MEAL SERVICE

1. MEAL SERVICE and DINING ETIQUETTE

2. Meal service, or dining style, simply refers to the way a meal is served to the diner and who is serving it. Meal service... We will define 7 different styles of dining service. The type of meal service may depend on several factors: The number of people eating The formal or casual meal tone Where the meal is eaten

3. Family style meal service... All required meal components, except the dessert, are placed on the table at the same time for casual dining. Platters and bowls of food are passed around the table… to the right, or counter-clockwise. Participants serve themselves from the serving dishes, using the utensil that accompanies each dish. Participants are allowed to make choices selecting foods and the size of the serving. When preparing food, always prepare enough that each person is allowed at least one, full-size serving. Adults supervising the meal help those participants who are not able to serve themselves, such as the children. Foods may be re-passed again later, if desired, for second helpings.

4. English style meal service... In the English style service, the platters and bowls of food are placed in front of the table “host”, along with a stack of dinner plates. The host carves and serves the meat and side dishes, and passes the filled plates around the table to the hostess and the guests. Sometimes the hostess assists with the serving. Condiments, rolls, relishes, etc. are usually found elsewhere on the table and passed around family style. Stack of Plates Main course Hostess Rolls Relishes Host serves from here Correctly, no person would start eating until everyone has received their plate. The host serves himself last. Vegetable dish

5. Russian style meal service... Service à la russe(French, literally meaning "service in the Russian style“ ) is a manner of dining that involves courses being brought to the table sequentially. Dishes are served at the guest's left and removed from the right side. Glasses are filled from the right. Example of a meal served in 4 courses: Soup Salad Entrée Dessert Each course is brought out separately, and the plate removed before the next course is served.

6. Butler style meal service... You don’t have to employ a butler in order to serve “butler style”. Hors d’ouvres or beverages are often served “butler style” to standing guests. The food or drink items and cocktail napkins would be on the tray. In the butler style of service, the server presents the food to the guests and they help themselves from the trays. If guests are seated, the “butler” stands to the diner’s left. The butler continues to hold the tray while the guest takes the amount of food they want.

7. Classical French meal service... Service à la francaise (pronounced frahn-say), the traditional French service is no longer used. It was a service in which all the food was brought out at once in an impressive, but often impractical, display in the center of the table. Guests reached in to the foods they could reach, and took what they wanted. The classic French meal service is elegant and elaborate. At least some foods or courses are fully or partially prepared tableside or at the table, in view of the guests. Tableside preparations are made on a portable cart called a gueridon (gha-ree-dawn) with a cooking unit called a rechaud (ray-choh). Tableside preparation might include assembling a dish, such as a Caesar salad, saucing and garnishing, sautéing and flambéing, or carving and deboning.

8. Blue plate meal service... The blue plate meal service is especially useful when the table size is too small for serving dishes, or when passing platters or bowls of food would be difficult for some guests (such as children). The entrée and side dishes are all served together on one plate. When the blue plate service is used, sometimes referred to as the blue plate special, a salad or dessert may sometimes be included but served on a separate plate than the main dish. In the Russian service, they would be served as courses, sequentially, but in the blue plate service they are all brought to the table at the same time.

9. Buffet style meal service... The buffet service is especially convenient for serving large groups of people or for guests who will be eating at staggered times. The food is placed on platters and in bowls on the long buffet table. Guests take a plate and then serve themselves from those platters and bowls. In some situations, servers may be present behind the buffet table to assist the guests in filling their plates. A buffet line should move from left to right when possible. After filling their plates, guests may stand to eat, but the host should plan a place for them to set a beverage. If guests are seated at tables after going through the buffet line, a wider variety of food items may be offered. If guests are seated, they can have several plates, perhaps on a tray, and they can cut meats.

