The guests gather in the living room. An aperitif is offered within 15-30 minutes from the moment the first guests arrive until they are invited to the table. Wine glasses with mineral and fruit water and glasses with juices are placed on trays covered with linen napkins. Wine glasses and glasses are filled with soft drinks to 2/3 of their capacity. For the convenience of choosing drinks, wine glasses and glasses are placed on a tray at a distance of 2-5 cm from each other, with the taller ones in the center of the tray. To collect used dishes, two waiters are allocated, one of whom removes them from the side tables and places them on a tray, and the other approaches the group of guests, who themselves place the used dishes on the tray. A separate buffet bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks is organized for serving an aperitif. At the request of guests, the bartender prepares mixed drinks: gin and tonic, whiskey and soda, Campari orange, Nditini juice, and also dispenses vodka, cognac, and soft drinks. Guests take the nuts from the bowls with their hands, and pierce the olives onto skewers, which are placed side by side in piles. At the end of the aperitif, guests go to the hall, where waiters help them take their seats in accordance with the seating plan. Service is carried out strictly in accordance with the protocol. Waiters serve guests synchronously in each sector of the table assigned to them. After dessert, guests are invited to go to the living room, located in close proximity to the banquet hall, where tobacco products will be served. To do this, low polished tables of small sizes are placed in the living room, on which cigarettes are placed in cigarette holders, cigars in boxes and next to them on a napkin, pruning shears for trimming the tip of a cigar, ashtrays, lighters or candlesticks with candles or matches in branded packaging. Banquettes for seating are placed near the tables. Floor ashtrays are installed in the hall. After 10-15 minutes, guests are invited to go to a separate room where hot drinks are served. The room should have a cozy atmosphere, soft, dim lighting. The floor is covered with carpet. Small oval or round tables are designed for 4-8 people. Tables are not covered with tablecloths. They are placed at a sufficient distance from each other, which provides convenience for guests and facilitates the work of waiters. In the middle of the table you can lay a decorative napkin on which you place a vase of fruit. Each guest is given an individual serving napkin on the table, on which fruit cutlery, linen napkins, and stacks of dessert or pie plates are placed. Sweets in vases or boxes, tiny cakes, cookies, sweet nuts, and sugar are placed on the table. Waiters serving dishes bring trays of coffee in coffee cups and tea into the hall with coffee and teaspoons, and serve hot drinks to guests using the technique (three and three). One of them offers guests milk or cream and pours it according to their desire. One waiter serving drinks serves the tables with cognac glasses from a tray and places them behind each cup, the other two pour cognac into the glasses. Cognac can also be offered to guests in glasses, filled in advance and placed on trays. Waiters serving guests in the hall keep order on the tables, removing used items. At the end of the reception, waiters serving wine enter the hall with trays on which there are glasses of soft drinks and glasses of juices. Before the reception begins, the head waiter distributes responsibilities among the waiters for collecting used dishes and cleaning the room. One waiter is tasked with cleaning china and cutlery, another with table linen, a third with glassware, a fourth with menus, couvert cards, candelabra with candles, flowers, a fifth with tablecloths, and a sixth with cleaning the hall. Used dishes are removed in the following order: first, collect the dishes in which dessert dishes and hot drinks were served. Used dishes are placed on trays. You should not put one bowl into another. Cups are placed in stacks of no more than 2-3 pieces, and saucers in stacks of 6-8 pieces. in each. One of the waiters collects used linen napkins, grouping them in groups of 10. and tying the last of them.

Serving dishes “to go”. This serving method is used mainly at table banquets with both full and partial service. With individual service according to a custom menu, this serving method is used in luxury and high-class restaurants. The qualification of a waiter serving take-out food must be at least IV category. Serving visitors in this way occurs only on the left side of the guest. You can serve cold and hot appetizers, main hot dishes, some sweet dishes, fruits, bakery and confectionery products as a takeaway.

When serving “to go,” two options are possible: The waiter offers the visitor the dish on the left side, and the visitor independently transfers the culinary products from the dish to his plate, using the portioning devices that are on the dish. The waiter shows the dish on the left side, then takes the portioning utensils in his right hand and transfers the culinary products from the dish to the guest's plate. In this case, the elbow of the waiter’s right hand should always touch his body while transferring. (Fig. 1) When organizing take-out service, waiters prepare dishes for serving and utensils for portioning. For this serving method, it is convenient to use round and oval dishes, trays for 4, 6 or 8 servings. For portioning, you can use various spatulas, spoons, and tongs, but most often waiters use a universal device - a tablespoon and fork. For this method, serving cooks prepare dishes consisting of portioned pieces or small cuts. When serving “take-out” dishes, the waiter performs the following operations: on the dish prepared by the chefs, he places a fork with the tines down, and on it a tablespoon with the indentation down (the handles of the utensils should protrude beyond the edge of the dish - the spoon is slightly larger than the fork); folds the handbrake in four and places it on the palm of his left hand, at the same time covering his sleeve cuff with it; with his right hand he places a dish with a cold snack and cutlery on top of the handbrake (the handles of the cutlery should be facing the consumer); when serving a hot dish, he places it on his left hand using the second handbrake; holding the dish on his left hand, goes out into the hall and approaches the consumer from the left side, pushing his left leg forward; standing on the left side of the guest, bends slightly, bringing the dish closer to the guest’s plate so that the edge of the dish is above the edge of the plate (without touching it); after a short presentation of the dish, he takes the portioning device in his right hand so that the spoon is held by the middle from below with the middle finger, and the handle of the fork is held by the middle by the ends of the index (bottom) and thumb (top) fingers. The ends of the handles of the device should rest against the palm (at the base of the ring finger and little finger), and the bend of the teeth of the fork should be above the recess of the spoon; the device grabs a portion of the dish (side dish, sauce) and transfers it to the consumer’s plate; puts the cutlery back into the dish, straightens up and moves on to the next consumer. The waiter must follow the rules for portioning dishes: first take the main product, transfer it to the consumer’s plate, then transfer the side dish, placing it behind the main product; then, taking the sauce with a spoon, pour it over the main product. In this way, the waiter transfers most cold appetizers, hot dishes consisting of portioned pieces of meat, fish and side dishes. In an ideal service system, it is recommended that side dishes and sauces be served by different waiters. For example, serving the main hot dish at a banquet can be carried out by a team of three waiters: the first serves the meat dish, the second follows and serves the side dish, and the third serves the sauce.

