Table service in hotels refers to the various methods used to present and serve food and beverages to guests at their tables. The style chosen impacts the dining experience, ranging from casual and efficient to formal and elegant. Key types include:
English Service
This service is also known as “Host” service where host plays the dominant role in the service. We need to understand that whatever food English people consume that came roasted, baked, skewed or in grilled form that require portioning. This kind of service is much similar to food service in English home where head of the family or house portioned food and distributed to each member of the house by deciding how much each member of the family or house should eat. The food service has the following flow:
- The server presents the dish brought from the kitchen in front of host for approval and places dish on the table.
- The host then calls for each guest plate and portions the food onto the plate.
- Variations of this kind of service can be the host portions the food and then allows the server to serve the food into the guest plate.
- Sometimes the server serves the first round then leaves the platter on the table for the guest as self-service for guest so that the guests can serve themselves for the following rounds.
- An alternative of this kind of service is when the server presents the food to the host for approval and then takes it to the sideboard/side station/dummy waiter and portions it & then takes the portioned food to each guest, announces the dish and then begin to serve the guest.
- After serving dish, server/waiter keeps the dish at the sideboard/side station/dummy waiter for a round of replenishment.
- Food will be served from the left because service is platter-to-plate.
French Service
This kind of service also known as “Gueridon Service“. It is a personalized service where food is carved or cooked at the tableside. In this service, food comes partially prepared from the kitchen which is being fully prepared at the guest’s table side on the trolley itself.
Gueridon service is highly priced but extremely delicious and requires large aisle space between tables for the movement of the trolley. This service is found in French restaurants. The showmanship of the waiter plays an important role in the preparation of the dish by filleting, carving, and flaming the food with wine. The food service has the following flow:
- The guest chooses from a special Gueridon menu.
- The server prepares the food at the table in view of the guest on the Gueridon trolley.
- The food is pre-plated and served to the guest from the right.
American Service
This kind of service depicts that it is imported from America, also known as Plated Service. Coffee shops which are informal restaurants adopt this style of service. This method ensures quick service and clearance as the American believe in a least amount of mess. Features of this kind of services are:
- The chef assembles a complete meal in a guest plate in the kitchen. The portions is pre-determined in the kitchen alongwith the accompaniments to balance the presentation.
- The plated food is brought by the server and served right of the guest.
- The server may cover the food with special stainless-steel plate covers to keep the food warm till it reaches the guest. Before serving, server removes the plate cover when the food is placed before the guest.
- The necessary cutlery such as knife and fork is already arranged at the table before each seat, with common bread basket, butter dish, salt, pepper and proprietary sauces.
- Some upscale restaurants keep a show plate on the table and place the food plate on top of it.
Silver Service
As the name of this kind of service suggests, all the cutlery, service dishes and service forks and spoons are made of silver. To heighten the dining experience, the food is presented in an elaborate manner. Silver Service is very similar to a variant of the English Service. Only difference in between these services is that English Service serves in a bone-china cutlery, whereas Silver Service serves in cutlery made of silver. In this service:
- In this service, table is set for hors d’ oeuvres, soup, main course and dessert.
- The food is portioned in the kitchen itself into silver plates and dishes & brought by the waiter to the host for approval.
- It is then placed on the sideboard with heating burners to keep the food warm.
- The food is then taken by the waiter to each guest and served on to the guest plate with a service spoon and fork.
- Food will be served from the left because service is platter-to-plate.
Russian Service
This style of service was all about presentation. The core of this method involves presenting large joints of meat, or birds on platters, often with elaborate garnishes, on a sideboard for guests to admire.
Waiters then collect the food on smaller platters and serve it to guests at the table, much like silver service. In this service:
- Empty soup bowls are put in front of guests on a show plate also called base plate.
- The soup is brought in a large tureen. The server proceeds to portion the soup with a ladle into the soup bowls.
- Server is then takes it to a side station and portions the food in full view of the guest. The server then decides the portions served and then proceeds to serve them.
- Cutlery and flatware are wrapped in cloth or paper napkins.
- Main challenge of this service is to ensure that the food presentation remains good till serves the last guest and also that there are enough portions for all the guests. This requires skill of service and the knowledge of how server can stretch a dish to the last guest.
Cafeteria Service
This service exists normally in industrial canteens, colleges, hospitals or hotel staff cafeterias to give quick service. The menu is fixed and displayed on large menu boards with each item priced separately. Diners select the items to their choice and budget.
The food service has the following flow:
- The menu is displayed on a common board with each food item individually priced.
- The diners select their food choices and buy coupons of the chosen value from the cashier at the head of the counter.
- Another variation in this service is that the food is paid for at the end of the counter. Partitioned trays and cutlery are kept at the beginning of the counter and the tray is pushed along a rack/rail along the counter.
- Diners present the coupon to the counter attendant.
- Diners then sit at community tables where salt and pepper and some basic proprietary sauces are pre-placed.
Buffet Service
It is self-service where food is displayed on tables. The guest take plates stacked at the beginning of the table and proceeds along the table requesting the buffet attendant to serve him or her or does self-service. In stand-up buffets guests are forced to stand and eat.
In stand-up buffets guests are forced to stand and eat. This type of service is found in banquet halls catering to large number of guests. The food service has the following flow:
- Crockery and cutlery is stacked at the head of the buffet table.
- The buffet follows the normal food course of soups, salads, appetizers, hot dishes (non-vegetarian and vegetarian), rice or breads, and finally desserts.
- Guest move along the buffet table and select their items as per the courses they desire.
- Servers portion the food into their plates and replenish the platter and dishes.
For sit-down buffet, tables are laid with cutlery and glassware. This service has the following flow:
- The guest collects a plate from the head of the table.
- Then server serve each course as per procedure above and prospects to sit at the tables laid out for guests.
- Guests either deposits the plate after the course is completed, at the designated table or leaves it to the buss person (i.e. which is responsible for clearing or resetting tables) to remove the soiled dish.
- The guest then proceeds to the next course of the meal on the buffet.
Conclusion
Dining services can be broadly categorized into two main types: table service and self-service. Table services, such as English (family-style), Gueridon (tableside preparation), American (pre-plated), Silver (from platter to plate), and Russian (platters displayed then served), range in formality from casual to highly elaborate, with staff serving the guests. In contrast, self-services, including Cafeteria (counter-based) and Buffet (serve-yourself from a display), prioritize speed and variety, allowing guests to take their own food. The ideal service style is chosen based on the desired dining atmosphere, the type of establishment, and the specific needs of the event.