Styles of Table Service

Styles of table
services
 There are several styles of table services; some
ways are formal and elaborate, others are
casual and relaxed. Generally, these styles can
be classified as formal, informal, and
compromise.
Table services styles differ in three ways:
 The manner in which the dinner receives food
 The servants required to wait on the table
 The number of courses offered
3 methods of table service

sit down
tray service
the buffet
Sit-down meals
 Russian / continental/ formal services
 English services
 Family/ compromise services
 American / country style services
 Apartment / blue-plate services
 Sit-down buffet
Buffet Meals are classified as:
 Plate buffet
 Tray buffet
 Sit-down buffet
Russian /Formal/ continental service
 this type of service is used only for formal luncheons
and dinners.
 It involves provision for an adequate number of
waiters, as all courses are served by attendants.
 the most elegant form of table service, but because this
is a formal and demanding service very few homes
have occasion to use it.
 Used by many good restaurants and five-star hotels.
Fundamental details of a formal services are:
 Table is set with formal cloth and dinner napkins. Silver is

placed for courses through the salad course. The silver for
dessert is placed preceding the dessert courses.
 Services plates are always used.
 Only the table decorations are on the table. No food is on table
at any time as all food is served by attendants.
 Place cards may be used if the size of the group justifies their
use. They are usually placed upon the napkin at the base of the
goblet or any conspicuous place.
 Bread-and- butter plates are not used
 Salt and pepper shakers are not on the table. The food is expected food is
expected to be nearly perfectly seasoned.
 The food may be served in one of these two ways:
a. food may be served in individual dishes and placed
before the guests by the waiter
b. food is placed on appropriate serving platters, divided into
individual portions and passed to the guests, and each one serves
himself.
 Second servings are not offered
 After-dinner coffee is a demitasse, served black.
 Finger bowls may be used.
English service
 May be an informal, hospitable type of service or it may
be very formal.
 The main characteristic of English service is that all
courses are served at the table by the host or hostess.
 This service may be done with or without the maid
Fundamental details of English service are:
 All the food is served from the table by the host and
hostess, who give their personal attention to the needs of
the guests.
 the host serves the meat and vegetables while the hostess
usually serves the appetizer, the salad , the dessert, and
the beverages
 The waitress is still needed to place the plates for the
guests and to pass the accompaniments of the course.
She stands at the left of one doing the serving.
 One course is served at a time. One course is removed
before the next course is brought in.
 The plates may be placed one at a time or they may be
placed in a pile at the host’s left where he may fill
them.
 The host serves the first portion and the waiter takes a
plate and places it before the one serving.
 After the host serves one side of the table, the hostess
may start serving those who have received their plates
on her right.
 Desserts appropriate for this type of service are
molded gelatin or ice cream.
 This style shows a very tasteful arrangement in
dicative of the family’s style of living.
Compromise or family services
 This style of service is somewhat a compromises
between the Russian and English styles; that is some
foods are served directly from the kitchen on
individual dishes and some foods are served at the
table.
 Compromise service is best used when the group at
the table is small , not more that eight.
Details of the service are:
 The host serves the main course. Appetizers, salads,
deserts are usually served from the kitchen but may be
served at the table if the hostess so desires.
 This service requires someone to do the serving,
preferably the waiter, or some other member of the
family.
 Bread-and- butter plates , salad, and accessory food
dishes may be on the table when the family is seated.
 Foods are placed in front of the host and hostess with
the service silver
 After the main course is finished, the one who is
serving rises and removes all soiled food dishes before
another dish is brought in.
 The final dishes are not removed until the family has
left the table.
 Beverage service us placed before the desserts are
brought in.
 Deftness and reasonable degree of speed without the
appearance of hurrying are desirable in order that
extended absence of the hostess from the table will be
minimized.
 Meals served this style are best limited to two courses.
 A persons who sits to the left of the host may assist in
serving items in the meal to expedite serving.
American or country style service
 This is an old type of service involving serving oneself
from the common pot. It is fairly commonly used for
serving family meals or public meals.
The following are its rules:
 Individual plates at the table are completely laid, including the
dinner plates.
 Serving dishes of food are placed on the dining table
 Each serving dish is passed from one hand to another hand in one
direction----until in the table have served themselves.
 Each person serves himself
 Someone at the table removes the main course and serves the dessert
 Dessert may be brought in from the kitchen in individual portions, it
may be served at a table , or it may be passed around the table.
APARTMENT OR BLUE-PLATE SERVICE
APARTMENT OR BLUE-PLATE SERVICE
 In this service, plates are served up in the kitchen and placed on
the table just before the dinners sit down.
 Eating begins when the hostess signals
 Second portions can be served from the kitchen or offered from
serving dishes that are passed from one hand to another
 Removed of the main course and service of dessert are done by
some members of the group at the table
 This pattern of service is most frequently used when the group is
small, the dining table is small , and the area for dining is small
Buffet service
 the most used style of meal service for guests who are more than
10 persons is buffet service. In fact it is the most practical service
commonly used by many homes.
Rules to follow are:
 a buffet is a setting on a dining table or other suitable

surface that will accommodate a stack of plates and
serving dishes of foods.
 Guests are invited to serve themselves at the buffet table
 Guests dine according to the arrangement of the hostess
There are three possibilities in dining arrangements

Dining may be at the table , which is fully set with all
the appointments except the dinner plate.
 The hostess may provide each guest with a tray that
holds plates and beverages which the guests place on
their lap.
 Guests may sit down on chairs and eat from the plate
held in the hand or placed on the lap
 The menu for the buffet meal must be planned so
that the food may be eaten with ease under the
conditions established for dining
 There must be plenty of table space on which the
guests can place the beverage while they sit on the
chairs
Tray service
 Wide acceptance of television
viewers, increased interest in
eating meals out- of –doors , and
appreciation of sit- by- fire meals
have helped make tray service a
popular one. Breakfast in bed ,
meals for the sick patient and the
convalescent are also occasions
for tray service.
Suggestions for setting the tray
 Place a mat of some kind on the tray to keep dishes from sliding
 Lay only flatware required for the main course
 Tuck the napkin partially under the main plate or flatware
 Use short tumblers. Cups without saucers may be used for beverages
 Bread-and- butter plates or small bowls for salads may be used
 Serve the main courses on the smallest plate that will accommodate it
 Desserts may be included in the tray

Styles of Table Service

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Styles of Table Service

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Styles of table

3 methods of table service

 Table is set with formal cloth and dinner napkins. Silver is

 a buffet is a setting on a dining table or other suitable

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