Longing for a party makes demand for buffet go up, but there is a lack of manpower

Laura Estima, 58, soon noticed that something was changing in the habits of the clientele at Doces de Laura. “Since mid-October, the order is no longer for small cakes, weighing one or two kilos, and now having six kilos, says the gaúcha, who founded the sweet shop 28 years ago in Vila Madalena, west of the city of São Paulo. .

“In the same way, the sweets, which were not even ordered, started to come out, two hundred at a time. A sign that people are gathering again, the parties are back”, he celebrates.

The advance of vaccination, combined with the end of capacity restrictions, which brought with it the release of the dance floors, is generating a significant increase in the number of parties that were suspended during the pandemic.

There are birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and even the late “firm party”, which happens again after the home office season.

“Everyone went crazy after the party”, says Ricardo Dias, 52, president of Abrafesta (Brazilian Association of Events).

“It’s as if the floodgates of a dam had been opened: people are wanting a budget in five minutes”, says he, who sees the parties smaller, but more refined.

Guilherme Campos, 59, director of Sebrae São Paulo, confirms that the events are making a comeback – most of the sector is made up of micro-entrepreneurs and small companies. “There is a lot of demand and several places are without dates available, especially the open and airy ones, in the middle of nature”, he says.

Weddings have been in high demand, after facing several delays over the past 20 months, followed by corporate events and children’s parties.

“People want to catch up on moments with co-workers, family and friends.”

Even before the pandemic, the sector moved around R$17 billion a year in social events and R$250 billion in corporate events, such as fairs and congresses, according to a survey by the Locomotiva Institute for Abrafesta. In the association’s accounts, there were around 300,000 companies.

“I believe that half of that total has closed its doors in these almost two years of restrictions”, says Dias.

Those who continued in the market, however, need to face two major problems: accelerated inflation, which requires a greater effort to put a price on the celebrations, and the lack of specialized labor. And, eventually, shortages of inputs, such as flowers.

Floriculturists in Holambra, the country’s largest flower producer and distributor, became horticultural productions during the pendemic, says Dias, recalling the extensive chain of specialized professionals involved in holding a party.

“We are specialists in logistics and planning. To make an event happen, you need to think from the kitchen and the service, with a waiter and bartender, to the generator to guarantee energy, select who will assemble the structure and the decoration, who will will be responsible for the audio and video equipment, for security,” says Dias.

“The gears of this chain broke during the pandemic, because most of these professionals went to do something else, as 85% of the workforce is made up of freelancers”.

Eager to get back to work, many suppliers are not passing on the increase in costs, labor and inputs. “In this scenario, we will see part of the events not being delivered, it is difficult to execute without readjusting prices”, says Dias.

Ethyl level advances after pandemic

Vinicius Rojo, 45, from Rojo Gastronomia, has already had to decline from some events due to lack of time. “last monday [8], people from a bank called me asking for a party for Wednesday [10]”, says the businessman, who has received requests for quotes even on the eve of the party.

For the coming 22nd, Rojo will attend a large consultancy that will host a different company party: there will be four events, for 25 people each, held simultaneously at the home of each of the company’s partners, a multinational.

“This generates a huge operating cost, but I realize that European companies still want to avoid a lot of people together”, says the businessman.

In two major New Year’s Eve events of its schedule, however, the crowd is certain: in a luxury condominium in the interior of São Paulo, for 1,500 people, and a party at a club in Angra dos Reis (RJ), for 1,000 guests.

Drinking demand at the parties has grown: Rojo calculates 20% more alcohol at post-pandemic parties.

Costs also rose a lot compared to 20 months ago: 40% inflation in food and 20% in labor, according to Rojo.

“I can only pass a small part of this on to the client, somewhere between 5% and 10%,” he says. “Our operation is complex: there are many events, but they are smaller, there is a lack of professionals and the margin is much tighter than before”.

Children’s parties also returned. It will be at Bumble Bee SBC, on November 26th, the birthday party that Matheus, 6, was unable to hold on September 24th. He and his father were diagnosed with Covid hours before the party.

“My ground ran away”, says businesswoman Waldirene Colosso de Sá Freire, 42, Matheus’ mother.