Serving dishes with pre-portioning on a utility table. This method of service has several varieties depending on the design of the dish and the equipment used by the waiter.

Option 1. The waiter serves a dish consisting of portioned pieces, using a stationary utility table for serving. In this case, plates or other personal items are prepared in advance on the utility table, and the table for guests is set with appropriate cutlery. The waiter brings the dish into the hall and shows it to the guests. If there is only one guest, then the dish should be shown on the left side. If there are a lot of guests, then you need to show the dish to everyone, approaching the table from different sides. Then the waiter places the dish on the utility table and places the food on plates in the same sequence as when serving “take-out.” Having prepared one, two or three plates, the waiter immediately serves them to the guests from the right side with his right hand. When transferring a dish to a utility table, the waiter holds a tablespoon in his right hand and a table fork in his left. When serving a cold dish, the plates should be cold, and when serving a hot dish, they should be warm. When preparing a portion, the waiter makes sure that the edges of the plate remain clean.

Option 2. The waiter serves the dish, prepared in a large piece, using a side table for serving. In this case, a few minutes before serving, the side table should be placed close to the table where the visitors are sitting. A stack of plates should be prepared on the side table, and appropriate cutlery should be served to guests. The waiter brings the dish into the hall and places it on a side table, thus demonstrating the dish to the guests. Along with the dish, the waiter brings all the necessary utensils for portioning and transferring: knives, tongs, spatulas, spoons, forks. First, the waiter, in full view of the guests, cuts the dish into the required number of servings, then arranges them on plates. It is customary to cut up whole cooked fish, baked suckling pig, Christmas turkey, etc. in front of guests.

Option 3. The waiter prepares the dish in full view of the guests, using a mobile serving cart when serving. The waiter takes the cart into the hall and stops it near the table where the guests who ordered the dish are sitting. The top shelf of the cart contains products and equipment for preparing and decorating the dish. Plates are placed on the bottom shelf of the cart. The waiter, in full view of the guests, can prepare a salad, season the dish with sauce, fry steaks, and perform “flambéing” (Fig. 2.a) (igniting an alcohol mixture that has previously been poured over the product) (Fig. 2.b). Next, the waiter portions and arranges the plates in the same way as the first two options. The most qualified waiters are entrusted with serving pre-portioned dishes in full view of visitors. To perform this method of serving, waiters of the V category are required. In an ideal service organization, this supply should be provided by a team of several people.

Rules for serving cold appetizers Cold appetizers are served at the beginning of the meal. Their serving temperature should not exceed 14 °C. Some appetizers should be served with edible ice, for example, granular caviar, butter. When serving cold appetizers in portions, they are placed on snack plates. Portioned salads are served in salad bowls, bowls and on salad plates. When serving “to the table”, cold appetizers are prepared in dishes, multi-serve salad bowls, and vases. Cold appetizers can be served in all of the above ways. Black caviar of the sturgeon family (beluga, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon) is especially loved and popular in restaurants all over the world. These fish are found in the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, and large rivers of Siberia and China. Black caviar has a color of different shades: from silver-gray to grayish-brown. The lighter the caviar, the more mature it is and the more valuable it is in quality. Beluga caviar is the largest and most valuable, the smaller sturgeon and the smallest stellate sturgeon caviar. There are granular and pressed caviar. The best caviar is granular, slightly shiny, with eggs of equal size. Fresh caviar has a very limited shelf life, so the caviar is salted.

