There are different methods of serving guests in a restaurant or a hotel. Factors that determine the style of service include the target market, type of hotel and menu. Table service is one of the most common methods used especially in high end restaurants. It can also be referred to as sit-down service or waiter service.
Guests come in and they sit down and are assigned a waiter who will take care of everything they need. And of course, they need a warm welcome as soon as they arrive whether they have a booking or they are just walking in. The waiter will give the guests menus so they can place their orders and he or she will take the orders and delivers accordingly and proceed to the payments.
TYPES OF TABLE SERVICE.
1) Silver table service.
With silver service, food is served for at the table individually from a large platter or dish using a fork and a spoon, by the server. Each course is served in the proper bowls and plates and eaten with separate cutlery in a strict order. The food is served in silver dishes.
Rules to be strictly followed, include:
- Guests are served in a clockwise direction
- Food is served from the left
- drinks and meals that have already been plated are served from the right
- There is a specific set of crockery and cutlery for each course and you start from the outside and work inwards as you move through the courses
- At the end of each course, crockery is cleared by the server from your right-hand side
2) French table service
French service involves all the food being placed on the table at once for guests help themselves and passing the dishes around the guests. This style is often referred to as ‘family style’ service. In its more formal style, a waiter presents a dish of food directly on the table and the guest will dish the food onto their plate. Sometimes the food will be pre-cooked in the kitchen and finished off at the table in front of the guests. Always keep in mind that Female guests are served first, serve from the left and dishes are cleared from the right.
3) Russian table service.
Russian table service involves the Silver and French styles mostly depending on the Chef and Host. Usually, the food is prepared in the kitchen and then each course is brought to the table and carved and portioned by the waiter in the presence of the guest. However, sometimes the food is prepared and pre-cut in the kitchen and arranged on platters and is individually served to each guest at the table.
4) English/ Host/ Butler service
English Service is a form of Silver Service in which dishes are presented in a manner that allows the host or a designated server to serve each guest individually. The waiter brings food to the table in platters and the guest will have to approve of it. The host either potions the food and allows the waiter to serve it or he or she potions the food directly into the plates. The waiter will then have to take the dish around for replenishment and guests may help themselves or may require the waiter to it for them.
5) American/Plate service
The food is served onto the guest’s plate in the kitchen and then brought to the guest. Portions and anything that will accompany the food is predetermined in the kitchen although guests may make their choices when they place their orders according to the options on the menu.
6) Gueridon/ Tableside service
Food is partially prepared in the kitchen, then completed in the guests’ presence, typically using a gueridon, a mobile trolley with a gas cylinder and burners.
CONCLUSION.
Each method of table service has its pros and cons that needs to be considered before choosing to offer it. It could be time consuming and space demanding as well as expensive but at the same time it could give the guests a great experience that would create loyalty and frequent visits.