“On the week of my birthday, my brother, who works with me, started to have symptoms. I had already done the test and it was negative. But, on the day of the party, my husband started to feel fever. After the test, he and my son were immediately quarantined,” he says.

That day, he had to run to inform the 50 guests that the party was canceled – including part of the family who was coming from Campinas (SP).

All that was left was the photographer, the only one to arrive at the party, just as the buffet staff was leaving. “But everyone was very kind and considerate to me, they didn’t charge anything for the suspension.”

After the scare and with everyone in the family safe, it was time to deal with the frustration of the son and his friends, with the party finally scheduled.

“Now we are excited again,” he says.

Marcel Biazon, 46, partner at the children’s buffet Bumble Bee SBC, in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), says that he already has half the demand as before. He held prices at the pre-pandemic level to attract clientele. But, for next year’s events, it has already readjusted the table by 10%.

“We need to maintain the level of quality, especially in terms of food, which is our biggest attraction, since everything has gone off,” says the businessman, who began putting an expiration period on budgets: 15 days, something that didn’t exist before.

“Prices are going up almost weekly,” says Biazon, who also had to lay off nearly half his staff during the pandemic.

The buffet turned cart

The devastation caused by Covid-19 in the events business forced part of the entrepreneurs to look for alternatives to continue working during this period. In the end, the alternative proved to be more viable than the buffet itself. That’s what happened to businesswoman Miriam Catibi, 40, former owner of Fiorello, in Higienópolis, in São Paulo.

During the pandemic, she and partner Luíza Helena Fioravanti, 44, created the Recomendo Quitutes, a marketplace with indication of suppliers of cakes, pies, sweets and snacks, which were already supplied to the buffet.

They also took the opportunity to test, outside the buffet environment, the popularity of the gourmet carts that served freshly prepared food at Fiorello —risottos, pastas, crepes, tapiocas, pizzas, etc. The acceptance surprised.

“Corporate events came with everything,” says Miriam. “But we also have demand for birthdays, baptisms, first communion,” says the businesswoman, who last month sold the Fiorello to the DellOrso events group.

They are barely able to meet the demand for gourmet carts, whose service price varies from R$50 to R$200 per person. But they are on the lookout for soaring inflation. “Our budget is valid for a maximum of ten days,” says Luiza.

Businesswoman Ana Cristina Macias, 47, also changed course with the pandemic. She had to close her restaurant, Mami Chef, and opened a healthy food buffet, Mami Bistro.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it tried to sell lunchboxes for an app but it didn’t work because of the fees, which were too high. He switched to a competitor and the business took off.

In the last two months, however, with the gradual return to the offices, he has seen that demand for lunchboxes has dropped. “It was the chance to invest in corporate events,” he says.

Ana Cristina’s schedule is full of socializing and secret friend parties, ranging from 50 to 150 people each. “It’s time to celebrate life, after all this tsunami.”

Grooms set three dates to get married

And it was on November 6 that pediatric dentist Maiaty Scigliano, 32, and military police officer Fábio Vedovato, 31, managed to celebrate.

After four years together, they decided the pandemic would not stop them. Still in June 2020, they set the wedding date for May 2021.

“I really wanted to get married in the month of the brides”, says Maiaty. “But every time I saw the [governador de São Paulo, João] Doria on TV, saying the restrictions continued, I was frustrated,” she says. “I wasn’t going to dress up, invite our families and friends, to a 45-minute church service. We wanted to party”.

From May 8th, the wedding was rescheduled for October 2nd. “As the date approached and the restrictions continued, we were already thinking about giving up getting married this year and rescheduling the ceremony for next year”, says Fábio.

“But then we found out that we would have to pay a 40% fine with some suppliers,” says Maiaty. The wedding had to take place in 2021.

A new date has been confirmed with all suppliers: November 6th. To the delight of Maiaty and Fábio, finally, the dance floors were released on November 1st in the state of São Paulo. The party took place at the Fiorello buffet, for 150 guests.

The couple provided, at the reception, three little bows to be distributed among the guests: green, yellow and red. Each one should choose a tie according to the level of contact they wanted to maintain at the party, being green hug free, yellow, in moderation, and red, without contact.

“Everyone lacked a green bow,” says Maiaty, noting that only two pregnant women decided on a red bow. “We did it to protect the guests, especially the elderly, but everyone really missed getting closer”.