1. Service for Banquets
Chapter 5 5

2. Learning Objectives
Explain how to handle all aspects of the guests’ arrival.
Describe how to provide excellent service during the reception and cocktail hour.
Explain how to coordinate and expedite dinner service.
Discuss how to coordinate buffet service.
Discuss how to maintain tables throughout the banquet.
List and utilize the 5 areas of table maintenance.
List and utilize the 3 R’s of glassware/cups.

3. Service for Banquets Coat Check Cocktail Hour Seating
Service for sit-down
Expediting
Table Maintenance

4. Guests’ Arrival Coat Check
Assign a staff member to stay at the coat check at all times.
Guests may need to leave early.
Keeping guests’ items safe is a top priority.
Attach tickets to the hangers in advance and give the coordinating number to the guest.
Never return personal items to a guest unless the guest can produce the coat check number.

5. Reception or Cocktail Hour
Communicating with the Kitchen During the Cocktail Hour
During cocktail hour, the kitchen will ask for an approximate guest count.
Having a server stations with a clicker can be helpful.
Offering glasses of wine/water butler style when guests arrive will help alleviate lines at the bar.
Carrying bottles of wine to refill guests’ glasses during cocktail hour is appreciated by the guests.
Servers must know the ingredients of any hors d’oeuvre they serve.
Offer a cocktail napkin from a small plate, then offer the hors d’oeuvre.

6. Reception or Cocktail Hour (cont’d)
Seating
Guests may linger at cocktail hour, but it is important that they be seated to keep the schedule on track.
Ten minutes before the first agenda item, a server can inform the guests that it is time to be seated.
If guests are still not seated, you might:
Close the bar.
Dim the lights.
Ring a bell.
Blame it on the host.
The last resort is to blame it on the host of the event by saying, “I’m sorry, but the host has asked everyone to be seated.” This works especially well if you can phrase it so that comes as a request from the bride.

7. Coordinating Seated Service
Behind-the-scenes assembly lines help with plated service.
Assembly lines include:
Food-holding units
Serving utensils
Plate wipes
Equipment for specific plating

8. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Expediting
The expeditor coordinates the flow of food from the kitchen.
Must be aware of service style and the location of special requests.
An Expo board may be a helpful tool.
© 2014 The Culinary Institute of America

9. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Expo Board
Table #
# of Guests
# Veg Apps
Seat # Veg Apps
# Veg Main
Seat # Veg Main
MT Seat
Set up a dry erase board with rows across for the number of tables plus one row for the heading.
Make enough columns for the various courses and options for the event.

10. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Expediting (cont’d)
As soon as announcements are made, notify the kitchen to fire the first course.
The client should supply a list of names and special requests, prior to the event.
This must be communicated to the expeditor.
The kitchen should always prepare a few extra vegetarian dishes.
Serve all of the food to the table at the same time—including the special dishes.
Use a dry-erase marker to mark the plate cover for a special plate if performing tray service.

11. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Synchronized Service
True synchronized service is one plate per server.
More commonly, one server carries two plates.
Half the number of servers than guests at the table.
If servers can carry 4 plates= ¼ number of servers
Servers must know if they are carrying a special request plate.
Use a dry-erase marker board (Expo board) to keep track of which tables have been served, and where special requests are needed.

12. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Expo Board
Table #
# of Guests
# Veg Apps
Seat # Veg Apps
# Veg Main
Seat # Veg Main
MT Seat 1 5 8 12 2
Fill in the table numbers in the sequence you will be serving. The example would serve one table in each server’s station (table #1) and then serve the server’s second table ( Table #2) a few minutes later allowing some time for the server to address any immediate needs before their second table is served.

13. Move clockwise around the table, if serving from the right.
One advantage of serving from the right is the servers can count the seats as they move around the table.
Move clockwise around the table, if serving from the right.

14. Even seat number plates are held in the right hand. 15 4 6 3 7
1st server stops to the right of seat 8.
2nd server stops to the right of seat 6.
3rd server stops to the right of seat 4.
4th server stops to the right of seat 2.
Seats 8, 6, 4, and 2 are served simultaneously, the servers step to their left, transfer the plate from their left hand to the right hand and set in plates to seats 1, 7, 5, and 3 simultaneously. 2 8
Even seat number plates are held in the right hand. 1

15. Coordinating Seated Service (cont’d)
Expo Board
Table #
# of Guests
# Veg Apps
Seat # Veg Apps
# Veg Main
Seat # Veg Main
MT Seat 1 8 3 5 7 12 2
4, 7
4, 7, 8 6
3, 7
The example above illustrates eight-tops. Table #1 has 1 vegetarian appetizer and main course at seat # 3.
If performing synchronized service with each server carrying 1 plate in each hand, serves would hold even # plates in the right hand and odd number seats in their left hand. The 4th server in line would hold the veg plate in their left hand and serve seats 2 and then 3.
Table #8 only has 7 guests with seat# 5 empty (MT)
Table # 12 seat #8 is having the vegetarian main course but will have the regular appetizer being offered while seats # 4 & 7 want both the veg app and main. When expediting this table the 1st server would hold a veg main course in the right hand and a regular main in the left, the 2nd server would hold a veg main in the left hand and a regular in the right. The 3rd server would hold a veg main in the right and a regular in the left.