Caviar is one of the most expensive treats. It is served both as the only course (for example, at diplomatic breakfasts, champagne breakfasts, late dinners) and as a cold appetizer (for example, at table banquets and buffets). Caviar can be served in Russian style: along with finely chopped boiled eggs and green onions to hot pancakes as a filling side dish. Caviar is served on ice in a caviar bowl (Fig. 3), eggs and green onions are served in salad bowls or rosettes. Depending on the size of the portion, they eat either from a snack plate with cutlery, or from a small dinner plate with cutlery. Caviar can be served Jewish style: caviar is served with ndika, butter, lemon and herbs. A piece of bread is spread with butter, caviar is placed on top with a special spoon, then lemon and herbs are added. They eat such a sandwich from a snack plate with a snack knife and a snack fork, and if the sandwich turns out to be very small, then with their hands. Caviar can be served in Polish: caviar is served with potatoes, boiled in their skins, and sour cream. The slightly cooled potato is cut in half, a small depression is made in the middle, which is filled with caviar. Add sour cream on top. These potatoes are eaten with a small spoon. Pressed caviar is obtained from small stellate sturgeon caviar by salting and further pressing. Pressed caviar is served on a tray; a small spatula or caviar knife is used for spreading. If caviar is the pride of Russian cuisine, then oysters are a similar favorite delicacy of French cuisine. Oysters are invertebrate bivalve mollusks that have a pleasant taste and high nutritional value. Oysters live in all temperate and tropical seas, where they are caught. Oysters are served as an appetizer, but also as a main dish. Oysters are eaten fresh (live), baked, cooked in various sauces, etc. Half a dozen or a dozen oysters are usually served per guest. Fresh oysters are served on a special oyster tray with ice on a stand. Lemons are served separately as a garnish in the form of cubes, pieces, or slices. Take the oyster with your left hand, squeeze lemon on it, then take the oyster fork in your right hand, separate the oyster from the shell with the fork and bring it to your mouth. After which you can rinse your fingers in water served in a special bowl. Decorated and served in portions, oysters cooked over a fire are eaten, depending on the size of the plate served, either with snack bars or cutlery.

Rules for serving hot appetizers. Hot appetizers are served either immediately after cold appetizers or after soups. Hot snacks are usually eaten from the same container in which they were prepared. For example, you can eat from a cocotte maker, chiller and kronschel without transferring the product to a plate. The serving temperature for hot snacks is 85-90 °C. A special feature of hot appetizers served in chillers and cocotte makers is that the food for them is cut into small pieces so that there is no need to use a knife. A hot appetizer in a cocotte maker, for example mushroom julienne, chicken julienne, is served on a substitution plate with a cocotte fork or a tea (coffee) spoon, with the handle of the cocotte maker turned to the left, and the handle of the spoon or fork to the right. Blinis as a traditional Russian hot snack are served in a round ram with a lid. To maintain the serving temperature, the lamb is placed on a substitution plate covered with a napkin. To lay out the pancakes, serve a fork. The table is served with a snack plate and cutlery. Pancakes are placed on the table on the right side of the guest, and granular caviar or lightly salted fish (salmon, salmon, chum salmon) is placed on the left side of the guest. You can also serve butter or sour cream with the pancakes.

Rules for serving soups and broths. Depending on the customer’s wishes, soups can be served first, or after cold or hot appetizers. The rules for serving soups largely depend on their type, culinary characteristics and serving temperature. Soups are divided into hot (serving temperature not lower than 75 °C) and cold (serving temperature 10-14 °C). Soups are served in portions in deep plates, broth cups, metal bowls, and ceramic pots. When serving soups in portions, substitute plates must be used. Soups are served “at the table” in porcelain tureens for 6-10 servings. It is convenient to serve soups by portioning them on a utility table, and less convenient to take away. Broths and pureed soups are most often served in broth cups. When serving, the cup is placed on a saucer, and a dessert or broth spoon is placed on the saucer along with the cup (the handle of the cup is turned to the left, and the handle of the spoon is to the right of the guest). Profiteroles or croutons for the broth are served in a salad bowl or bowl on a substitute plate with a paper napkin, placed on the left side behind the pie plate. Borscht, rassolniki, cabbage soup and many other seasoning soups are served with sour cream, which can be served separately. Sour cream is served in a porcelain gravy boat on a substitution plate; a teaspoon is placed in front of the gravy boat. The sauce boat with sour cream is placed in front of the visitor on the left side, the handle of the sauce boat should be turned to the left, and the handle of the spoon to the right. Cold soups (okroshka, cold borscht, botvinya) are served in the same way as hot ones. Edible ice is served with cold soups separately in a salad bowl.

Rules for serving main hot dishes. The assortment of hot dishes is very diverse, both in the types of products and in the methods of their culinary processing. No less varied are the ways of serving and decorating hot dishes. Suffice it to say that the main hot dish consists of at least three parts: the main product (for example, meat or fish), a side dish (usually complex) and a sauce (both hot and cold). And all the components of the dish can be served separately using the methods described above. You can arrange the main product, side dish and sauce together and serve it in one dish, on one plate; You can serve the main product and sauce together, and serve the side dish separately; You can serve the main product and side dish together and serve the sauce separately.

The serving temperature for custom-made and signature dishes should be 85 - 90 °C. When serving, the temperature of the main dishes and any dishes prepared in advance must not be lower than 65 °C. Main hot dishes should be served on pre-warmed plates to maintain serving temperature. Hot dishes can be served in all the ways indicated at the beginning of this subsection. Serving main hot dishes, which are presented in individual portions on small dinner plates, is called “Viennese style”. Serving dishes “to the table” is often called serving “Russian style”. Serving dishes with rearrangement on a utility table or sideboard is called “Russian style”. Serving dishes “to go” is often called serving “in French,” and serving dishes with portioning on a side table and with finishing in full view of the consumer is serving “in English.” All these names are very conventional and do not pretend to be classical definitions. When serving hot fish dishes, you must remember to set the table with fish cutlery, and when serving meat and vegetable dishes, with cutlery. Portioned hot dishes are served in plates with a diameter of at least 240 mm. It is recommended to serve hot dishes to guests in metal dishes, small lambs, and frying pans. Cold sauces for dishes are served in porcelain gravy boats, hot sauces in metal ones. National dishes are served in ceramic pots. Some dishes (poultry, game) are partially eaten with hands. To rinse the fingers, a bowl of acidified warm water is brought to the table, which is placed to the right of the consumer at the level of his plate. The presentation of spaghetti, a seemingly simple dish, is interesting. In Italian restaurants, spaghetti is served in deep dinner plates, with the fork on the right and the tablespoon on the left. In addition to spaghetti sauce, Parmesan cheese (grated) is always served.

