Paper 05: Food and Beverage Service

Module 03: Restaurant Service Equipments

THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal

Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari

Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam,

Director, UIHTM, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Dr. Neeraj Aggarwal

Paper Coordinator
Asst. Professor, UIHTM, Panjab University,
Chandigarh
Mr. Anish Slath
Content Writer
Asst. Professor, UIHTM, Panjab University,
Chandigarh
ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE

Subject Name Tourism & Hospitality

Paper Name Food and Beverage Service

Module Title Restaurant Service Equipments

Module Id Module no-14.3

Pre- Requisites Basic knowledge Food and Beverage Service Department

Objectives To understand the different food and beverage service equipments used
in F & B Industry

Keywords Table ware, Glassware, Cutlery, Flatware

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Learning Outcome
2. Introduction
3. Types of service equipments:
3.1 Crockery
3.2 Different types of crockery in which food is served and their sizes
3.3Handling of Chinaware
4. Glassware
4.1. Stemmed glass
4.2 Flat bottom Glass
4.3 Footed glassware
5. Tableware
5.1 Cutlery
5.2 Flatware
5.3 Hollowware
5.4 Special purpose equipments
6. Furniture used in restaurants
6.1Tables
6.2 Chairs
6.3 Sideboards
7. Linen
7.1 Table Napkins
 QUADRANT-I

1. Learning Outcome
After completing this module students will be able to:
i. Understand the various types of equipments used in service industry
ii. Identify Uses of different F & B Equipments
iii. Know size and capacity of Glassware’s
iv. Understand how to take care of service equipments

2. Introduction The food and beverage service industry is the one which offers delectable food along with a
wonderful experience to the customers. The decor of the restaurant, ambience and music that is played in the
restaurant plays a very important role customer satisfaction. Equipments are purchased in the hotel way before
the Staff is hired. The equipment of a restaurant will be purchased wither by food and beverage manager or by
the owner of the restaurant. Care is taken during the planning stage that the restaurant is planned in such a way
that the equipments purchased for the restaurant occupies a minimum and can be placed without disturbing the
day to day operations of the restaurant. Type of service, design, colour, ability to store, usage, shape, are some of
the points that need to be considered before purchasing the restaurant equipment.

3. Types of service equipments: equipments basically mean furniture, crockery, glassware etc. which are to be
used by the service staff and the customers during service delivery process. The service equipments are
classified in three broader categories Glasses, Crockery and tableware.

Let us see what these are

3.1 Crockery: basically different kinds of plates and saucers that are used in a restaurant fall under this
category. The restaurants generally uses crockery made form bone china, as it is heat resistant and can be of
different shape and size. Silica, soda ash and china clay goes in the prepration of bone china crockery. There are
many qualities of chinaware available in the market some of them are as below

3.1.1 Porcelain: Crockery made with the combination of kaolinite clay, quarts and feldspar often mixed with
water and heated at high temperatures to form a plastic body that can be molded into different shape.

3.1.2 Stoneware: is strong and more chip resistance because it is fired at higher temperatures. Is heavy in
weight and is available in bright colors.

3.1.3 Earthenware: they are not strong and are porous. They chip off very soon and are not an ideal choice of
the restaurant owner. But since it comes at a very low cost small restaurants may often choose to use this kind of
crockery
3.1.4 Bone china: one of the finest class of crockery, it generally comes with metallic designs of gold ribbon
running along the diameter of the dinner ware. High heat resistance and long term durability makes price of this
kind of crockery very high. Due to the unique design and high end fines the crockery of bone china is suitable
for all kinds of occasions
3.2 Different types of crockery in which food is served and their sizes

Sr. Name of Crockery Size in inches and Uses in food and beverage picture
No. diameters (dia.) service
1 Quarter Plate/Side 6” (15cm dia.) This plate is situated on the
plate/Cheese Left hand side of the cover
Plate/Bread and butter and different breads and
plate cheese go on this plate
2 Half Plate/Sweet 8” (20cm dia.) Starters, salads, fish
Plate/Dessert Plate/Fish preparations and sweet dishes
Plate are served in this plate it
resembles dinner plate but is
smaller in size
3 Full Plate/Large 10” (25cm dia.) The main course either by
Plate/Dinner plate/Joint silver service or by TDH
Plate service will be served in
dinner plate
4 Soup bowl 250 ml Is used to serve thick soups
and in few restaurants they
are used to serve cereals
5 Soup cup/Consommé 250 ml All thin soups can be served
cup in this cup it has two handles
6 Soup Plate with 8”(20cm dia) All kinds of thick soups are
depression served in this plate

