Tasting

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Regardless of how the ambassador knows it from his own country or from his last foreign post: In Berlin, guests expect to be provided with food and drink. This applies to lunchtime receptions as well as evening receptions. You don't want to have to go to a restaurant afterwards. However, catering costs in Berlin are relatively low compared to locations in London or Paris, where they can easily cost twice as much. It's even said that you wouldn't even open the door for what Berlin does in a London location.

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Vin d'honneur

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An “Ehrenwein” is not common in Berlin. In France, there is the vin d'honneur, in Spain the vino de honor is popular, i.e. a standing reception with wine tasting, but without food, ideally with tapas. National holiday receptions in Germany are (almost) unfamiliar with this practice. If you still want to save on food costs at the reception, you should note in the invitation that it is a drink reception with pretzel sticks. The guests will then know in good time.

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Fingerfood mistake

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Misconception number one: Finger food or canapes should be cheaper than a real buffet. Quite wrong. Apart from the fact that you expect a lunch or dinner buffet at the reception in Berlin and don't want to go home hungry, finger food is not suitable for a national holiday. Making small tartars or patties is much more complex than making a salmon pan (see below) at the buffet, which really fills the guests up.

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Flying Buffet mistake

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Mistake number two: A flying buffet should be very cheap. Also completely wrong. The high production costs for small items that you won't get enough of and, above all, the very labor-intensive distribution make a Flying Buffet relatively expensive. A large contingent of hostesses and waiters whose trays are quickly emptied must constantly remove empty bowls and deliver new ones. The food is never enough, no one gets full, but everything takes a lot of time.

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Salmon Pan

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If you have excluded the finger food and flying buffet variants for reasons of cost, the question is: Which buffet dishes are well received and are not too expensive? Professionals recommend frying salmon here. The salmon pan is easier to produce than small tartars or patties. It always looks good, tastes good and makes you feel full. And it's relatively cheap.

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Authentic food

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At a national holiday reception, a country would like to present its culinary specialities. This is recommended so that not every reception offers the same German cuisine. However, the balance must be right. Not everyone likes lamb. A good mix of German cuisine and typical regional delicacies is recommended.

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Rehearsal dinner

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Local food is welcome on National Day, but it is a challenge for German hotel chefs. They try to cook exotic dishes according to the recipe. It is better to arrange a rehearsal dinner with the embassy chef, if the embassy has one. Or you hire a trusted chef from a typical local restaurant who either helps out in the evening or at least gives tips.

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Catering from outside

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When it comes to non-German food, it is tempting to order catering with authentic food from outside. As a rule, this doesn't work: Most hotels are not interested in accepting full catering from outside and only providing the location. They expect to contribute at least fifty percent of the output from their own kitchen. However, such cases require intensive coordination. Otherwise, it happens, for example, that hotel kitchens and suppliers compete with fish. It must also be regulated: Who provides the dishes? Who restocks the buffet? The hotel or the supplier?

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“The buffet is open”

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Probably the most popular sentence at a reception: “The buffet is open! “If the speeches last too long, guests become restless. Some people get something even before the buffet opens. Professional guests who are still busy leave after two hours, even though the buffet hasn't opened yet and they can't touch anything about it.

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Buffet queues

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Long queues at the buffet can be avoided. If you set up the buffet on large round tables, the guests can approach it from all sides. If the buffet is presented on long tables, guests should have access from both sides.

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Alcohol

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Some embassies do not offer alcohol at the National Day reception. The guests have to accept that. If there is no alcohol, then there is no alcohol. This is where pitfalls and faux pas lurk. Under no circumstances should a guest fetch a beer from the hotel bar and return to the “dry” hall with it.

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Fresh table for the host

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The diplomats at the organising embassy must pay close attention to the well-being of the guests. You pay for the great buffet, but you don't have time to eat anything yourself. It would look funny if the embassy staff were the first at the buffet. That is why a good hotel offers that the ambassador and his staff receive a freshly set table at the end of the event — when the guests have said their goodbyes and the stage is dismantled — and can eat in peace and quiet.