Rules for serving sweet dishes and fruits. Lunch or dinner in a restaurant usually ends with the serving of sweet dishes. Before serving sweet dishes, or desserts in French, the waiter removes all previously used dishes, cutlery and, with the customer’s permission, remaining snacks, bread, and spices. Most cold sweet dishes (compotes, thick jelly, fruit salads, jellies, berries with cream, ice cream) are served in metal bowls or glass vases placed on placemats with decorative paper napkins. Depending on the size of the bowl or vase, place a dessert, tea, coffee or other special spoon on the napkin with the handle to the right. When served, cold sweet dishes should have a temperature no higher than 8 - 10 °C. Hot sweet dishes are served at a temperature of 70-75 °C. Most hot sweet dishes are served in the metal container in which they were prepared. For example, Guryev porridge is prepared and served in a portioned frying pan (kronshele), which is placed on a substitution plate with a paper napkin and eaten, without shifting, with a dessert spoon. Apricot sauce is served separately in a metal sauce boat. The soufflé is released in the same container in which it was baked. It could be a lamb or a frying pan. Before serving, the table is served with a deep dessert plate and a dessert spoon. The soufflé is served with milk in a milk jug or cream in a cream jug. First, the waiter carefully trims the edges of the soufflé with a spatula and, approaching the visitor from the left side, holding the dish in his left hand, quickly and carefully transfers the souffle to the visitor’s plate with a spatula. Then, on the right side, pour Milk or cream into the plate with the soufflé. Fruit, vanilla, chocolate sambucas, puddings and mousses are served in small dessert plates and eaten with dessert spoons and dessert forks. Assorted fruits are a must-have dessert at banquets and receptions. They are served in vases on high legs, which are placed in the center of the table. Fruits are often used as a decorative element for the holiday table, so they are placed on the table along with cold appetizers.

Fruits in a vase can be offered to guests “to take away” by approaching each of them. The waiter must hold the vase by the upper part of the stem. When serving individually, fruits are served on a small dessert plate and eaten with a fruit or dessert knife and fork. If fruits are eaten with hands, then it is necessary to provide a rinse or a wet napkin for wiping hands. Assorted cakes and cakes, pre-cut into portions, are served in a low plateau vase or on a tray with a decorative napkin. Cakes are laid out with pastry tongs, cakes with a spatula. The table is served with small dessert plates. Cakes are eaten with a cake fork, cake, depending on the consistency, either with a spoon and fork, or with a knife and fork (dessert).

Using tableware when setting the table
Serving bread and pastries
When served individually, bread and pastries are served on pie plates. For group service - on small dinner plates.
At home, as well as during buffets and banquets, bread can be placed on a snack plate or special bread bins can be used.
Serving cold snacks
Snack plates are used to serve cold appetizers; they are also used as stands for salad bowls.
Square salad bowls are used for salads, pickles, and marinades. The volume of salad bowls ranges from 240 to 720 ml. At banquets they are served individually to each person.
To serve fish appetizers, for example, smoked salmon, stellate sturgeon or sturgeon with or without a side dish, as well as sprat, salmon, cod liver, herring bowls and trays are used.
Oval dishes are used for cutting meat and fish, as well as for jellied banquet fish dishes.
Round dishes are usually served with meat and vegetable snacks, filled profiteroles, vol-au-vents, duck with apples, fried and stuffed chicken.
The signature salad, as well as salads from fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and Olivier salad, are served in vases on a low stem.
Gravy boats are used to serve cold sauces, ketchup and sour cream. According to the serving rules, only appetizer plates are placed on the table, the rest of the dishes are used exclusively to bring appetizers during the meal.
Serving first courses
To serve specialty soups, as well as soups with finely chopped, pureed meat or chicken products and broths, use 300 ml broth cups.
To serve soups in full portions, use deep dinner plates with a capacity of 500 ml. Small table plates are used as substitutes.
Half a serving of soup is served in 300 ml deep plates. Snack plates are used as wildcards.
Soup bowls with lids are used to serve family dinners.
Special or signature dishes are served in clay pots.

