SERVING

Serving Over-the-Counter

Service Drive-Through

Service Cafeteria Service Buffet Service Seated Service Flatware

Glassware Plateware Condiment Bussing Sidework

Key Terms

In the food and beverage industry, serving is delivering food to guest

Serving consist of four parts:◦ Setup◦ Serving food◦ Bussing◦ Sidework

Serving

There are five basic styles of service:◦ Over-the-Counter◦ Drive-Through◦ Cafeteria◦ Buffet◦ Seated

Style of Service

Over-the-Counter service is a style that is used mainly in quick-service and fast-food restaurants

Customers place their orders at a long counter that has cash registers

Meals are paid for and received at this counter

Customers either take their food with them, or carry them to a table

Style of Service: Over-the-Counter

Drive-through service is a style of service that many quick-service restaurants offer

Customers stay seated in their car for the whole process of ordering, paying, and being served

There is typically:◦ An order window/ speaker◦ A payment window◦ A pick-up window

Style of Service: Drive-Through

Cafeterias are very popular in institutional foodservice

In the cafeteria style of service customers are given a tray with silverware and a napkin

Food items are displayed along a counter called a serving line

Customers carry their trays along the serving line, as they request the items they see and want

At the end of the serving line, the customer pays and carries their tray to the table

Style of Service: Cafeteria

In buffet service, food is arranged on tables throughout the dining area

The presentation of the food on the buffet tables is important

Servers keep the displays of food stocked, so that the customers can serve themselves

Some stations have servers there to serve you, such as a meat-carving station, or an omelet station

The customers take their food selections to the table

Style of Service: Buffet

Seated service is service in which the customers are seated at a table

A server comes to the table to take the order

The server then brings the food to the table There are three popular styles of seated

service:◦ American◦ French◦ Russian

Style of Service: Seated

Many restaurants use American service The food is plated in the kitchen This type of service is also called plate

service It is the fastest of all types of service American service requires the least amount

of skill to wait on the customers

Style of Service: American Seated

Some fine-dining restaurants use French service

In French service the meal is partially prepared in the kitchen

Then the server finishes the cooking, carving, or flaming of the food in front of the customer

Style of Service: French Seated

The partially prepared food is bought to the table on a cart called a gueridon

The gueridon has a small heating utensil on it called a rechaud

The rechaud is used to complete the cooking in front of the customer

Style of Service: French Seated

Gueridon

Rechaud

In Russian service, the food is cooked and divided into portions in the kitchen

The portions of food are placed on silver trays

The server carries the tray of food to the table

The server uses a special serving spoon and fork to place a portion on each guest’s plate

This style of service is often used at banquets, when a large number of people are served similar food items

Style of Service: Russian Seated

Setup involves preparing the table for service

The steps involved in setting up include:1. Make sure the table is stable (no wobbling)2. Cover the table with linen or placemats (if that’s

the style)3. Set the table (each guest gets a place setting)4. Add any additional accessories or condiments to

the table

Setup

Items included in a place setting depends on the style of service, restaurant concept and theme, an meal being served

General categories of items included in a place setting are:◦ Napkins◦ Flatware◦ Glassware◦ Plateware

Setup

Flatware consists of the knives, forks, and spoons that guest will use during a meal

It is also called silverware or cutlery Glassware includes all the drinking glasses There may be as many as three glassware

items per setting:◦ Water glass◦ Juice glass◦ Wine glass

Setup

Plateware includes all dishes, such as plates and soup bowls

It also includes coffee cups and saucers Plateware is also called china

Setup

Accessories being added to the table can include:◦ Flowers◦ Ashtrays◦ Candles◦ Napkin dispensers◦ Menu or

advertisement holder

A condiment is something that is added to food to make it taste better

Condiments often placed on the table include:◦ Salt◦ Pepper◦ Syrup◦ Sugar◦ Soy Sauce◦ Hot Sauce◦ Ketchup◦ Mustard◦ Cream

Setup

Regardless of service style, service should be excellent

The most important thing in a restaurant is the comfort and safety of the customer

Recommended serving techniques include:◦ Sequence◦ Direction◦ Timing

Serving Food

Female customers should be served before male customers

If age can be determined, oldest to youngest

If children are in the party, they should be served before anyone

Serving children first will help keep them occupied and happy

The host or hostess of the party should be served last

Sequence

Food is served from the customer’s left side with the server’s left hand

A good way to remember this is by saying, “leave (the food) with the left” or “lead with the left”

The left hand is used to serve the food to avoid the possibility of bumping into the customers with your elbow

Direction

Beverages are served from the customer’s right side with the server’s right hand

Because the majority of people are right-handed, the glasses and cups for beverages are placed on the right side of the place setting

Direction

All guests at the same table should be served at the same time

It is courteous for customers to wait to begin eating until everyone at the table is served

Customers often get annoyed or impatient if everyone is served but one, or if one person is served ahead of everyone else

Customers’ food will get cold while they wait for others to be served

Timing

Some restaurants remove used dishes as soon as possible, with the consent of the customer

Others do not remove any plates from the table until the customers have finished eating their meals

You never want to rush people who have not finished eating

Sometimes customers may suggest the removal of their plates

Take that plate away even if the other customers have not finished their meals

Timing

The items included in a place setting depend on the menu and the style of service

Keep in mind the style of service ◦ American◦ French◦ Russian

This will determine the dishes needed

Place Setting

Place Setting

Informal Setting

Formal Setting

Dirty dishes are cleared from the customer’s right side with the server’s right hand

A good way to remember this is by saying, “Remove with the right”

The right hand is used to remove dishes gracefully and to avoid the possibility of bumping into the customer

Clearing Dishes

Dishes should be removed in a counterclockwise pattern

It is unappetizing to see food being scrapped off a plate

The server should “crumb the table” before dessert is served

A side towel or a crumbing device can be used to brush crumbs from the table into a small plate

Clearing Dishes

Dishes are removed in a counterclockwise pattern

Clearing Dishes

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Bussing is an essential part of excellent service

Bussing consist of:◦ Setting the place setting◦ Clearing dirty dishes from the table◦ Taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen

Sometimes the servers also do the bussing However, often a separate person, the

busser, performs these tasks

Bussing

Sidework consists of duties that servers must perform other than serving guest

These duties include:◦ Preparing the dining room◦ Learning the menu◦ Folding napkins◦ Replenishing condiments◦ Leaving the work area in

good order when the shift is completed

Sidework

THE ENDSERVING