Styles of Service

1. Styles of Service

2. There is a good deal of disagreement between the definitions of the styles of Butlered, Russian and French Service • After talking to caterers around the country, information was conflicting • People confuse restaurant service with banquet service and American service with European service • What is covered in this lecture is American banquet service. • The key is that you and your caterer have the same understanding so there will not be any surprises • When requesting service options ask about any extra labor charges associated with them.

3. Butlered Hors d’ Oeuvres • Food is passed on trays by servers. Guests serve themselves, using cocktail napkins provided by the server • This style of service is only appropriate for “finger food.”

4. Buffet • Foods are arranged on tables • Guests move along the buffet line and serve themselves • When their plates are filled, guests take them to a table to eat • Servers usually provide beverage service at tableside • A very elegant buffet would have servers carry guest's plates to their tables for them.

5. Action station • Chefs prepare and serve foods at the buffet. Foods that lend themselves include wok stations, fajitas, pastas, grilled meats, omelets, crepes, sushi and flaming desserts • They are sometimes called "performance stations" or "exhibition cooking."

6. Cafeteria service • Similar to buffet • Guests stand in line, but do not help themselves • They are served by chefs and/or servers

7. Plated buffet • Selection of pre-plated foods, such as sandwich plates or salad plates, set on a buffet table.

8. Plated (American) • Guests are seated • Foods are pre-portioned, plated in the kitchen, and served by servers from the left of the guest • Beverages are served from the right • Used dishes and glasses are removed from the right • This is the most functional, common, economical, controllable, and efficient type of service • However, if foods are plated too far in advance, they could run together, discolor, or otherwise lose culinary quality.

9. Preset • Food already on the dining tables when guests are seated • Since preset foods will be on the tables for a few minutes before they are consumed, you must preset only those that will retain sanitary and culinary qualities at room temperatures • Most common are bread and butter, but often the appetizer will be preset as well • For lunches with a limited time frame, occasionally salad and dessert will be preset.

10. Butlered Table Service • Foods are presented on trays by servers from the left, with utensils available for seated guests to serve themselves • (Often confused with Russian service)

11. Russian (Silver) • Guests are seated • Foods are cooked tableside on a rechaud (portable cooking stove) that is on a gueridon(tableside cart with wheels) • Servers place the foods on platters and pass the platters at tableside • Guests help themselves to the foods • Service is from the left • (Often confused with French Service)

12. Banquet French • Guests are seated • Platters of foods are assembled in the kitchen • Servers take platters to the table • The server, using two large silver forks in his or her serving hand places them on the guests' plate • Each food item is served by the server from platters to individual plates • Guests are served from the left.

13. French Cart Service • This is type of French service common in fine-dining restaurants • Guests are seated • Foods are prepared tableside • Hot foods are cooked on a rechaud that is on a gueridon • Cold foods are assembled on the gueridon • Servers plate the finished foods and serve them to guests • This is the only style of service where food is served from the right.

14. Hand Service • Guests are seated • There is one server for every two guests • Servers wear white gloves • Foods are pre-plated • Each server carries two plates from the kitchen and stands behind the two guests assigned to him or her • At the direction of the captain, all servings are set in front of all guests at precisely the same time • This is a very elegant style of service that is sometimes used for small gourmet-meal functions • This style is sometimes called “service in concert.”

15. The Wave • This is a method of serving where all servers start at one end of the function room and work straight across to the other end • Servers are not assigned workstations • In effect, all servers are on one team and the entire function room is the team's work station • The wave is typically used in conjunction with plated and preset service styles • Large numbers of guests can be served very quickly, but it does not provide the level of individual service often desired.

16. You can mix service styles during a single meal • You might begin with reception service for appetizers, move into the banquet room where the tables are preset with salads, rolls, and butter, use French service for the soup course, use Russian service for the entree, and end the meal with a dessert buffet. • You can choose styles that may be less expensive (such as preset), or can splurge with French or Russian service • Some service styles (such as action stations) are very entertaining and can contribute to guest satisfaction.

17. Review Questions • What is a Gueridon? • What is a Rechaud? • Service styles • Which side food is served and removed from?