Types of service

 Silver service (platter to plate service): this is a form of table service where the waiter
serves the food to the guest at the table in a stylish and efficient manner. It is a technique
of transferring food from a service dish/platter or flat to the guest's plate from the left.

Food is placed in the serving platters by the chef & transferred on to the plate of the guest
by the waiter. This type of service demand skill on the part of the waiter in handling a
service spoon and fork and an organized way of functioning so that courses follow one
another at proper intervals. It is a highly personalized service which adds to good will.

Advantages:
 Personalized service i.e., great attention and care
 Customer satisfaction
 Scope for service staff to exhibit their service skills
 No plate wastage

Disadvantages:
 Time consuming
 Required high level of service skills so high labour cost
 Low seat turnover
 High capital investment
 Service charge is generally high
 Chances of miscalculations of the portion sizes due to uneven distribution of food
 When last portion is served, the food on the platter looks scattered and
unappetizing.

A modification of silver service is known as butler service. In butler service, the diner helps
himself from a serving plate held by the waiter (butler). Traditionally, this type of service was
used on Sunday evenings, when the waiting staff had the evening off and the butler helped out at
dinner. The service by butler is generally found in case of English service.

 Plated-cum silver service: this service is offered when the menu is a table d hote menu.
The main course is plated in the kitchen, while the accompaniments, vegetables, potatoes
and sauces are served from entrée dishes using a service spoon & fork (service gear) from
left hand side.

 American or pre-plated service: This type of service is found in a wide variety of

catering establishments and is probably the most common style of food service. This
form of service is normally found in restaurants which have a large guest turnover. It is a
quick & simple service. The food is pre-plated in the kitchen & served to the guest from
right hand side. Sometimes food is brought under cloche/plate covers which are removed
in front of the guests.

Advantages:

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2nd semester- One on Many: Types of service February, 2019
  Low labour cost
 Needs less service staffs
 Quick service
 High seat turnover
 Scope for kitchen staff to demonstrate their plating skills
 Maintenance of food presentation and portions
 Less capital investment

Disadvantages:
 No personalized service
 Chances of plate wastage
 Skilled waiter does not have scope to exhibit their service skills.

 English service: in this form of services the main dish is meat. Meat is carved by the host
and served by the waiter to the guests. Vegetables and potatoes (accompanying dishes)
are placed at the centre of the table for guests to help themselves while sauces are served
by the waiter.
Silver service and Butler service is a traditional form of English service.

 French service: it is also known as Family service. A very exclusive and personalized
service in which emphasis is on the presentation of the food as much as is on the quality
and taste. This service involves bringing food from the kitchen in entrée dishes or oval
flats, presenting to the guests & guests help themselves from a serving tray or entrée
dishes held by the waiter or waiter may conveniently placing them directly on the table so
that guest can help themselves. The plates are conveniently placed near the main dish.
This service gives guests, the opportunity to help themselves to the dishes. It requires
highly skilled staff and is found in luxury dining establishments

 Gueridon service (trolley service): the word gueridon means a mobile table or trolley
which is brought close to the guest’s table. This type of service involves the use of a
gueridon trolley. In this service, the full meal is prepared in front of the guest or they just
give finishing touch to the food that is partially cooked in the kitchen. Gueridon service
involves operations like filleting, flambéing, carving, jointing etc.

The waiter needs to perform the role of cook partially. Special equipment and tableware
are required on the trolley for ease of operation. It is the most advanced form and
demands dexterity and skill on the part of the waiter who in turn must have good
organizational ability. Gueridon Service needs high skill, great knowledge, pure
concentration and years of experience

A gueridon typically consists of a trolley that is equipped to prepare, cook and serve
food. There is a gas hob, chopping board, cutlery drawer, cold store (depending on the
trolley type) and general working area.

Advantages:

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2nd semester- One on Many: Types of service February, 2019
  Highly personalized service
 High level of customer satisfaction
 Service staff has scope to exhibit their culinary, carving & service skills.

