I think that while family style meals might take extra time for the kitchen, if your camp has any number of individuals, serving buffet style would take forever. Some weeks our camp has 300 campers. We serve meals family style. Having to add all the time for campers to go through a buffet line would take away from our program time. As opposed to 300 campers sharing one or two dishes of food (buffet style), with family style 10 campers share a dish of food, so everyone can start (and finish) eating much sooner.
Beyond not using up program time, honestly, 300 campers in a dining hall in the middle of summer is not something I really need to happen for any longer than it has to. When it gets really hot it is downright uncomfortable.
