ORDER OF SERVING MEALS

Breakfast
Many customers at the breakfast hour are in a hurry. Many
people you will discover are not in the best of spirits before they
have had their first cup of coffee (or maybe not ever). A positive and
cheerful attitude displayed from the server in combination with
prompt and efficient service might help to normalise the situation.
Below is a guide that might be acceptable in most situations.
1. When a fresh fruit or fruit juice is ordered, it is desirable to
serve it first and then to remove the soiled dishes before
placing the toast and coffee.
2. When customers order a combination of cooked food, toast,
and coffee, they may ask to have the whole order served at
once. Place the fruit dish, set on an underline, in the center of
the cover, the plate of toast at the left of the forks, and the
coffee at the right of the teaspoons.
3. When the breakfast order includes a cereal and a hot dish,
the service procedure may be as follows:
a. Place the fruit course in the center of the cover.
b. Remove the fruit course.
c. Place the breakfast plate of eggs, meat, or other hot
food in the center of the cover. Place the plate of toast
at the left of the forks. Place the coffee service at the
right of the spoons.
d. Remove the breakfast plate and the bread plate.
e. Place the finger bowl, filled one-third full of warm
water. At times the finger bowl is placed after the fruit
course, when fruits which may soil the fingers have
been served.


f. Place the sales check, face down, at the right of the
cover or present it on a clean change tray.








Lunch
Lunch customers can be generally categorized into two
groups: Business people who have a short-lunch period and want
quick service, and shoppers or others who just want leisurely
service. A good server will recognize each group and try to
accommodate accordingly.
1. Fill the water glass three-fourths full of iced water.
2. Place chilled butter on cold bread-and-butter plate.
3. Place the appetizer in the center of the cover.
4. Remove the appetizer when guest has finished.
5. Place the soup service in center of cover.
6. Remove the soup entree.
7. Place entree plate in center of cover.
8. Place individual vegetable dishes above the cover.
9. Place hot beverages above and a little to the right of cup
and sauce, with individual creamer above the cup.
10. Place an iced beverage or milk at the right and a little
below the water glass.
11. Remove the main-course dishes.
12. Remove any extra silver not used in the main course.
13. Crumb the table, if necessary.
14. Place dessert silver to right of the cover with fork nearest
the dessert plate, when fork and teaspoon are used.
When several teaspoons are placed, the dessert fork
may be laid on the left side, to "balance the cover"
15. Place the dessert service in center of the cover.
16. Remove dessert dishes and silver.
17. Place the finger-bowl on the underliner in the center of
the cover.
18. Present the Check face down.








Dinner
Dinner customers are seldom in a hurry. The server should
be able to give leisurely service without making the guest feel
rushed. Although the guest should be allowed plenty of time to
complete each course, long waits between courses should be
avoided (especially when small children are present.) An efficient
server should observe the guests during the meal in order to serve
the next course promptly, and to comply with any requests made by
guests for special needs. This is a generally accepted guidelines, but
does not apply to all situations.


1. Place appetizer or hors d'oeuvre service from the left in
the center of the cover.
2. Remove the first-course dishes.
3. Place the soup service in the center of the cover.
4. Remove the soup service.
5. When the entree is served on a platter, place it directly
above the cover. Lay the serving silver at the right of the
platter. Place the warm dinner plate in the center of the
cover.
6. Place the beverage to the right of the teaspoons.
7. Offer rolls or place them on the center of the table in
reach of all the guests.
8. Remove the main-course dishes when the guest has
finished.
9. Crumb the table if necessary.
10. Place silver for dessert course.
11. Place the dessert service in the center of the cover.
12. Offer hot coffee or tea.
13. Serve the check face down.

FIVE DIAMOND SERVICE

1. Hostess or Maitre d’ seats and welcomes guests
2. Front waiter lights the candle and offers mineral or
served water. If mineral water is sold, silver coaster is
placed on table under water bottle.
3. Captain asks for cocktails and gives the wine list. He will
serve cocktails and leave the list on the table, if the guest
are a couple, the Captain will point out wine by the glass
or half bottles wine selections.
4. Back server delivers and explains the amuse, after
cocktails are served.
5. Front server clears Amuse and Maitre d’ or Captain
presents the menu and explains the specials.
6. Sonmuna’ or Captain takes the wine order, pours and
explains each selection. Captain waiter continues to offer
cocktails
7. Maitre d’ takes order and gives service copy the Front
waiter, who proceeds to remove base plates and give
proper mis en place for up to two “2 courses.” Front
waiter is to keep service copy slips on his person at all
times.
8. Brioche and butter service is done by the Back waiter will
maintaining the clearing and replacing of napkins.


9. First course and brioche refills are delivered by the
Runner to the Front server on the floor, who then serves
them. Pepper is to be offered on all salad dishes.
10. First course are cleared by the back waiter, and mis en
place is rechecked by front waiter.
11. Runner is to correctly number the domes, and entrees
are to be served with assistance of the Back waiter. Back
water is to know position # 1 on all the tables in his
section.
12. Back waiter clears table after main course and crumbs
the table. Coffee order is taken, cheese selection is
explained and the desert, cognac, port, sherry menu is
presented.
13. Front waiter takes dessert order and gives proper mis en.
14. Back waiter delivers desserts and coffee.
15. Captain brings over cart and offers cognacs, ports, or
cherry’s.