Serving main courses
Small table plates are used to serve second courses of fish, meat and poultry.
Serving dessert
Dessert is served in deep or shallow dessert plates. The former are used for serving fruit salads, jellies and other sweet dishes, the latter - for soufflés, casseroles, milk porridge, etc.
Serving hot drinks
Tea, coffee and cocoa are served in tea cups with a capacity of 200-250 ml. Tea saucers are served along with the cups.
For brewing I use teapots with a capacity of 250 to 600 ml, which are served on the table.
Boiling water is served in teapots with a capacity of 1200-1600 ml.
Green tea is served in bowls.
Typically, coffee is served in 800 ml pots, black coffee in 4-serve and 6-serve pots.
For coffee, oriental coffee or chocolate, cups and saucers are served.
Milk for tea and coffee is poured into 200 ml milk jugs; cream - into creamers with a capacity of 25 to 100 ml.
For jam, lemon, sugar, place special vases for 1, 2 and 4 servings.
Rosettes can also be used for jam, honey, marmalade, lemon and sugar.
Serving fruit and confectionery
Fruits, grapes, watermelon, bananas are served on small dessert plates. Their distinctive feature is the presence of a fruit-shaped pattern. If you don’t have such plates, then you can take regular snack plates.
For round-shaped pastries and cakes, flat vases with a low stem are used.
Confectionery products are served on pie plates.

Serving dishes

The waiter will certainly take care of serving the dishes in the restaurant. However, knowing the rules of presentation will help you feel confident and avoid any kind of awkwardness.

If at the time of seating the table has already been set, you should not touch the cutlery, straighten the napkin or rearrange the glasses ahead of time.

Typically, dishes are served to the table in the order they are offered on the menu and ordering sequence. Having chosen several dishes of the same category, you should inform the waiter when it is best to serve them.

It is acceptable to ask for a children's menu to be brought faster, especially if the establishment has a play corner.

In a friendly company or family circle, you can change the serving sequence by warning the waiter.

During the banquet, the serving sequence is not allowed to be changed according to an individual order. On a date, especially on the first, it is also better to stick to the established rules.

If for some personal reasons you decide to change the order of serving, inform the waiter about it.

The guest may miss serving a particular dish. You cannot return to a missed dish, but you can place an additional order in a friendly company.

There are three main methods of serving dishes: French (to take away), English (using a serving table) and Russian (on a common table).

Most establishments use the French method. In this case, the waiter brings the finished dish. Ready-to-serve dishes are served on the right. During a banquet with seating in a circle, some dishes are placed on the guests' plates from a large platter by the waiter. Food placed on plates is served from the left side.

Sometimes guests help themselves to a portion from a dish brought by the waiter. In this case, the waiter approaches the guest from the left and holds the dish in his left hand. If salad or other side dish sticks to the cavity of the spoon, simply scrape the spoon clean with a sliding motion of the fork.

When serving food, the temperature regime must be observed. It is advisable to serve hot dishes on heated plates, caviar in a caviar bowl containing a glass rosette and ice. The temperature of cold appetizers is up to 14 °C, hot - 75 °C, soups - 75–90 °C, hot meat and fish dishes - 65–75 °C.

Hot snacks are usually served in the container in which they were prepared, for example, in a cocotte maker. Cocotte makers are placed on a pie plate.

Most restaurants of European cuisine offer a wide range of main courses from fish, meat, poultry, vegetables in boiled, fried, stewed, baked and other forms.

The order of serving second courses: fish, then meat and poultry dishes, then vegetable, egg, dairy.

Most often, 3-4 dishes are ordered: a cold or hot appetizer, a first course, a hot fish or meat dish and dessert. Usually a cold appetizer is served before the soup, and a hot appetizer after it, but variations are possible.

Lunch of five or more courses is served on special occasions. In this case, after the hot meat there is a vegetable dish or both cold and hot appetizers are ordered.

The English method involves serving dishes on a serving table and portioning them in front of visitors. The dish is conveniently located on the left side of the serving table, and the plates are on the right. Waiters place food on plates in the following order: main product, side dish, sauce, herbs. The plate is served from the right side and with the right hand.

The waiters strive to make the portions uniform; if someone gets a little more side dish or a smaller piece, they are not supposed to indicate.

The Russian method of serving is convenient for a group of friends. Cold and hot snacks and dishes are placed on a common table, and guests serve themselves. You are not supposed to take food from a common dish with your fork. It is customary to take a portion from a common dish from the top or from the edge, rather than choosing better pieces.

Sauces can be served individually for each guest. They are placed on the guest's left hand.

When serving food, drinks, or changing cutlery, guests should not help the waiter. If the waiter is uncomfortable approaching the guest from the left, he can also approach from the right. The main task of service is the convenience and comfort of guests.

Some restaurants bring bread and butter before serving food.

For fish snacks include caviar (grained, pressed, chum salmon), fish (lightly salted, jellied, boiled, stuffed, marinated, smoked, fish salads), seafood (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, crayfish, oysters, etc.).

Meat snacks: meat (boiled, jellied), sausages, smoked meats, meat salads, boiled and jellied poultry, game and poultry salads.

Vegetable snacks: vegetable and mushroom salads, pickles, olives or black olives.

Soups: transparent, puree, milky, cold.

Hot dishes often offered in sections: fish, meat, poultry, vegetables.

Often the menu is presented by a sommelier to immediately offer an aperitif and help in choosing drinks.

The menu is served to the guest open on the first page. There is no point in reaching out for him. If there are several guests of equal status at the table, then the menu will first be served to the one sitting further from the waiter. In another case, the rule is used: children - women - men - according to seniority. In the women's team, no distinction is made between women by age.

Having noticed cigarettes or a lighter on the table, the waiter brings an ashtray along with the menu or explains where you can smoke.

During an official event, dishes are served “by rank”: first to more important, honored guests, then to women and the owner of the table.