7 Breakfast cup 240-300 ml (8-10 Is bigger in size and breakfast

Fl oz) tea is served in this cup
8 Tea Cup and saucer 200 ml (6 2/3Fl oz) Except breakfast the tea if
asked by the guest during the
day hours will be served in
this cup.
9 Demitasse cup with 97-100 ml Coffee is served in this cup to
saucer the guests
10 Cereal Bowl/nappy 350 ml Breakfast cereals are served
bowl in this bowl
Other than above there is also the china ware in which food is not served but are equally important in restaurant
business they are as below

1. Cruet Set, 2 Ashtrays, 3 Coffee creamers 4, Sugar basin 5 Milk jug, 6 Egg cup, 7 Bud vases

8. Coffee/teapot

3.3 Handling of Chinaware

The durability of the china ware will depend on how well it is taken care of. Proper care and maintenance is
required for bone china crockery to prevent it from the wear and tear. It is important that correct method of
washing and drying is used to prevent cracks and chipping of bone china crockery. Chinaware is very delicate if
not handled properly they will break, While storing care should be taken that not more than 12 plates are stacked
on above the other, In no case chipped or broken crockery shall be used as it is a place to harbor germs

4. Glassware: The elegance of any restaurant will be defined by the kind and quality of the glasses they use.
Glasses have a very unique character of adding an eye appeal to different kinds of drinks that are served in the
restaurants. The market is full of different kinds of glasses which have distinctive shapes and sizes, since the
glassware is expensive therefore the restaurant owners should choose glasses which have multiple uses and are
suitable for all kinds of drinks. The glasses have the following three parts Bowl, stem and base or foot and are
classified into three different types according to their parts

4.1. Stemmed glass: This kind of glass will have all the parts, they are very attractive to look because of the
stem that connects the base or foot to the bowl. They are very fragile and if handled by an untrained
professional, break easily.
Sr. Name of the glass Capacity Description and usage Picture
No.

1. Red wine glass 7 to 8 oz (210 to They are identified by the

240 ml) wider rounder bowl which
is tapering inwards and is
used to serve red wines

2. White wine glass 6 oz (180 ml) White wine glasses are

identified by their long
stem and are narrower.
Since the white wine is
served chilled therefore the
long stem will prevent the
heat from the hand to
transfer to wine

3. Champagne Tulip 6 oz (180 ml) Is used to serve

champagne, so that the
bubbles do not escape
easily from the wine glass,
its mouth is and narrow

4. Champagne Flute 6 oz (180 ml) Used for sparkling wines

and champagne

5. Champagne saucer 6 oz (180 ml) Used for cocktails made

form champagne
6. Cocktail glass 5 oz (150 ml) A triangular shaped glass
with a long stem used for
service of wide range of
cocktails

4.2 Flat bottom Glass: These kinds of glasses do not have stems and their base or foot directly rests on the table

Sr. No. Name of the glass Capacity Description and usage Picture

1. Old fashioned glass 9 oz (270 ml) This kind of glass is used

for old fashioned cocktails
and whiskey to be served on
the rocks

2. High ball glass 8.5 oz (270 ml) It is suitable for all kinds of
drinks that may be served in
the restaurant. In general
layered cocktails suits well
with this kind of glass

3. Tom Collins 12 oz (360 ml) It is suitable for the long

drinks, iced tea and for
shakes

4. Roly poly 9 oz (270 ml) Suitable for cocktails which

are served with crushed ice

5. Pilsners 12-14 oz (360-420 It is suitable to serve light

ml) beers
6. Shot glass 1-2 oz (30 ml) Is suitable for straight
drinks like vodkas, whiskey
and tequila

7. Juice Glass 5 oz (150 ml) Suitable for all kinds of

fresh and canned juices, and
also serves as a repeat glass
in bars for spirits

4.3 Footed glassware: the glasses in which the stem is very short and is close to the base are called footed
glassware

Sr. No. Name of the glass Capacity Description and usage Picture

1. Brandy balloon 12 oz (360 ml) Suitable for serving brandy

has a very short stem thus
when the hand of the
customers touches the base
of the glass, the aroma is
released due to the transfer
of heat

2. Beer goblet 12-14 oz (360 to Used to serve chilled beer,

240 ml) is made up of thick glass
and has a handle on the side
to hold the beer so that the
beer remains cool

