Saturday, September 12, 2015

Preparation Of Service Area & Rules Before Laying a Table

Introduction Prior to the service starts in an outlet, it is essential that the outlet be set up properly so that the service staff with minimum movement can give maximum result.
This setting up of the food service area is divided into two phases- namely a Mise-en-scene b Mise-en-place. Mise-en-scene The word Mise-en-Scene refers to the setting up of the atmosphere of the restaurant.
The job involves a series of action which are denoted hereunder:
a) Airing the dinning room by opening all the doors and the windows to allow the fresh air to come in.
b) Checking all the electrical gadgets, viz. the plate warmer, the table lights and wall lights are functioning, air-conditioners and room heaters are in working condition.
c) Checking the housekeeping of the restaurant by adhering to the objective of the housekeeping, i.e., providing clean, safe, hygienic environment and maintaining the aesthetic standard of the establishment. Especially the carpet is brushed, the curtains have no stains, the floral arrangement on the tables bear fresh look, the walls and fixtures and fittings clean and free of cobwebs, any decorative pieces are spotlessly clean, etc.
d) Closing all the doors windows.
e) Spraying room freshener but at the same time taking care that it does not interfere in any way with the natural aroma of the dishes that are going to be served.
f) Switching on the room heater or air-conditioner if the restaurant is not centrally air-conditioned or heated. In the latter case the vents are to be opened to allow the desired cool/hot air to enter.
g) Ensuring the chairs and tables are serviceable.
Mise-en-place The word Mise-en-Place literally when translated into English means ‘putting things in place’.
Restaurant mise-en-place is putting all the tableware, glassware, chinaware, hollowware, and assembling all necessary equipments and restaurant stationary in proper place, and thereby arranging the restaurant for an unhindered service.
It includes:
 a) Briefing by maître d’hotel before service.
b) Knowing
 (i) the days menu if the establishment runs on a table d’hôte menu,
 (ii) the specialties of the day, 
(iii) the dishes that have gone off-board, etc.
c) Checking the restaurant booking diary and knowing which tables are booked, their number of covers per table booked and also the menu if already been decided.
d) Placing of tables and chairs in their proper place.
e) Replenishing the dinning area with all the necessary equipments from the scullery.
f) Polishing of all tableware that will be required for service.
g) Procurement of all necessary items – stationeries, proprietary sauces and ketchups from the store.
h) Sending used linen to and procuring clean and ironed linen from the laundry.
i) Order for KOT and BOT books from the Accounts/Control department.
j) Laying of covers on the table as per the house custom.
k) Setting up the sideboard by filling 
(i) with necessary extra tableware, glassware, chinaware, coaster and doily papers, and other necessary equipments required for service. 
(ii) the cruet sets with salt, pepper, mustard 
(iii) the condiment sets with jam, marmalade honey. The sugar basins with sugar, milk pots with cream, butter in butter dish, toothpick in toothpick stands. 
(iv) candle stands with candles. 
(v) water jugs with cold and plain water. Other items like placing clean ashtrays, menu cards, adequate quantity of reservation boards, bill folders and arranging clean. 
(vi) trays and salvers
(vii) extra clean linen required during the service.
 (viii) additional specialized items as per house custom.
 (ix) If the sideboard is equipped with plate or food warmer it should be turned on 15 minutes before the service.
The Rules for Laying a Table
The Rules for Laying a Table are as appended below:
01. Place the tables in position and see they are not wobbling.
02. Check the tables and chairs are clean and the sideboard is properly equipped fro the service session.
03. The tables should be covered with a baize or felt cloth. The use of baize cloth are:
a) It helps the table cloth to hang freely and firmly.
 b) It acts as a protector to the table.
 c) It protects the wrist of the guest from the edge of the table. 
d) It dampens the noise of the table appointments when they are placed on the table.
04. The height of the dinning table should be 30” from the floor and the chair should be 18” from the floor.
05. The table cloth should be placed squarely and the centerfold of the table cloth should form a line down the middle of the table. The fall of the tablecloth should be 9” from the edge of the table from all sides.
06. Crumpled, soiled, stained table cloths should never be used.
07. A centerpiece is essential for every table. It is preferably a bud vase which should have low, non fragrant flower arrangement to facilitate clear view of the guests seated opposite to one another.
08. The crockery and other table appointments that are used should be spotlessly clean.
09. Each cover should fall a well balanced definite unit and should never be crowded. It should be 24” in length and 18” in breath. A cover can be defined as “a space required for placing all the tableware, crockery and glassware and linen for a person at the beginning of a meal.”
10. Place only the required flatware, cutlery, hollowware and other table appointments for the meal on the cover. The sequence of laying the flatware and cutlery are from outside to inside.
11. With certain exceptions, the knives and spoons are placed on the right side of the cover while the forks are placed on the left.
12. The table appointments for the appetizer or hors d’oeuvres should be placed on the cover or it may be placed on the plate with the knife fixed into the prongs of the fork making an angle of 90° at the vertex of the plate.
13. While handling of the table appointments at no point of time they should be handled by hand. A salver or service plate suitably covered with a tray cloth or serviette should be used while carrying them from the sideboard to the table.  Alternatively bare hands may only be used when the cutlery and flatware are wrapped by a napkin or a waiter’s cloth. While placing them on the cover they may be handled by hand but they should be only held at the farthest end where by no chance they come in contact with the food or guests’ mouth.
14. The water tumbler or goblet is placed at the right side of the cover at the tip of the large knife.
15. The butter dish should be placed at the center of the cover preferably on the left side.
16. The napkin or the serviette may be placed at the center of the cover or on the side plate.
17. All the crockery, cutlery, flatware and glassware should be placed at least ½” away from the edge of the table.
18. It is customary that while laying a cover they should be laid one opposite to another and never sideways.
19. The cruet set should be placed at the center of the table, so also the menu card holder.
20. The table number should be so placed that it is easily viewable by everyone, preferably at the side which is used for movement of the guests and the service staff.
21. While placing plates, if they have monogram, they should be placed facing the guest, i.e., at 12 o’ clock position.
22. The cutting edge of the knives should always be facing the left.
23. While laying a table d’hote menu, if the menu is too long, the cover should be laid up to the main course. The remaining cutleries are to be kept at the sideboard. 24. For any table d’hote menus there should not be more than total of three comprising of knives and spoons at the right and three forks at the left.
25. For laying table for a la carte orders the initial table layout should always be corrected. Proper mise-en-place for all the requisite table wares are to be kept at the sideboard and are to be laid each time after the clearance of the preceding course and before service of that particular course.
26. The cutlery for the dessert may be laid at the top of the cover, but sometimes it can be laid after the clearance of the main course.
27. The wine glasses are laid at the right side of the cover at the tip of the knives corresponding to the dish for which the wine to be served.
28. The side plate is kept at the left side of the cover usually with a side knife.
Exceptions:
i) the side knife which is placed on the side plate at the left hand side of the cover.
 ii)   in case of pasta dishes, when the spoon is placed on the left and the fork at the right. 
iii) the side knife which is placed on the side plate, the cutting edge faces away from the plate.

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