Snacks are served within 10 minutes after ordering. The first and second hot dishes appear on the table within 15 minutes after ordering, unless the time has been specified additionally. Desserts, coffee and tea - within 10 minutes after ordering.

Do not rush to start the meal as soon as a plate of food appears in front of you - you should wait until the plates appear in front of all the guests.

Immediately after serving, you can start eating only soup.

The next dish is not served until all participants in the meal have finished the previous one. There is no point in delaying the meal and delaying the entire table.

Used dishes are removed from the right side when guests are ready, regardless of rank.

The end of the meal is indicated by the arrangement of the cutlery: the knife and fork are placed on the plate with their handles parallel, even if there is still food left on the plate. The soup spoon is left in the plate.

Under no circumstances should you help the waiter clear the table, even if you come to the restaurant with your family and children.

You should not stack plates on top of each other, especially glasses on an empty plate, or move plates to the edge of the table to demonstrate the end of the meal.

Do not place used paper napkins in a glass or glass.

The waiter should ask the guest if it is time to remove something from the table. If you haven't finished your meal and the waiter starts cleaning, you should stop him.

When clearing dishes, the waiter usually moves around the table clockwise. Glasses and glasses are removed with the right hand to the right of the guest.

You should not call the waiter who is removing dishes from the next table. Having taken dirty plates from the table, the waiter must immediately take them away so as not to stop and place dirty dishes on someone else’s table. Just give a sign and the waiter will return to your table.

The dessert menu is served when all guests have finished their meal and the plates have been cleared after the main course.

The waiter must clarify whether it is time/can the dish be served. Sometimes the waiter warns the guest that the dish will be served when ready.

From time to time the waiter checks with the visitors whether they like everything and whether they want anything else. A short answer of “yes, thank you” is enough. There is no point in admiring or criticizing the cuisine.

It is permissible to ask for a replacement dish only if the preparation standards are not met or the food is served half-baked or sloppy. If you don’t like the taste of the dish, you shouldn’t ask for a replacement.

If the dish is not served with sauce, do not ask for mustard, ketchup or mayonnaise. Even if visitors are accustomed to such food at home, it is better to eat the proposed menu in a restaurant.

If smoking is still allowed, then if one person smokes at the table, the ashtray is changed after each cigarette. For four or more guests, two ashtrays are provided. Cigarettes and matches are served to visitors on the left.

The arrival of coffee signals the end of lunch. Coffee and tea are served with sugar, sometimes with lemon. After stirring the sugar, remove the spoon and place it on a saucer.

The bill is served on the left side.

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book A gift book worthy of a queen of seduction author Kriksunova Inna Abramovna

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The first course can be hot or cold. Soups, borscht and pickles are served hot. Cold - okroshka, cold borscht, green cabbage soup and beetroot soup. Fruit soups should be served cold in summer and hot in winter.

The following soups are also distinguished: clear, dressing, puree soups, milk, sweet.

Pour the first courses from the tureen into deep plates or broth cups. Both plates and broth cups for hot dishes can be slightly warmed. For cold dishes, you can, on the contrary, cool the dishes a little.

The tureen should be on the main or side table in the middle of the tray. Nearby are plates and a pouring spoon. When the soup is poured into bowls, you should lower the pouring spoon as low as possible to avoid splashing. It should be borne in mind that broths and clear soups are served already poured in broth cups and saucers.

Traditional national soups can be served in ceramic pots. They are placed on small pie plates covered with paper napkins.

Various baked goods can be served separately with soups: cheesecakes, pies, croutons, pampushki, etc. They are placed on individual pie plates.

You can add greens to soups: directly sprinkled into plates or placed separately on sockets. Sour cream is served with borscht or soup in a gravy boat. You can serve olives with hodgepodge, and lemon slices with your fish soup.

Second hot courses

After the table has been cleared after the first courses, the second courses are served. The guest must approve the dish being served - only after that it is placed in front of him.

Fish or meat dishes are brought to the table on an oval (nickel silver) dish. They can be served separately or with a side dish. The complex side dish is served on appetizer plates. The side dish can also be served in a multi-portion or individual “lamb”.

Gravy boats are served in separate gravy boats. If the sauce is hot, then a cupronickel gravy boat is used, if it is cold, then a porcelain one is used.

The stew is served in a pot along with sauce or in an oval cupronickel “lamb”.

Shish kebab is usually served on a skewer (skewer) on an oval cupronickel plate. The side dish is served separately in a salad bowl.

Vegetable dishes are served in portioned cupronickel frying pans, as well as in round “lambs”.

Main courses are served only hot (temperature 85-90 °C). In order to maintain the desired temperature, heated small dinner plates are brought along with the dishes.

The range of second courses is very diverse. It includes fish, meat, vegetable dishes, poultry dishes, etc. prepared in various ways.

When serving main courses, follow the following sequence:

- fish dishes,

- meat dishes,

– poultry or game dishes,

– vegetable dishes,

– cereal dishes,

– egg dishes,

– dairy dishes,

– flour dishes.

Hot fish dishes can include boiled, poached, stuffed, fried, spit-roasted, baked, whole-cooked fish, etc. If the fish is baked in dough, then it is placed on a dish covered with a paper napkin, parsley and lemon slices are laid around. A special sauce for fish is also served in a gravy boat, which is placed next to the dish.

