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Food Service Preparation

HRM II-2
to: Mrs. Loida Banzuelo

MeMbEr
Benjie Pinto
Laurence C. Capicio
Meliza Chiu
Sharon Rubio
Setting the Mood/Ambience
The total dining experience for the guests is much affected by the atmosphere created by
management. The mood, or the dinning environment should reflect the time of day and the
location, and create an atmosphere that is consistent with the desired character of the
establishment.
Key point to be considered by management or staff in setting the dinning atmosphere are:
Lightning: daylight or bright lightning is preferred for daytime meal services. Subdued light is
more for evening dining.
Views: tables should be set to take best advantage of the views from dinning-room (subject to the
limitations of space.)
Music: background music may be appropriate in establishing a mood.
Decor: the décor should be consistent and create a harmonious atmosphere. Colour selection plays
an important part in the dinning experience.
While individual waiters may have no control over the colour and general décor of the dinning-
room, they are often responsible for the details. Live plants and fresh flowers, for example, make a
major contribution to the overall presentation and to the mood a room encourages. They must be
carefully placed, well presented and well maintained.
How to cloth a table
Many different size and styles of table and tablecloths are used in the industry, and different ways
of folding tablecloths are adapted by the different laundries. There can therefore be no one correct
technique of clothing tables. The tablecloth fold used in the following procedure for clothing a
table is called a concertina fold. It is one of the more commonly used folds. The procedure as
described assumes that the table has four legs, placed at the corners of the table.
Re-position the horizontal crease of the cloth in the centre of the table
Release the hold on the centre fold and draw the top fold towards you.
Having centered the cloth should now be positioned with an equal drop all round, with the folds of
the cloth covering the legs.
How to lay cover
A ‘cover’ may be defined as:
A place setting for one guest, laid to suit the type of menu offered.
The number of guests to attend a function-“There will be 75 covers at the Rotary dinner, or to
indicate the seating capacity of a dinning area-‘The Lawson Room seats 50 covers,
There are two principal types of cover and set menu cover. The difference is explained below.
Whatever the type of cover or shape of table to be laid, the following rules apply.
All cutlery and glassware should be cleaned and polished before they are placed on table.
The main knife or fork should be positioned 1cm from the edge of table and 25-29cm apart
(depending on the size of the establishment’s dinner plates.)
Side plates are always positioned to the guests left.
Side knives are placed on the side plate, to its right hand side and parallel with the main knife of
fork so that a bread roll can be placed on the plate.
The blades of all knives on the cover should face left
The first only wine glass is positioned 2.5cm from the tip of main knife. Additional glassware is
positioned a 45 angle to the left of the first glass.
A folded napkin is placed in the centre of the cover.
Types of cover
A la carte/basic cover
An a la carte features a variety of dishes individually priced. The guests select the dishes they would like,
usually up to and including the main course .
The basic a la carte cover-the lay-up performed before the guests arrive-is for a main course only. After the
guests have ordered, this basic cover is then corrected to suit the customers actual orders.
An a la carte covers includes:
Main knife and fork
Side plate
Side knife
Table centre items(including bud vase or candlestick, cruets, astray, tent card and table number.)
Wine glass
Napkin
Set Menu Covers
A set menu features prearranged items at a fixed price for the whole meal. Because it is known in advance
what will be served to the guests, the cutlery and glasses for the whole meal are laid in advance. The cover
illustrated is for a set menu offering a plated appetizer, soup, a fish entrée and a main course.

The cutlery required for this menu is:


Entrée knife and fork
Soup spoon
Fish knife and fork
Main knife and fork
Side plate
Side knife
Glassware
Napkin
Note that the various items of cutlery are set so that the cutlery are set so that the cutlery used for the first
course is outermost, and the remaining cutlery is set on the order in which in will be used, working inwards
from the outside.
DESSERT CUTLERY
Dessert gear (the dessert spoon and fork) is not usually laid before the meal begins, but corrected (placed)
after the main course has been cleared. It may also be seta across the top of the cover before the meal. This
alternative will require the waiter to move the fork and spoon down just before the course is served.
As an alternative to laying the dessert spoon and fork prior to the meal, we suggest that dessert gear
should be taken to the table on a service plate and laid only when needed for the sweet course. This will allow
additional room on the table and ensure that the cutlery will be absolutely clean when the time comes for it to
be used.
Note that not all desserts require a spoon and fork: some may require a fruit knife and fork, or a small
spoon.
GLASSWARE
The wine glasses, like the cutlery, are set in the order in which they will be used. They are usually set in
at an angle of 45* from the first glass to be used, which (as already noted) is placed about 2.5cm from the tip
of the main knife. In the diagram the glasses are set at 45* inwards to the left (towards the centre of the cover)
so as not to confuse the guest as to which glassware is theirs: in special circumstances the glasses may also be
set at 45* outwards to the right of the cover.
If a water glass is to be set, the glass should be positioned to the right of the first wine glass.
Should the table not have sufficient room for the glassware to be set in a row, it may be set in a triangle.
NAPKIN FOLDS
A folded table napkin is placed on the table for the guest’s use and to contribute to the appearance of the
cover and the whole dining environment. The way in which the napkin is presented depends on the type of
establishment and the type of service.
It is an advantage if napkin fold are kept simple as less handling is involved. Less handling makes for more
hygienic napkins (as well as being less time-consuming), however, some establishments require more elaborate
folds for aesthetic reasons.
Detailed on the following pages are examples of some commonly used professional napkin folds. Either
starched linen or paper napkins can be used for folding.
A professionally folded napkin will stand by itself without the aid of cutlery or glassware.
PLATES SERVICE PROCEDURE
Traditional plate service required food to be served from the left to the guest, and empty plates cleared from
the right. In modern plate service, however, plates are both placed and cleared from the guest’s right as this
causes the least disturbance to the guest.
Modern plate service practice developed because dining space is now more intensively utilized than in the
past, and there is less room for movement between guests. The plate service waiter can unobtrusively place a
plate of food in front of a guest from the right, while holding other plates in the left hand safely behind the
guest’s heads.
Left handed waiters may reverse the technique and serve and clear from the left.
The modern plate service practice of both placing the plates and clearing them from the guest’s right has been
adopted by leading training institute and establishment throughout the world. However, there are restaurants
which still offer traditional plate service from the left. Waiters must, of course, conform to the house rule on
this point.
TWO- PLATE CARRYING TECHNIQUES
*Plates are picked up so that when they are placed the main item will be on the side of the plate facing the
guest. Remember that the first plate to be picked up in the left hand will be the last to be placed on the table.
*Hold the first plate between your thumb, index finger and the middle finger of your left hand. If the plate is
hot use a service cloth.
*Then place the second plate on a platform above the first plate, supporting it by your ring (or fourth) finger,
your little finger and the based of your thumb and lower forearms.
* You may carry a third plate in your right hand, also in a service cloth.
* Carry the plates to the table away from your body, with the shoulder held back, so that the plates are not
resting against the front of your body.
*Only bring the plates in front of your body when limited access to the table requires it.
*To place the plates in front of the guests, position yourself at the back right-hand corner of a guests chair
holding your left hand ( and its plates ) out of the way behind the guests head.
* Step forward and placed the plate in your right hand in front of the guest from the guests right. ( Remember

to bend your forward knee as a precaution against back stain).


ACCOMPANIMENTS TO COFFEE
Like pre-dinner food items, accompaniments to coffee are not included in the menu framework, but
are in addition to it.
The range of items that must be offered with coffee is limited only by one’s imagination. T he service
of after ­–dinner mints is standard practice, but many establishments now regard their coffee accompaniments
as their personal signature. These items maybe petis fours, personalized chocolates, biscuits or glace fruits,
for example
TYPES OF MENU
The different types or classes of menu are distinguished by the variations in the selections offered
and by their pricing structure. Menu types include a la carte, table d‘hote, set menu, carte du jour,
degustation menus and cycle menus.
The type of menu, in the sense used here, should not be confused with the presentation of the menu-
whether it is printed or written on a blackboard or presented in some other way.
A LA CART MENU
An a la cart menu offers choices in each course and where each item is individually priced and
charge for. Menu items when selected by the guest are cooked to order. The literal meaning of the French
words a la cart is ‘from the card’.
The term a la cart when applied to restaurant is often misinterpreted. The term does not relate to a
particular type of establishment nor to its pricing nor the services it offers; the term refers solely to the type of
menu and to the fact that the food is cooked to order.
TABLE D’ HOTE
A table d’ hote menu offers some ( usually limited ) choice and is charge at a fixed price per person
for the whole menu. Table d’ hote is, literally, French for ‘ the proprietors ( mine host’S ) table.
A modesty priced ‘business lunch’, in which three or four items only are offered in each course
and the guest pays a fixed price for the whole meal, would be a typical use of the table d’ hote menu.
More exclusive restaurants also often make use of the table d’ hote menu as its limited number of
menu items allows the chef to select fresh ingredients of the best quality and to treat each dish with maximum
attention. Because a more limited range of choice has to be catered for than in a typical a la carte menu there
is less wastage. Table d’ hote menus are popular for festive occasions such as Christmas Day and Mother’s
Day.
SET MENU
A set menu is one that offers set items ( one for each course ) prearranged by the host. Set menus
are used mainly for functions, such as weddings and banquets.
CARTE DU JOUR
Carte du jour literally means ‘ card of the day’. It offers choices that are available for a particular
day only. It allows the chef to offer a list of ‘ specials’ or variations in addition to a pre-printed a la carte
menu, or it can be used as a table d’ hote menu prepared for use on the one day only.
DEGUSTATION MENU
Degustation literally means ‘ tasting ‘. A degustation menu list a range of items, usually specialties
of the establishment, which are served in small portions.

CYCLE MENU
A cycle menu is a group of menus which are rotated on a set cycle. Cycle menus are usually used in
the institutional sector of the industry- for example, in hospitals and prisons, on airlines and in employee food
service- operations (works canteens, etc.).
The cycle menu is used to avoid boredom for both costumers and staff, and also to ensure that the
diet of the people in the institution is sufficiently varied to be healthy. In the hospital, for example, the cycle
would be set to fit the average length of stay of the patients.
Menu should not be designed to a seven-day cycle day as this results in the same items always being
served on the day of the week, producing a boring predictability.

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