10. There are two ways to use a knife and fork… Dining etiquette... In the American style, a right-handed person cuts the food by holding the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left hand with the fork tines piercing the food to secure it on the plate. Cut one or two bite-size pieces of food, then lay your knife across the top edge of your plate with the sharp edge of the blade facing in. Change your fork from your left to your right hand to eat, fork tines facing up. The European or Continental style is the same for cutting, but your fork remains in your left hand, tines facing down, and the knife in your right hand. Simply eat the cut pieces of food by picking them up with your fork still in your left hand.

11. Dining etiquette... The fork should be held with the handle between the index finger and the thumb and resting on the side of your middle finger. When entertaining a guest, such as when out for dinner, the person who extended the invitation (regardless of gender) is responsible for paying the bill. Never gesture with a knife of fork, especially if it has food on it. Never lick any utensil or put your knife in your mouth. It is impolite to start eating before everyone has been served. Never chew with your mouth open. Don't reach over someone's plate for something, ask for the item to be passed. Never talk with food in your mouth. It is impolite to put too much food in your mouth. Never use your fingers to push food onto your spoon or fork. It is impolite to slurp your food or eat noisily. Never use your napkin as a handkerchief . Never take food from your neighbors plate. Use a napkin to remove food from your teeth, or excuse yourself from the table.

12. Dining etiquette... Oyster crackers or croutons, when served with the soup, are put in the soup whole with your fingers or spoon. Fill the spoon with soup by pushing it away from you, then sip from its side. Larger soda crackers should not be crumbled into the soup and are best kept on the plate and eaten with the soup. The tipping of soup dishes is acceptable once or twice IF the plate is tipped slightly away from you, not toward you. The spoon should never strike or scrape the bottom of the bowl loud enough to make an audible noise. The soup is eaten with a larger-bowled soup spoon. If the soup is served in a bowl, the spoon is placed on the liner behind the bowl when finished. If the soup is served in a large soup plate, the spoon may be left in the plate.

13. Dining etiquette... Eating spaghetti correctly has been “Americanized” by incorporating the use of a spoon to help twirl the spaghetti.If the spaghetti is served in a pasta plate, you may prefer to use the sides of the plate instead of a spoon. Take a little bunch of the spaghetti with the prongs of the fork. Push it against the bowl of a spoon. Now, working with the fork in a near-vertical position, and the prongs against the bowl of the spoon, twirl the fork clockwise with your fingers to roll the spaghetti around your fork. The most common mistake is to overload too much pasta on the fork. If you decide it’s too big or too long, drop it down and pick up a smaller bunch. Do not cut the threads of the pasta. Do not slurp any threads or sauce. Do not splatter the sauce. Only children should use a bib.

14. Dining etiquette... The meal begins when the host unfolds his or her napkin. This is your signal to do the same. Place your napkin on your lap, completely unfolded if it is a small luncheon napkin or in half, lengthwise, if it is a large dinner napkin. The napkin remains on your lap throughout the entire meal and should be used to gently blot your mouth when needed. If you need to leave the table during the meal, place your napkin on your chair as a signal to your server that you will be returning. The host will signal the end of the meal by placing his or her napkin on the table. Once the meal is over, you too should place your napkin neatly on the table to the right of your dinner plate. Do not refold your napkin, but don't wad it up, either. Do not push your plate away from you when you have finished eating. If you drop your napkin during the meal, simply retrieve it if possible or ask the server for another.

15. Dining etiquette... Always follow the lead of your host/hostess if you don’t know how to eat a particular food. Do what they do. Unless you are at a picnic, you should eat chicken, barbeque, and pizza with a knife and fork. To eat lobster or crab, start by cracking the shell with a nutcracker and then extract the meat with a seafood fork. Pull off the small claws and suck out the meat as if you were drawing liquid through a straw. You can eat cake with your fingers if it's in bite-size pieces. If it comes as a whole slice, if it's sticky, or if it comes with sauce or ice cream, use both a fork and spoon. Say “please” when asking for something; and “thank you” when served something. If the tails are still attached on shrimp, you may use your fingers to eat them. If you eat tortillas with your hands, start eating them at one open end, holding the other end closed. Unless you are eating fast food, cut French fries in half and eat them with your fork. Use both hands to eat an ear of corn. Butter and eat only a few rows at a time.

