The service of meals may be carried out in many ways depending on the following factors
1. The type of catering establishment
2. Type of customers to be served
3. Time available for the meal
4. Turn over of customers
5. Type of menu presented
6. Cost of the meals served
7. Site of the establishment
AMERICAN SERVICE (PLATED SERVICE)
1. In American Service, the food is portioned out on to the plate in the kitchen.
2. The waiter or steward has to collect the plate from the kitchen and place it in front of the customer from the right hand side of the guest walking in s clockwise direction.
3. Wait until all finish eating to do the clearance from right side.
4. Has to bring 4 plates at once; 3 from your left hand and 1 from your right hand.
American Service is simple, time saving and profitable. It is ideal for Coffee Shops or Restaurants where clients are in a hurry. Usually the plates that are used in American Service are colorful.
FRENCH SERVICE (SILVER SERVICE)
1. In this type of service the food is portioned out to the service platter in the kitchen.
2. The waiter brings and presents it to the guest from the left hand side.
3. When approval is given by the customer, the waiter serves from the same side using service cutlery.
4. When waiter collects the food platters from the kitchen he would instruct his commies or his assistants to place the plates in front of the guests from the right hand side.
5. Used plates will be removed from the right hand side of the guest.
6. In French Service the waiter goes around the table in a clockwise direction.
French Service is elegant, efficient and requires a lot of skill. In good hotels waiters are expected to wear gloves during French Service.
ENGLISH SERVICE (GUERIDON SERVICE)
1. the food is placed on platters in the kitchen.
2. It is then brought to the restaurant by the waiter.
3. He will present the food to the guest from the left hand side then take it back to the Gueridon table and place it on a Rechaud.
4. The food will be portioned out to the hot plates at the Gueridon table using Service Cutlery.
5. The portioned out food is then placed in front of the guest from the right hand side. As American service walk around the table on a clockwise direction.
6. Clearance should be done from the right hand side.
Gueridon Service will be found in first class and Luxury class restaurants. The second service will be Silver Service. Rechaud and warm plates are only used when serving warm food.
GERMAN SERVICE
1. The empty plates are placed in front of the guest from the right hand side.
2. The dishes are garnished and placed on the table with service spoons and forks.
3. The guest helps himself to the food off the dishes.
This type of service while extending the highest form of the politeness is uneconomical from the hoteliers point of view.
RUSSIAN SERVICE
1. The food mainly consists of Roast Game or Joints is first presented to the guest from left hand side.
2. It is carved at the Gueridon table and the carved pieces of meat is placed to resemble the original form of the roast, presented to the guest from the left with service cutlery and the guest helps himself off the platter. Otherwise you keep the platter in the middle of the table, so that the guest helps himself off the platter.
(The roast is placed on a Rechaud on the left hand side of the Gueridon table. It is then transferred to the carving board with the aid of service cutlery and then carved. Hot plates are placed in front of the guest after the joint is carved from the right hand side of the guest)
This type of service is very seldom found today.
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