Disadvantages:
 Low seat turnover
 High capital investment
 Cooking in the service area may leave odour
 Chances of accidents are more

 Buffet service: a buffet is a table or a counter set, where the cooked foods are attractively
displayed. It this type of service, the guests get plates from the stack and goes to buffet
counter where food is kept in large casseroles, chafing dishes and platters with burners.
The guests can serve themselves or can request the server behind the buffet table to serve.
It is of two forms.
a. Sit down buffet: the guests pick up the food from the buffet counter and sits down at a
table which is pre-set with covers as in a restaurant.
b. Fork buffet: the guest uses a fork and eats standing, holding his plate, no seating
arrangement is provided.

 Counter service: this kind of service is offered in cafes and is very popular in western
countries. Here the guest sits at the serving counter and the food is served and consumed
at the counter itself. Sometimes covers are also arranged.

 Cafeteria service: it is very common in schools, institutions & corporate offices. It is a

type of self service. The guest picks up the tray & selects the food from display counters.
At the end of the service counter, a cashier totals up the cost of the meal by checking the
food on the tray.

Menus should be prominently displayed at the entrance to the cafeteria or foodservice

area so that customers may decide as far as possible what meal they will purchase before
arriving at the service points. This saves time and ensures that the customer turnover is as
quick as possible.

Cafeterias often have a straight-line counter where customers queue in line formation past
a service counter and choose their menu requirements in stages before loading them onto
a tray and then proceeding to a payment point at the end of the counter. The layout/design
of the counter may include a carousel (a revolving stacked counter) to enhance display
and save space.

Carousel system: this system consists of a number of rotating shelves at different heights
on which food & drink is presented. Each shelf rotates at one revolution per minute.
Customers do not move as in the case of free flow cafeteria system. They stand and pick
up the dishes of their choice from the revolving shelf and pay the cashier seated near
carousel in the dining area. It is not widely used.

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2nd semester- One on Many: Types of service February, 2019
 Where customer turnover is particularly high within a very narrow period of time, and
when space is limited, then variations on the cafeteria straight-line counter type service
may operate. Examples of these are:
a. Free-flow layout: selection as in the straight-line counter type service, but
customers may move at will to random service points. These customers will then
exit the service area via a payment point. Examples are hollow square, U shape
etc

b. Echelon or saw-tooth layout: series of service counters at angles to the customer

flow within a free-flow area, thus saving space and time. The advantage of this
system is those selecting a full meal do not hold up customers who require just a
sandwich and a hot drink.

 Flow of activities in cafeteria system

a. Entry of the guest
b. Picks up tray
c. Goes to counter of his choice
d. Picks up the dishes
e. Pays to the cashier
f. Picks up cutlery & napkin
g. Goes to the dining hall to eat

 Take away service: in this food is ordered to be packed and taken away. It is more
popular in USA where order are placed, collected and paid, thus saving time and
increasing the speed of service.

 Room service: in this service, the waiters pick up the food from the kitchen and serve the
food to the guest in their rooms. Small orders are served in trays. Major meals are taken
to the room on trolleys. The order is received from the guest generally over the telephone
by the room service department.

 Bar service: this is similar to counter service and is predominantly used in cocktails bars
where the guests sit on bar stool at the counter and a variety of beverage are served from
behind the bar counter.

 Russian service: it is an elaborate service involving the use of gueridon trolley in the
restaurant. The food is taken directly on the gueridon trolley which is placed near the
guest table. The waiter pre-portions the food and serves it on the guest’s plate & then
places the plate in front of the guest. Presentation is an important aspect of this service
and at times, whole joints of meat, game, fish are presented to the guest before being
carved by the waiter.

Sometimes side board may also used for carving or presentation purpose. So it is also
called as sideboard service at some places. This service is not practiced in recent times.

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2nd semester- One on Many: Types of service February, 2019