16. Coordinating Service for a Buffet
Tables may be preset with water, bread and butter.
Coffee cups, saucers and sugar caddies may be preset at a breakfast or lunch, or a coffee buffet may be offered.
Creamers should be set in when the coffee is being served.
After announcements or greetings, guests are called by table to the buffet.
There may be multiple buffet lines.
Fifty to 75 people can usually be accommodated per line.

17. Sequence of Service First Service
The first course may be served to the guests after they are seated, or it may already be in place.
Many parties begin with a sparkling wine toast.
If there is a wine to accompany that course, the wine should be poured before you pick up the plates.
© 2014 The Culinary Institute of America

18. Sequence of Service (cont’d)
Soup Service
Soup may be served by hand, with one server per 2 bowls.
Tray service, if there is room, is much more efficient.
Soup cups and underliners can be preset on a tray.
The soup is brought out in tureens and served at a tray.
If there are handles, they should be at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

19. Sequence of Service (cont’d)
Subsequent Courses
Clearing the first course paves the way for the next course.
Be sure to check for any flatware that needs to be added or replaced.
Start second course service on one side of the room, which the first course is still being cleared on the other side.

20. Sequence of Service (cont’d)
The Dessert Course
There is more preparation during service for dessert than for other courses, so it will be slightly delayed.
Tables must be de-crumbed, butter cleared, and dessert silverware moved, cups, saucers, sugars & creamers set in.
Guests expect coffee to be served as soon as the cups are set in.
Servers might be needed to serve dessert, instead of coffee service.

21. 5 Areas of Table Maintenance
What does “maintenance” mean?
As an introduction, you may want to ask the students what maintenance means when maintaining their car, their room, their home, etc. And then relate it to the table top. Keeping things neat, clean, running smoothly, fluids in the car filled, etc.

22. Table Maintenance
The table should only contain what might be used in the rest of the meal.
Keep the table neat, clean, and running smoothly.
5 Areas of Table Maintenance:
Glassware
Flatware
Clearing
Decrumbing
Trash

23. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Monitoring Glassware
Anticipate the guests’ needs.
Practice the Three Rs: if a glass or cup is 1/2 empty
Refill—water, wine, coffee…
Replace—bring a fresh drink.
Remove—if the guest doesn’t want a replacement.

24. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Refilling from a Pitcher
Refill water glasses as soon as they are one-half full.
A guest should never have to ask for more water.
Glasses should remain on the table while they are being filled.
Don’t remove glasses until the party is over.
Guests may want water after some time on the dance floor.

25. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Refilling from a Bottle
Carry still water to the table and return with sparkling water, if it is requested.
More casual establishments may allow a server to carry both the still and sparkling water.
Never touch the mouth of the glass to the mouth of the bottle or pitcher!

26. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Clearing Used Glassware
Used glassware can be carried by hand from the table, or on a beverage tray.
Lay empty bottles on their sides on a tray, not standing up.
Pick up used glassware by the stems and keep them upright.
Never place flatware in glasses for transport, as it will crack the glass.

27. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Monitoring Flatware
Silverware may be fully set, marked in, or on the buffet for guests to pick up.
Have enough silverware polished and ready to replace lost or dropped pieces (STP).
Unnecessary flatware should be cleared with the plates.
Image Courtesy of Ezra Eichelberger

28. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Clearing Plates by Hand
Servers may clear all of the guests’ plates at once, or as a guest finishes.
Clear with the right hand and transfer to the left.
It is most proper for a plated meal to wait until everyone at the table is finished eating that course before clearing. In some senior retirement centers and country clubs it is the policy to clear as each guest if finished. For a buffet, each guest is usually cleared as they finish and invited to return to the buffet. Flatware may need to be replaced if not included on the buffet line. Subsequent plates are stacked on the heel of the hand, balanced with the left ring finger or pinky.

29. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Clearing Plates to an Oval Tray
Be mindful of weight and balance when loading trays.
Make multiple trips, if needed.
Set trays on stands ahead of time.
It is helpful to stack trays so that they are all inverted and easier to pick up.
Turn over the uppermost tray to load it.

30. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Decrumbing
Decrumb before dessert service.
Use a decrumbing tool or a folded serviette and decrumbing plate.
Start with the left side of one guest, the right side of the other guest and move clockwise around the table.

31. Table Maintenance (cont’d)
Decrumbing
Start with the left side of one guest, the right side of the other guest and move clockwise around the table.
If using round tables, think of decrumbing pie-shaped areas with the lines going from the middle of one guest’s face to the middle of the next guest’s face. If using rectangular tables, think of the table in quadrants with the lines going from the middle of each guest’s face to another.