Just last week I was at a meeting with a 5 Star property with their entire F&B team. As we were discussing how they charge their Banquets revenue.

Its simple they replied - "We charge on Pax-Basis. By pax we mean people."

And it is this industry belief that we want to dispel. Also it's important to mention that it's not a global norm. It's a uniquely Indian concept now extending to some parts of South Asia, Middle east.

Many F&B veterans, when asked why they count plates at their banquet buffets, will respond: "Because that’s how it’s supposed to be done!" or "Because that’s how it’s always been done!"

To understand why the industry adopted this norm, one needs to step back a few decades -

• Buffets followed a standard three-course meal structure (Starters, Main Course, Desserts)

• Buffets were simpler, menus smaller with fewer options resultantly most people consumed main course

• There weren't different dietary or cuisine preferences, social drinking was low.

• Size of gatherings were large and there wasn't a formal RSVP process.

• The start time and end time was fairly predictable with a 2-3 hours service period

In that world, it was difficult to arrive at an accurate turnout of attendees unless significant friction was added at the guest entry point. On this account, plates were a reasonable proxy for people and consumption. It was a tangible form of evidence that both parties could count & settle. Any other form of counting would have doubts about accuracy or verifiability. Hence we arrived at the industry norm of counting plates for event buffets.

However, in restaurants where buffet is served (often in the same hotels), nobody ever counts plates! It's only based on people. In fact, a hallmark of good service would be to offer to change plates regularly between helpings. The reason nobody counted plates is because the restaurant staff could easily validate how many people are there seated on a table. Hence there wasn't a need for a proxy.

But Events — and Guests — Have Evolved

Today’s guests are significantly different:

• They want custom experiences — eat what they want, when they want.

• They mix cuisines — Indian appetizers, Thai curry, Italian desserts, resulting in much larger buffer spreads

• They share, sample, socialize & party — not just greet, meet, eat & leave.

• They prefer dining experiences like live food counters, salad bars & soup stations. Social drinking has increased significantly

• The service period has increased to 4-8 hours with more experiences being embedded into events.

Events aren’t rigid dinners anymore — they are experiential journeys

At the buffet, the following story unfolds (especially in a social setup) :

• Some guests head straight to the pasta station & other live counters, savoring just their favorite dishes.

• Others enjoy starters, skip mains, and dive into desserts.

• Children eat on & off, running away with their playmates after just a nibble only to come back for more 20 mins later.

• A couple shares food with each other over the same plate

• Some guests, fresh from the dance floor, feel hungry to take seconds.

At the end of the night, the plate count doesn’t quite capture the turnout accurately. Now with data from over 300+ events across multiple venues, event types via DigiCount, we have found this gap between people & plates to be 20% on average, going as high as 55%.

With a gap that high, it surely calls into question, the validity of even using a metric that has long outlived its utility. And this consumption gap is not the only challenge here. There are disputes, unwarranted negotiations, pilferage, reputation risks amongst the challenges both sides face. But most importantly, the experience is marred.

Challenges arising from assuming plates = people

The Future of Hospitality: Data + Delight

We were tired of seeing great events undermined by outdated counting methods. So, we built DigiCount — a patent-pending AI system that anonymously captures unique attendee counts in real time with 99.5%+ accuracy while segregating staff, children & other service providers intelligently. No more guesswork. No more disputes. Just better experiences

Plates were a good start. But people are the real story. Let’s count them right!