3. Water goblet 8-10 oz (240 to 300 Is larger than the wine glass
ml) and is used to serve water,
is placed on the right hand
side of the restaurant cover
4. Port glass 1.75 oz (45 ml) is used for the service of
port wine and sherry

The glassware should be cleaned with warm water and light wiping should be done. No smudges, finger prints
or water marks should stay on the glasses

5. Tableware: also known by the other name silver ware, the table ware equipments are those items by the help
of which the food is either consumed by the guest or it is a help to the waiter to do the service of food to the
guest. They are generally made up of food grade stainless steel material and are classified as

5.1 Cutlery: The technical meaning of cutlery in food and beverage service is all kinds of cutting materials used
in the restaurant like fish knives, side knives, and butter knives etc. any cutlery used for cutting of food either by
the guest or by the server comes under this category

Sr. Name of the Size in Description Picture

No. cutlery inches

1 Joint Knife 9” Is bigger as compared to all purpose knife

and is used for cutting the joint pieces of
meat

2. Grille Knife 9” As the name suggests they are used to carve

out meat portions which are served directly
from the grill

3. Fruit Knife 7” Smaller in size and are used by the guests to

cut the fresh fruits

4. Steak Knife 10” Generally has a serrated edge and is used for
meat steaks

5. Dessert Knife 8” Are smaller in size as compared to dinner

knife and are used along with dessert fork
6. Fish Knife 9” Fish knife is used for fish course along with
fish fork. The basic difference between fish
fork is that it has a cut at the tip of the knife

8. Dinner Knife 7” Also known as all purpose knife, used for

main course

5.2 Flatware: Flatware refers to all kinds of spoons and forks that are used in the service industry

Sr. Name of the Size in Description Picture

No. cutlery inches

1 Dinner 7” Also known as all purpose knife, used for

Spoon main course

2. Soup Spoon 7” Is used to consume all kinds of thick, thin

and creamy soups

3. Tea Spoon 6” Is served with juices, fruit cocktails, cakes,

ice creams

4. Service 8” These are to be used by waiters for servicing

Spoon of food from platter to the plates of the
customers. It is accompanies by service fork

5. Dessert 5” Is served along with cereals

spoon

6. Coffee spoon 4” The size of the spoon is small because coffee

is served in a demitasse cup which is also
small in size

7. Dinner Fork 7” They are used for the entree courses in the
restaurants

8. Joint fork 9” Due to the larger prongs, joint fork is used

for meat dishes.

9. Grill fork 9” are used along with grilled knife to carve

foods directly from the hot grill
10. Fish fork 8” They have a cut near to the blade of the fork
and are used to eat fish preparations

11. Dessert Fork 6” Are used along with dessert knife for dessert
course

12 Service Fork 8” It is used along with the service spoon to

serve the food to the guest.

5.3 Hollowware: any other utensils other than that of cutlery and flatware comes under this category for
example sugar bowls, chafing dishes, entree dishes, coffee and tea pots, rice platters, butter dish, bread baskets,
water jugs, sauce boats etc. all are the part of hollowware. Hollowware helps the server to serve the different
kinds of food on the guest plates

5.4 Special purpose equipments: These kinds of equipments are used for special purpose by the hoteliers some
of the special equipments are mentioned below; the list only covers some of the important special equipments

Sr. No. Name of the special Usage Picture

equipment
1. Asparagus holder Used to hold asparagus spear while
eating

2. Bread basket For the service of bread rolls and

different Indian breads like roti, naan etc

3. Butter dish Cubes of butter are served in butter dish,

has provision to keep ice cubes under the
butter so that the butter does not melt

4. Butter knife Served along with butter dish to cut and

apply butter on breads

5. Cheese knife Is used for cutting and picking of cheese

during cheese course
 6. Corn on the cob holder For holding of corn from the sides so that
the hands of the guests do not get dirty

7. Caviar knife A small shaped knife which is used to

consume caviar (the eggs of sturgeon
fish)
8. Finger bowl Is served to the guest at the end of the
meal. Warm water and lemon wedge to
helps to clean the hands of the guest on
the table itself
9. Grape scissor Is served along with bunch of grapes to
cut it into smaller segments

10. Lobster cracker Used to crack lobster claws

11. Lobster pick Used to pick lobster flesh

12. Sauce boat with sauce ladle It’s a boat shaped equipment in which the
sauce or chutneys are served

13. Snail dish Used to hold snail ( round dish with two
handles)
14. Snail fork A two prong fork used to pick flesh from
shells

