Transcript Food Service Styles

Food Service Styles
Since Beauviller’s famous late
18th century Paris restaurant, 4
components for maintaining first
class restaurant remain the same:
1. Well trained wait staff
2. Elegant dining room
3. Fine wine cellar
4. Kitchen staff with ability to
prepare superior foods
History of Serving
• Basic serving skills haven’t changed since
Egyptian Pharaohs.
• Until late 17th century, table service of all
skill levels practiced in private residences.
– Staff was bonded (owned), apprenticed or hired
– Paid with room and board and perhaps menial
wages
– expected to always be available
History of Serving, con’d
• American Service History
– Influx of French Royalists to America
following French Revolution
– Thomas Jefferson-traveled to France, interest in
French foods and wine
– Prior to French influence, American service
was rudimentary and rustic
– America’s democratic society didn’t highly
regard serving traditions
– European immigrants located in major cities
where financial and professional aspects of
service were appreciated
History of Serving, con’d
• French Service History
– Traditions begun by Catherine de Medicis of
Italy when she married Henry II of France in
1533
– Following French Revolution, late 1700’s,
chefs and maitres d’hotel employed by French
nobility left for other parts of Europe
– As with their cuisine, French prided themselves
on quality table service which enhanced meal
pleasure
– This pattern of skills still exists today as French
service
5 Major Styles of Table Service
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French
Russian
American
Buffet
Family Style
Dining Room Brigade
(Brigade de Service)
D in in g R oom M an ag er
(M aitre d 'H otel)
Tab le C ap tain
(C h ef d e R an g e)
P rin c ip al S erver
(C om m is d e R an g e)
A s s is tan t S erver
(C om m is d e S u ite)
W in e S tew ard
(S om m elier)
B u s P ers on
(C om m is D eb arras s eu r)
French Service
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Basis of evolution of all other styles
Most detailed of styles
Purest form-6 person dining room brigade
Seating
– maitre d’hotel selects station and assigns guests
to table-can designate guest status
• Menu Presentation
– principal server presents menu, takes
preliminary beverage order (cocktail or aperitif)
– table captain takes food orders
French Service, con’d
• Wine selection
– wine steward offers wine list, offers
suggestions for appropriate wine choices
– wines may be purchased by glass or bottle
• Table Service
– 8 courses served: appetizer, soup, fish,
intermezzo sorbet (clear palate), meat, salad,
dessert, cheese
– principal server and bus person responsible for
all table clearing and resetting
French Service, con’d
• Table-Side Cooking
– traditional in French service for salad, some
entrees and flambeed desserts
– principal waiter works from geridon (roll cart)
with a rechaud small open flame heating unit
Russian Service
• Generally used for banquets that involve
table seating for 6-12 guests
• All food fully prepared in kitchen and
arranged on serving dishes
• Servers bring food to table and distribute by
portion to guests
• Entrees are placed on platters
• Vegetables and starches placed on escoffier
dishes (2 compartments)
American Service
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Most prevalent in American restaurants
Dramatically reduces number of servers
All food cooked and plated in kitchen
Stainless steel covers used to keep food
warm in banquet service
• Minimizes serving equipment and cleanup
• Food portions tightly controlled, aiding
profitability
Buffet Service
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Variety of food items set on tables
Guests help themselves
Many are “all-you-can-eat”
Some offer carving stations and service staff
to assist guests
• Elaborate decorations add visual appeal and
reinforce cuisine or theme
• Informal-guests pick up flatware; Formalplace settings at table; wait staff-beverages
Family Style Service
• Often called English service
• All food brought to table on platters or in
bowls
• Guests pass the dishes and serve themselves
with serving utensils
• Increases possibility of spread of disease
• Local health and sanitation laws prohibit...
Sequence of Service
1 . W e lc o m e g u e s t
9 . S e rve s a la d
2. Seat guest
1 0 . C le a r s a la d
3 . P re s e n t m e n u
1 1 . S e rve e n tre e
4 . B e ve ra g e o rd e r
1 2 . C le a r e n tre e
5 . M e n u O rd e r
1 3 . O ffe r d e s s e rt m e n u
6 . S e rve b re a d , b u tte r
7 . S e rve a p p e tize r
1 4 . S e rve a fte r d in n e r
b e ve ra g e s
1 5 . C le a r d e s s e rt
8 . C le a r a p p e tize r
1 6 . P re s e n t c h e c k
Rules for Table Service
• Serve food with left hand from guest’s left
• Beverages - right hand from guest’s right
• Women first, oldest to youngest; children;
men
• Position plates attractively, entrée in front of
guest
• Clear dishes-right hand, guest’s right
• Guest moving knife and/or fork to top of
plate indicates completion and removal
Optional Service Rules
• Dessert service
– for visual impact, serving tray or dessert cart
– soft desserts, already dished
– desserts on carts or trays are pre-portioned and
on plate
• Salad service
– if separate course, set in front of guest
– if served with another course, place to left
Optional Service Rules, con’d
• Table-Side Preparation
– also used by many full-service American
restaurants
– examples: Caesar salad, flaming cherries
jubilee
– servers should always have careful instruction
and practice
The Serving Profession
• Servers among most important staff
members-direct contact with guests
• Poorly trained servers-low sales, no-return
• Satisfaction in gratification of helping
people enjoy themselves
• Demanding on time and energy
– 6-7 days per week
– 12-14 hour days sometimes required
– often working when friends are “off”