conjunction with others) to understand:
The number of staff members, including captains, wait staff, bar staff (if applicable), and sanitation staff
If the number of staff members is sufficient for the event and service style
Floor Plan
A floor plan is a document that provides an architectural plan or diagram of a venue from a bird’s-eye view. A floor plan for an event often lists information including the direction for arranging and placing items during setup, including information on BOH and FOH. For BOH, this often includes sanitation and for FOH this often includes table size, quantity, and guest number.
The floor captain uses this document in conjunction with the others to understand:
The layout of the venue
How the layout of the venue supports operations with respect to the location of tables, inventory and equipment, paths for inventory and equipment, and the planned service types, service areas, and transitions between service types and service areas
If the layout of the venue must be modified to accommodate service professional movement and course timings, considering key event moments (e.g., speeches, entertainment)
Order Form
An order form is a document that provides the necessary details of guests’ orders. It is used during a plated, American, or hybrid service that requires the service professional team (and specifically the wait staff) to record individual orders from guests and communicate this to the culinary team (with the mediation of the food expeditor).
The order form lists the name of the member of the service professional team (wait staff) who is obtaining the order from the guest, the table number, the position of the guest seated at the table, and (most commonly) the protein options and protein totals. It includes spaces to document dietary restrictions, dietary preferences, and special requests.
Expediting Sheet
An expediting sheet is a document managed by the food expeditor that includes the necessary details of all guests’ orders for the entirety of the dining room. It is used during a French (restaurant), plated, American, or hybrid service that requires the service professional team (and specifically the wait staff) to obtain individual orders from guests and communicate this to the culinary team (with the mediation of the food expeditor).
The expediting sheet may list the table number, the position of the guest seated at the table, and the protein options and protein totals. It may also include spaces to document dietary restrictions, dietary preferences, and special requests. This collects all of the data from all of the order forms completed by the wait staff. Depending on the complexity of the event and potential time constraints, the expeditor may collect, organize and call orders from the order forms in the order of service.