Breakfast

• Eggs are a natural for any action station. Omelets, fritattas and good old scrambled eggs are a sure bet. Serve the eggs with bakery breads, bagels and English muffins. Another idea is a yogurt bar complete with fresh fruit, granola, shaved coconut and a selection of nuts for toppings. Include a coffee station where patrons can order specialty coffee (with or without liqueur), and have a variety of syrups on hand for specialty cappuccinos. For brunch, a potato latke and smoked salmon station can be paired with caviar. Another idea is a waffle, pancake or flapjack station. Guests can choose what they would like to add to their cakes from a selection of fruit, nuts and chocolate chips.

Lunch

• For a lighter lunch option, add a salad station to the banquet. Include a grill station to allow patrons to top their salads with meat or fish of their choice. Include chicken, shrimp, salmon and thin strips of beef. For the salad itself, offer different greens, eggs, olives, nuts, dried cranberries or raisins and a couple of dressing choices. Another option is a grilled panini action station. Guests can choose the type of bread and all the fixings for the perfect panini. The chef can create a few options like a grilled Nutella and banana sandwich, or you can let each person customize one. Another idea is a soup station. Offer Moroccan chicken stew and a fish bouillabaisse with options for adding couscous, rice or noodles to the soup.

Dinner

• A grill station is a popular choice for banquet stations. Spice it up by adding a theme like a Spanish, Mexican or Hawaiian grill. Another idea is to do a pasta station. Choose different shapes of pasta and couple with a variety of sauce options including a tomato version, a cream version and an olive oil version. Guests can then choose which meat, vegetables and cheese they would like to add. You could also create a taco station offering a variety of grilled and ground meats. Include all the traditional fixings and offer freshly made taco shells (soft or crunchy). A variation on this is a quesadilla station.