15. Sundae spoon Used with ice-cream/ shakes when

served in a tall glass

6. Furniture used in restaurants: There is a wide range of furniture available in the market for the customer to
choose from. The owner of the restaurant before purchasing the furniture for his restaurant must be very sure
about what kind of business unit they are. It is necessary to understand what kind of operations would be run by
the outlet as this will determine the quality and quantity of furniture to be purchased by the organizations.
Different kind of materials like wood, steel, granite etc are being used by the manufacturers to make furniture
for hotel industry it will be the choice of the restaurant what kind of material best suits for his organization.
Wooden furniture due to its elegance is generally preferred by the hotels. Mainly tables, chairs and side boards
are the ones which are the components of restaurant furniture.

6.1Tables: three different shapes of tables can be found in any restaurant mainly round, rectangular and square.
The table top can be covered with baize cloth to increase the durability of the table and to protect it from spills.
The standard height of the dinner table is 30 inches from the ground and the ideal size for a placing four cover
on a square table is 36 x 36 inches, 36 inch dia for round table and 30
x 48 inches for a rectangular table

6.2 Chairs: a wide variety of chairs with unique designs is also

available in the market but one should not forget that the standard
height of the chair is 39 inches for the ground to the top and the chair
seat height is 18 inches from the ground

6.3 Sideboards: The side station is also called the dummy waiter or service console. This is a very important
piece of furniture in a restaurant. It is used by the service staff for keeping all the service equipment at one place.
It is also used as a landing table for the dishes picked up from the kitchen en-route to the table and the dirty
dishes from the guest's table to the wash-up area. For the convenience of the service staff, the side station should
be strategically located in a restaurant. The side station should be kept clean and presentable as it can be seen by
the guests.

7. Linen: to enhance the ambience and decor of the restaurant the table linen like table cloths, table runners, slip
cloth napkins, table mats etc are used. The varied colors of the linen used by the restaurants add contrast to the
entire table setup. Wide range of cloth materials like silk, satin, polyester etc can be used for the preparation
table linen. Maximum hotels prefer to use restaurant linen made up or cotton material. Table linen will generally
comprise of the following

7.1 Table Napkins: in the absence of table napkins, well set cover in a restaurant looks incomplete. Table
napkins are neatly folded into different shapes (like cone, candle, pocket, rose, fan Bishops cap etc) which give
an eye appeal to the entire cover and are kept at the centre of a cover. Before placing the dinner plates these
napkins are removed by the server and kept on guests lap to prevent the clothes from getting dirty due to food
spill. These napkins are made of different materials (like cotton, linen and high quality paper) and are used by
the guest for cleaning of hands face and while eating. The standard size of a table napkin for lunch is 18”x18”
and for dinner is 20”x20”
7.2 Baize cloth: this cloth is fixed tightly to the table and is made up of thick material. The purpose of this cloth
is to prevent table from getting spoiled due to spills of the food and to prevent the noise level of the cutlery and
crockery which the server will keep on the table during service.

7.3Table cloths: the table cloth gives an elegant look to the entire table and they let you know the quality of
service that the restaurant is offering. It is spread on the baize cloth and for 36” table 54”x54” inch table cloth is
the standard size.

7.4 Table runners: a long satin cloth which runs length wise on the table cloth and adds warmth to the design of
the table cloth. The runners give a formal and elegant look to the dinner table. They are also used to cover
slightly soiled table cloth.

7.5 Waiters Cloth: this cloth is used by servers during the service, it is used to wipe the edges of the dishes and
prevent server’s finger marks to imprint on the cutlery and crockery being served to the guest. The waiter’s cloth
is to be neatly folded and kept on the wrists; it should never be used to wipe face or hands and if dirty should be
immediately replaced.

8. Summary

The equipments used in service industry play a very important role in attracting customers. The type of cutlery
and crockery being used in the restaurant, defines the status of that restaurant. The equipments used in the
service industry have standard sizes and dimensions which are available in the market for the restaurant owner
to choose from. The furniture not only provides a distinguished look to the restaurant but also gives a
comfortable place for the guest to dine in. The color combination of the linen gives a visual appeal to the whole
restaurant. The restaurant owners now days are using a mix of traditional and contemporary equipments in their
restaurants to make them look different. Therefore all the equipment might be separate from each other but when
combined together gives the guest a completely different and a satisfying dining experience.