In short
- Banqueting is the complete organisation of a banquet: not just the food, but the dining room, the staff and the timings.
- The word is English, but its root is Italian: banchetto, from banco.
- A typical service includes the kitchen, drinks, waiters, table linen, tableware, mise en place and coordination.
- What is included varies from company to company: it must be written in the quote.
If you are organising a wedding, a corporate dinner or an event with many guests, sooner or later you will read "banqueting service". It means that someone takes care of the whole banquet, from the kitchen to the last glass collected. Here you will find what the word means, where it comes from and what you should expect.
The meaning of the word
Italian dictionaries define banqueting as a business activity that consists of organising large banquets and formal lunches, taking care of every detail. The term is English, formed from the verb to banquet.
In Italian it is used as a masculine noun: "il banqueting", "un'azienda di banqueting" (a banqueting company), "il banqueting del matrimonio" (the wedding banqueting). It often appears paired with catering, in the phrase "catering e banqueting". The two words are not synonyms: the difference is explained in the guide on banqueting and catering.
An Italian origin
The word's history takes a curious route. The English banquet comes from the French banquet, which in turn comes from the Italian banchetto, a diminutive of banco: the bench or small table on which a light meal was eaten. Italian dictionaries also record banchetto as derived from banco.
Today, in Italian, "banchetto" means a meal with many guests, held to honour someone or to celebrate an event. It is the word still used for the "banchetto nuziale", the wedding banquet. English has given the term back to Italian with the suffix of the trade: banqueting, the craft of organising it.
What a banqueting service includes
There is no list fixed by law. Companies that use the word, however, usually include or offer these items.
| Area | What it usually includes |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Menu, preparation, often cucina espressa on site (dishes are finished at the venue) |
| Drinks | Water, wines, aperitivo, sometimes an open bar and coffee |
| Staff | Banquet manager or event lead, maître d', waiters, cooks, bartenders, sometimes a sommelier |
| Dining room | Table linen, tableware, cutlery, glasses, mise en place |
| Furniture | Tables, chairs, buffet, sometimes through hire companies |
| Logistics | Transport, field kitchen, set-up, breakdown, rubbish |
| Timing | A running order coordinated with the venue, music and photographer |
Some companies add floral arrangements, seating plans, the cake, children's services or the coordination of other suppliers. Others stop at the kitchen and the dining room. That is why "banqueting" on its own is not enough: always ask for the list of items included.
The people of banqueting
A banquet works if everyone knows what to do. The typical roles are the banquet manager, who coordinates, the maître d', who runs the dining room, the waiters (chef de rang and commis), the cooks with the chef, the bartender and the sommelier. You will find them described one by one in the guide to banqueting roles.
How a banquet is served
Banqueting uses several service styles. The most common at Italian receptions is Italian service, with the dish plated in the kitchen and brought to the table. Then there are French, English and Russian service, guéridon service, the buffet and passed trays for the aperitivo. Each style needs a different number of waiters and changes the timings of the evening. We compare them in the guide to types of service in banqueting.
Banqueting in Rome: where it happens
Rome is a city of receptions. Banqueting works mainly in three types of place:
- villas and farmhouses in the Roman countryside, on the Appia Antica, in the Castelli Romani, towards Bracciano: these often need a field kitchen and a complete set-up;
- historic palazzi and terraces in the centre, where access, the ZTL (limited traffic zone), lifts and tight spaces for the kitchen all matter;
- hotels and conference centres, at EUR and elsewhere, where banqueting is sometimes run in-house.
At many venues banqueting is exclusive: the venue works only with its own supplier or with a few approved ones. Before choosing a company, check the venue's rules. The guide on venues with exclusive or open catering explains what changes.
When it makes sense to call a banqueting company
It makes sense when the event has at least one of these features:
- guests seated at the table for several courses;
- an empty venue that has to be set up;
- several stages on the same day (aperitivo, dinner, cake, bar);
- institutional or corporate guests, with timings to keep to;
- dietary requirements to be managed with care (kosher, coeliac disease, allergies).
For a small party at home, with a buffet and no waiters, a caterer that delivers is usually enough.
A concrete example: who does what
Take a wedding reception at a farmhouse in the Castelli Romani, with a served dinner. With a banqueting service, the day breaks down roughly like this:
- in the morning the vans arrive with the field kitchen, tables, table linen and tableware;
- in the early afternoon the dining area is laid and the kitchen starts its preparations;
- the banquet manager checks the running order with you or the wedding planner: guests' arrival, photos, entry into the dining area, cake;
- when guests arrive, waiters serve the aperitivo from trays while the kitchen finishes the first courses;
- during dinner the maître d' starts each course, so that all tables are served together;
- at the end of the evening the team breaks down, collects the equipment and leaves the venue as it found it.
With a simple caterer, on the other hand, many of these items fall to you or to the venue: who lays the tables, who serves, who decides when the first course goes out.
Words you will find in the quote
- Cucina espressa: dishes are prepared or finished on site, rather than arriving ready-made.
- Field kitchen: the mobile kitchen the company sets up at the venue.
- Mise en place: the laying of the tables. We cover it in the guide to mise en place in banqueting.
- Chiavi in mano (turnkey): the company takes care of everything the banquet needs. Always ask what "everything" includes.
- Hours of service: the hours during which staff are present, usually with a cost for each extra hour.
Questions to ask the caterer
- What exactly does your banqueting service include? Can you send me the written list?
- Who is in charge of the event, and will they be there throughout?
- How many floor and kitchen staff do you plan for my number of guests?
- Is the cooking done on site? Is a field kitchen needed?
- Are the table linen, tableware, tables and chairs your own or hired? Are they included?
- Are set-up, breakdown and rubbish disposal included?
- Do you work exclusively with, or have agreements with, any venues?
To carry on
Banqueting is the service that turns a meal into an organised banquet. If you are assessing companies, start from how to choose a banqueting company. For wedding receptions, see the wedding caterers. Once you have a date, guests and a venue, request a quote from several companies and compare the same items.