16. Dining etiquette... If you are seated at a table with place cards, it is NEVER acceptable to switch, or even ask to switch the placement of the cards. Wait until you have finished chewing and have swallowed your food before taking a sip of your beverage. When you put something in your mouth that you cannot swallow, the rule of thumb is to remove it the same way it went in… with your spoon, fork, or fingers. Move the offensive item forward with your tongue onto the fork and place it back on the side of your plate. It is impolite to put elbows on tables. Doing so creates a risk of tipping over bowls and cups. In casual settings, this rule has become relaxed, especially while lingering after a meal for conversation, when the table has been cleared.

17. It is appropriate to share food when others at the table are also willing to share. However, always request additional small plates and clean utensils for dividing the shared food. People often choose to share a large dessert portion after a meal.  Dining etiquette... If you do not want a beverage or a refill, never turn your cup or glass upside down. Simply hold your hand over the top of the beverageware when the server arrives. Do not take partial bites off a utensil; so do not put more food on your utensil than you can place in your mouth with one bite. Secure lemon wedges with a fork and squeeze with the other hand or, if you pick up a wedge to squeeze between the fingers, use the other hand as a "squirt shield“. If food falls off your plate… leave it. When offered rolls or bread, tear or cut off a portion and place it on your bread plate. Also take butter from the butter dish and place on your plate. As you eat the bread, tear a small piece of bread from the roll, loaf, or slice. Butter it and eat it in one or twobites.Tear another piece when ready.

18. As a rule-of-thumb, always use your utensils outside-in, and don't be afraid to leave the table and ask the server if you find an unusual dining device. Dining etiquette... Never leave a spoon in a bowl or a glass. Always place used flatware or cutlery parallel to one another across the plate with the knife blade facing inward toward you OR on a liner plate if one is available. If the handles of the utensils are in the 3 o’clock position, it means you are not done eating. Handles in the 4 o’clock position mean you are done. You should not season your food before tasting it. If a fellow diner asks for the salt…always pass the pepper as well. When passing items such as a basket of rolls, the person closest takes the service plate/basket, offers it to the person on his left, helps himself, and passes to the person on his right. If you spill something on yourself, clean up a spill at the table or excuse yourself to the restroom if needed. Apologize to anyone inconvenienced.

19. Dining etiquette... If the salad is served on a separate plate or bowl, use a salad fork. If it is served as the main dish or on the same plate with the entrée…use the dinner fork. You may use a knife to cut large pieces, a few pieces at a time. If it is necessary to leave the table for any reason, excuse yourself. Do excuse yourself from the table to reapply makeup, fix your hair, or blow your nose. A finger bowl may be brought to the table just prior to the dessert being served. You are not required to use it, and may just put it aside. If you do choose to use it, simply dip the fingers into the water and wipe them on your napkin. Then pick up the bowl and the doily underneath, and move them to the upper left side of the place setting. This clears them from the plate area, so dessert can be served. Men always remove their hats inside a building. They also rise, at least partially, when a lady excuses herself from the table (unless it is purely a business dinner).

20. Dining etiquette... Unless you become a wine connoisseur, you only need to know the basic responses when asked to check a wine. The initial presentation - The waiter shows you the bottle.  Simply make sure it is the wine you ordered; nod your acceptance. The cork presentation - Improperly-stored wines (placed vertically) will allow the cork to dry out, resulting in an air-breach will cause the wine to turn to vinegar.  Look at the cork, do a quick sniff, and hand it back.  The sip test - At this point the waiter will place a tasting amount of wine and step back.  Simply swirl the wine in your glass to release its natural aroma and stick you nose into the glass while inhaling deeply.  Next, take a very small sip, swishing the wine evenly across your tongue.  Next, turn to the waiter, and nod your approval. 

21. MEAL SERVICE and DINING ETIQUETTE THE END