Meat dishes are usually boiled meatstewed, fried natural, fried in sauce, stewed, baked, kebab on skewers (skewers), etc. If an oval dish is suitable for barbecue, then a round dish is suitable for steak with eggs, fried lamb with vegetables. Home-style roast, lamb and vegetables are prepared and served in ceramic pots, which are placed on the table on pie plates. The barbecue comes with hot sauce.

Poultry or game is served boiled, poached, stuffed, fried, stewed, baked. Fried game is served to consumers with a side dish in a round dish.

Vegetable dishes involve serving boiled, poached, fried, stewed, baked vegetables. Potato cutlets, as well as potato croquettes, zrazy, rolls, cabbage schnitzels, casseroles and vegetable puddings are served on round dishes, accompanied by sour cream or sauce in a separate gravy boat. Vegetables baked in sour cream (or milk sauce), as well as vegetables with butter, are usually served in portioned pans.

Dumplings with sour cream are prepared and served in ceramic pots, placed on the table on pie plates.

The salad for the second course is usually served in a salad bowl. It is placed on a stand next to the dish.

The sauce is served in a gravy boat on a pie plate, with a teaspoon (or dessert) spoon.

When serving a second hot dish, a metal multi-portion dish is often used. You can serve fried meat, poultry, boiled beef with sauce, various cutlets, etc. on it. The main product is beautifully placed in the center of the dish and the side dish is placed around the edges. The whole thing is decorated with parsley, lemon slices, pickled vegetables and fruits. Serving such a dish should evoke pleasant emotions and appetite.

Sweet dish (dessert)

After the main courses, hot and cold, tasty and high-calorie sweet dishes are served. Before serving, all previously used dishes, cutlery, spices, and bread are removed from the table, leaving only glasses for dessert wine. The table is served with dessert cutlery.

Almost all cold sweet dishes are served in individual glass, crystal or metal bowls. They are placed on a dessert plate, next to which a dessert (or teaspoon) spoon is placed.

The range of sweet dishes is very extensive. Hot sweet dishes include apple charlotte, Guryev porridge, airy pie (soufflé). For cold ones - jellies, mousses, creams, jelly, compotes, ice cream. Ice cream is served last in order.

Cheese

If the meal goes according to the full program, then after the sweet dish they serve cheese, which is cut into thin slices, and after that - fruits and sweets.

Fruits

Fruits are served in vases. For apples in dough, apple babka and apples in puff, as well as puddings, porcelain or crystal dishes are used. There should be dessert knives and forks on the table.

If the berries have cuttings, they are washed well before serving. Then the berries are dried. The berries are served on dessert plates (or in bowls). Sugar or powdered sugar is placed in sockets nearby.

If the berries are served with milk or cream, then a milk jug is also served at the table.

Citrus fruits such as oranges and tangerines are first peeled, then divided into slices and placed on plates. Oranges and tangerines can be sprinkled with dessert wine.

After the fruit, sweets can be served. If a multi-level shelf is used, then fruits and sweets can be served together (but at different levels of the shelf).

If you own a food service business, you know that food service and presentation are critical to making sure your guests are satisfied with their restaurant experience. However, chefs often don't pay attention to presentation and are more concerned with the taste of their dishes.

People eat with their eyes, and original and thoughtful presentation improves the appearance and taste of food. Focusing on presentation also allows chefs to showcase their creations to guests. While there are no hard and fast laws when it comes to “proper” presentation, there are a few important concepts to keep in mind when preparing and presenting a restaurant's delicious culinary creations.

Design and rules for serving dishes

Before starting to cook, the chef must think about what kind of cuisine he envisions. Does it create a hearty steak, a delicate side dish or an appetizer? You can't start assembling the plate until all the flavors are finalized, so it's wise to have your ingredients ready before the process begins.

In addition, the cook must pay attention to portion sizes before he begins to follow the rules for serving dishes. To do this, you need to focus on balancing proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables to prepare a healthy meal. Ultimately, carefully placed ingredients create art, but presentation should never overshadow the taste.

In order to understand the rules of serving dishes, you need to follow some steps.

Choosing the perfect plate

This action is the key to an attractive food presentation. Here are some points to consider.

Choose the right plate. One of the rules for serving food is to think of yourself as an artist, the plate as a canvas, and the food as paint.

Choose the right size. It is necessary to select a plate, making sure that it is large enough so that the food does not fall out. But at the same time small, so that the portions do not look too miniature.

Additional color of dishes. The shade of the plate also matters. White dinnerware is popular because it creates high contrast and provides a neutral backdrop for colorful creations. You need to make use of the empty space, thinking of the rim as a frame. And it's also important to know the rule of thirds to highlight the focal points of the dish. When applied to cooking, this postulate prescribes placing the main food on the left or right side of the plate, and not in the center.

Ingredient Location

Here are some of the most important aspects to consider when creating a dish:

• Hourly serving rule. When the cook begins to fill the plate with ingredients, he needs to imagine a dial. From a diner's point of view, protein should be between 3 and 9, starch or carbohydrates between 9 and 12, and vegetables between 12 and 3.
• Wet ingredients as a base. Another rule of thumb for serving meals and appetizers is to cover the plate with liquid ingredients first, as they tend to spread out if not supported by other foods. One way to secure wet ingredients is to layer them with pieces of meat or vegetables, for example.
• Serve odd amounts of food. If some dish has a small volume, such as shrimp, scallops or canapés. You should always give guests an odd number. Seven Brussels sprouts instead of six create visual appeal and the diner's brain will think they got more food.
• Don't overfill your plate. You need to make sure that the cook never overloads his canvas and keeps it simple by focusing on one ingredient - usually a protein. Finding a key component also ensures that related products play a complementary, supporting role.