SPECIAL OBSERVATIONS WHILE SERVING MEALS

There are many things a server must attend to to become
fully efficient. Here are a few tips a server can use to take
advantage:
1. Serve hot food hot, on heated dishes.
2. Serve cold food chilled, on cold dishes.
3. Inquire how food is to be cooked:
a. Eggs - fried or boiled, scrambled etc...
b. Steak - rare, medium, or well done etc...
c. Toast - buttered or dry
4. Refill water glasses whenever necessary during the
meal.
5. Refill coffee. Customer will let you know if they've had
enough.
6. Place silver necessary for a course just prior to serving:
a. Soup spoon on extreme right of teaspoons.
b. Cocktail fork to right of soup spoon.
7. Offer crackers, bread, other accompaniments with
appetizers or soups.
8. Provide iced teaspoons for ice drinks, straws with
appropriate beverages.

GENERAL RULES TO BE OBSERVED WHILE SERVING

1. Women are usually served first. If it is an honorary dinner, of
course, the guest of honor is served first. Otherwise, age and
status of the guest determine the sequence, with older or more
distinguished guests served first. The host is always served after
his or her guests. When children are present at the table, serve
them as quickly as possible to maintain peace.
2. Place and remove all food from the left of the guest.
3. Place and remove all beverages, including water, from the right
of the guest.
4. Use the left hand to place and remove dishes when working at
the left side of the guest and the right hand when working at the
right side of the guest. This will provide free arm action for the
server and avoids the danger of bumping against the guest's
arm.
5. Place each dish on the table with the four fingers of the hand
under the lower edge and the thumb on the upper edge.


6. Never reach in front of a guest, nor across one person in order
to serve another.
7. Present Serving dishes from the left side, in a position so that
the guest can serve himself. Place serving silver on the right
side of the dish, with the handles turned toward the guest so that
he may reach and handle them easily.
8. Do not place soiled, chipped, or cracked glassware and china or
bent or tarnished silverware before a guest.
9. Handle tumblers by their bases and goblets by their stems.
10. Do not lift water glasses from the table to fill or refill. When they
cannot be reached conveniently, draw them to a more
convenient position.
11. Set fruit juice and cocktail glasses, cereal dishes, soup bowls,
and dessert dishes on small plates before placing them in the
center of the cover between the knife and the fork.
12. Place individual serving trays of bread and rolls above and to the
left of the forks. Place a tray or basket of bread for the use of
several guests toward the center of the table.
13. Place the cup and saucer at the right of the spoons, about two
inches from the edge of the table. Turn the handle of the cup to
the right, either parallel to the edge of the table or at a slight
angle toward the guest.
14. Set tea and coffee pots on small plates and place above and
slightly to the right of the beverage cup. Set iced beverage
glasses on coasters or small plates to protect table tops and
linen cloth.
15. Place individual creamers, syrup pitchers, and small lemon
plates about and a little to the right of the cup and saucer.
16. Place a milk glass at the right of and below the water glass.
17. Serve butter, cheese, and cut lemon with a fork, serve relishes,
pickles, and olives with a fork or spoon, not with the fingers.

Continental Breakfast

For a continental breakfast consisting of hot croissant/

brioches or hot toast, butter, preserves and coffee or tea, the cover

would be as follows:

i) Stands or underplates for coffee / tea pot and hot milk /

hot water jug or pouches of tea or instant coffee.

ii) Side plate with side knife

iii) Sugar cubes basin and tongs or individual sugar and

creamer packets in a bowl

iv) Tea or breakfast cup and saucer and a teaspoon

v) If the beverage is tea, then the following additional items

will be needed: slop basin and tea strainer.

vi) Napkin

vii) Ashtray (depending on smoking policy of the

establishment)

The majority of the items listed above for the two types of

breakfast are often placed on the table as part of the mise-en-place,

before the customer is seated. A number of items are then placed on

the table after the customer is seated and makes his choice of

breakfast known. These include:

• butter dish with butter and alternatives

• preserve dish with preserves

• jug of cold milk

• toast rack with toast and / or bread basket with hot rolls

• tea pot / coffee pot / hot or cold milk / hot water jug.

ORDER OF SERVICE FOR BREAKFAST

Pleasing and g ood breakfast service is important because guests are not always at their best in the morning. Foods served for
breakfast must be palatable, freshly prepared and served at correct
temperature. Often breakfast should be served in courses unless it is
requested by the client as a whole. Cooked food and beverages
should be brought to the guests directly from the serving station and
under no circumstances food be allowed to remain on the serving
stand to cool off while the customer finishes a preceding course.
Order of Service for Breakfast
· When fresh fruit or fuit juice is ordered, it is desirable to serve
it first, and then to remove the soiled dishes before placing
the toast and coffee.
· When customers order a combination of cooked fruit, toast
and coffee, they may ask to have the whole order be
served in one go. Place the fruit dish, set on an underliner.
In the centre of the cover, place the plate of toast at the left
of the forks and the coffee at the right of the teaspoons.
· When the breakfast order includes cereal and a hot dish, the
service procedure may be as follows:
o Place the fruit course in the center of the cover.
o Remove the soiled fruit dish
o Place the cereal bowl, set an underliner, in the
center of the cover. Cut the individual boxes of
cereal partway through the side near the top so
that the guest may open them easily.
o Remove the soiled cereal dish
o Place the breakfast plates of eggs, meat or other
hot food in the center of the cover. Place the plate
of toast at the left of the forks. Place the coffee
service at the right of the spoons.
o Remove the breakfast and bread plates.
o Place the finger bowl with a slice of lime or lemon,
one third full of warm water. At times the finger
bowl is placed after the fruit course when fruits
that may soil the finger have been served.

Flavour reversion

Flavour Reversion is defined as a change in edible fats that is characterized by the development, in the refined material, of an objectionable flavour prior to the onset of true rancidity. It may develop during the exposure of the fat to ultra violet or visible light or by heating. A small amount of oxygen seems to be necessary for the reaction that is catalysed by the presence of small amounts of metals such as iron and copper. Selective hydrogenation decreases the amount of linolenic acid and aids in preventing flavour reversion. Soyabean oil is most susceptible for flavour reversion.