1

FOOD AND
BEVERAGE
SERVICES
Types of Services
French Service A formal type of service that originated
from European nobility and presently
enjoyed by a few who can afford the
expensive meals served. The French service
entails the initial preparation of food in the
kitchen, with the final preparation done in
the dining area in front of the guest. The
food is brought to the table on a cart, called
gueridon. On the gueridon is a small heating
equipment, called rehaud. This service
requires a high level of competency and
showmanship of the food and beverage
service attendant/waiter.
 Role of the two waiters working together to prepare and serve the meals: 3

Chef De Rang (experienced waiter) seats the

guests, takes the orders; serves the drinks;
prepares some of the food with flourish at the
guests' tables and presents the check for
payment.

Commis de Rang (assistant) takes the order from

the chef de rang; picks up the food from the
kitchen and carries it to the dining room; serves
the plates as dished by the chef de rang; clears
the dishes and stands ready to assist when
necessary.
 General Rules for French Service 4

 Clear food and beverages from

 Food is plated directly from
the right side of the guests
the pan to the guest’s plate
using right the hand except
where the gueridon serves
items located on the left side.
as the working station.

 Serve food and beverages  Serving movement should

from the right side of the be in clockwise direction.
guests using the right hand,
right foot forward except
small items like bread and
butter.
Russian Food is brought into the dining
Service room in a silver platter and is
served by the food and beverage
attendant/waiter to the guests'
plates which have been
previously set before the guests
arrive. All work can be done by
one waiter. It is commonly used
for banquets and formal sitdown
meals where all the guests are
having the same menu.
 General Rules for Russian Service
 Use a separate service spoon
and service fork for each dish.
Two spoons are not used
together but two forks may be
used for delicate food. A
single utensil is never used to
hold food items.
 Hold platters parallel to the
floor at all times. Make sure
the platter is balanced.
 Do not attempt to serve from
a platter higher than 1 inch
above the guest’s plate to
avoid spillage.
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 Serve ladies first. Stand slightly behind and to the left of
the person to be served, your feet together and back
straight. Step forward with your left foot into the space
between the guests, placing the platter between the
guests, and over the table space.
 Lower your body using your legs and keeping your back
straight.
 Keep the platter level and balanced.
 Lower the platter until it is approximately 1 inch above the
plate to be served. Never allow the platter to touch the
guest’s plate.
Tip! Utensils are always in the right hand, as the platter is always in your
left hand, regardless of right-handedness or left handedness of the
service personnel
American
Service American service is characterized
by portioning all the food on the dinner
plate in the kitchen. It is the fastest of
all types of service and requires the
least number of skills of the food and
beverage service attendant/waiter. In
this service, equal portioning and
uniformity in plate presentation must
be given attention.
 General Rules for American Service 8

 Items located on the left side •Reminder!

 Serve plated food from the
such as B&B plate, fork and Soup is served and
left of the guest, using your
others are cleared from the left cleared at the right
left hand. Move in a counter
side of the guests. Do not side of the guests
clockwise direction
reach across the guests. using right hand
whenever.

 Clear plates from the right  Serve beverages from the

of the guest, using tour
right hand. Stack them on
your left hand, wrist and
forearm. Move forward in a
clockwise direction.
right side of a guest with
your right hand, travelling in
a clockwise direction.
 A type of service in which guests select
their meal from an attractive arrangement
Buffet Service
of food on long serving tables. This service
is characterized by the guests obtaining
either whole meal or parts of the meal.
Food is usually stocked in warmers or
chaffing dishes which are properly
arranged from light to heavy meals. Salads
and desserts can be displayed in a
separate area to hold its desired
temperature. Buffet service is a faster
service and prices are usually lower than in
other types of services.
 General Rules for Buffet Service 10

 Names of each dish  Service personnel are

 Reserve pre-arranged
must be displayed on responsible for maintaining the
food in a chaffing dish for
the buffet table using smooth traffic flow of guests.
refilling. Never refill food
a tent card. They must give special
in the dining area using
any type of plate. attention to every detail
necessary in a buffet service.

 All serving utensils

must be placed in an
underliner plate.