Pay attention to details

Rules for serving cold and hot dishes:

• Think about color and contrast. One of the best-kept secrets of a beautiful presentation is close attention to detail. While the focus will obviously be on the protein, it's important to consider how other elements of the dish provide color and contrast. The cook can create a beautiful backdrop for his plate by adding green vegetables or brightly colored fruits as accent points. Likewise, you should try to pair ingredients with complementary colors as this will further enhance the visual appeal of the dish.
• Create height on the plate. Another way to grab guests' attention is to harness the power of growth. Compact stacking of ingredients is not as popular as it was 5-10 years ago, but creating a tall plate can greatly improve visual appeal. For example, you can place the steak on top of the polenta and lean the asparagus spears against it at a 45-degree angle.
• Use texture to enhance a dish. The contrast of smooth vegetable puree with crisp onion straws or steak with shredded blue cheese makes for attractive combinations that are classic in upscale cuisine.

Design and work with sauces

After the ingredients are laid out on the plate, you need to season everything with delicious sauces. There are also special rules for serving hot food and sometimes cold food. You don't just need to carefully pour the sauce onto the plate. Instead, think of your bottle or spoon as a paintbrush, think of adding a flavor-enhancing sauce as an artist's touch, and remember that the dressing should enhance the plate.

One way to do this is to create accent points on one side of the dish (respecting the rule of thirds) or lightly drizzle the sauce over the main ingredients so guests get a little flavor in every spoonful.

Use jewelry purposefully

In the past, cooks would casually toss a piece of cabbage and a slice of orange onto each plate. However, these side dishes didn't add anything exciting to the dish, and few people even ate them first. Here are some examples of smart decorations and how to use them:

• Choose edible ingredients. When the cook has finished cooking, you need to remember that all components must bind the dish together and be edible. Ultimately, garnishes are intended to enhance and complement the flavors of the chef's created appetizer, not detract from them.
• Place side dishes purposefully. The decoration should never lie in a pile in one corner of the plate. Instead, the entire dish needs to be looked at thoughtfully to add color or texture. You should also avoid using unappetizing garnishes such as raw herbs, large pieces of citrus fruit, and anything that has a strong smell. Finally, you need to fill the plate quickly to ensure the food continues to stay hot.

It is worth noting that all these tips are also rules for serving sweet dishes.

Table etiquette

Fine dining restaurants require much more attention to detail than just cafes and food delivery. Routine tasks include setting customer tables to the correct height, polishing cutlery, and folding napkins into appropriate shapes. Traditional dinner menus and decorations can involve up to 20 items per guest, and with so many plates, utensils and glasses, it can be a question of what to place where. General rule for serving food and drinks:

• Cutlery is placed on the outside, dinner plates on the inside, as this corresponds to the flow of the meal.

Tableware diagram

Tables are almost always set for right-handed people. Clockwise are usually located:

• glasses for wine and water;
• spoons;
• knives;
• plates with a napkin on top;
• dinner forks;
• bread plate and butter knife;
• dessert spoon and fork.

Depending on the menu, additional items such as cups and saucers or specialty utensils such as seafood cutlery may be placed.

The glasses should be located diagonally or square to the right of the plate and consist of glasses:

• for water;
• white wine;
• red wine;
• sparkling wine.

It is important to ensure that the countertop is symmetrical to create an aesthetically pleasing backdrop for clients. Until employees remember where to place plates, napkins, and cutlery, a ruler can be used to measure the distance between the edge of the table and the utensils to ensure consistency in decor.

Tip 1: You should always check that the tablecloth does not show wrinkles or stains and that the seams are facing down.

Tip 2: When setting the table, keep your sharps and cutlery in the middle to minimize fingerprints.

Rules for serving dishes: quality requirements

Most upscale dinners will include 5 menu items: two appetizers, soup, salad and dessert. Many restaurants practice the open-side serving method, which means that the waiter's hands should never cross in front of the guest, and the food is always served to the diner's left side. The plates must be turned during display so that the white of the dish is facing the person.

Wine service for dinner

Tip: When serving drinks, you should never hold the glass by the bowl, always by the stem. The liquid will stay colder longer if the heat from your hand is not transferred to the glass. Be sure to use a cloth napkin when pouring wine to wipe any excess drops from the neck of the bottle.

Cleaning the table

There are some generally accepted gestures and signals that allow you to communicate the end of the meal to the guests of the establishment. Napkins will be placed back on the table and cutlery will be placed upright on top of the patron's dinner plate. If clients need to stand to use the restroom or make a phone call, a napkin is placed on the chair. This is a sign that the meal is not over yet.

For multi-course meals, empty glasses and plates must be cleared before the next menu item arrives.

Important Tips to Remember:

• Ladies are always served first.
• You should never eat, drink or chew in front of guests.
• You must always demonstrate correct posture - do not slouch, cross your arms or leave them in your pockets.
• Use employee entrances and exits only during official functions.
• Do not engage in informal conversations with guests.