Food Service Method

Food service is part of the food flow when presented, delivered, and served to
the guest after food production. Food and beverage service operations vary in
price, location, ambiance, and even the tood service methods. Just as cooking is
an art, serving tood and beverage to the customers is also an art. It is vital to
know various food service methods that would differentiate each food service
outlet's level of service. This lesson will discuss the different food service
methods. Lesson Learning Objectives At the end of this lesson, the student
should be able to: differentiate five categories of food service methods; and
identify various food service sectors under each type of food service methods.
Five Categories of Food Service Method
Food and service can be carried out of many ways . But during the method of service ,certain factors have to kept in mind , which are listed
as follows:
1. The Type of edtablishment
2 .The time available for the meal
3. The turnover customers expected
4. The cost of a meal served
5. The site of the establishment
The food and beverage services can broadly be divided into five different types of services, mainly dependent upon how the food is
presented, how it is served, what kind of service is offered to the guest, and the place of food consumption. Food service methods can be
categorized under the following five guest processes

1. Table Service: This type of service provides plated service or silver service where customers are served at a laid table. This type of
service is usually found in cafes, restaurants, and banquets.
2. Self-Service: The guests are required to help themselves from the buffet or counter. This type of service is most common in canteens
or cafeterias.
3. Assisted Service: In this type of service, guests are being served at a table and are sometimes required to obtain self-service when
getting food from the display or buffet. This type of service is typically found in carvery and catering unctions, and is often used in
hotels for breakfast.

4. Single Point Service: Guests order food or drinks, receive the item, and pay. This type of service is usually offered by fast-food
restaurants, licensed bar premises, or vending machines.
5. In Situ or Specialized Service (service in full): This type of service is where food and drinks are taken or delivered to the customer.
This type of service can be found in aircraft, trolley service, tray service in hospitals, home delivery, lounge, and room service.
 Table Service
Food and beverage are served to the guests on a laid table in a restaurant that offers table service A laid table
means a table is set with required dinnerware, flatware, glassware, and the like to be used while eating. The
different table services can be classified into the following:

1. American Service / Plated Service (see American Table Setting in Lesson 7) American service is less formal
than French, Russian, and English services. It is the most prevalent style in restaurants. American breakfast
and lunch are more simple and require a limited amount of service ware compared to dinner, which involves
many courses and service ware.

In American or plated service, tood is prepared in the kitchen and presented on a plate to the guest. The
server brings pre-plated food from the kitchen to the guest table. Except for the salad and the bread and butter,
tood is placed on the entrée plate. Foods are prepared with accompaniments and portioned by the kitchen staff.

Rules in American Service

Foods are served from the left of the guests moving counterclockwise. Drinks are served, and dishes are cleared
from the right-hand side of the guests using the server's right hand moving clockwise, Bread and butter (B&B)
plates, side dishes, other plates, and unused tableware are cleared by the server's left hand from the left side of
the guest.
2. English or Silver Service Silver service is also known as service a l'anglause ("English service in French). Historically, it has a different
meaning, with the hostess serving the soup at one end of the table, the host on the other end carving a joint of meat, and diners are serving
themselves with different dishes. It is highly preferred for special events where guests require special attention trom the host. This kind of
service is also known as family service in specialty restaurants where guests spend more time staying on the premises.Foods in this kind of
service are not plated but presented on a platter to the host tor approval. After the host's consent, the platter is placed on the table. The host
either makes a food portion and passes served plate to the guests or allows the server to serve the food. Food is served using a serving spoon
or fork from the platter to the guest's plate. The guests themselves pass on vegetables, sauces, and side dishes.
Rules in English or Silver Service
The guest on the host's right side is served first, usually a lady, and the host is served last; the service continues clockwise. The server stands
behind the guest to his/her left side. The platter is held by the left hand and served by the right hand to the guest's left side. Plates and glasses
are cleared by the server from the guest's right, starting again from the guest on the host's right side. Glasses are arranged diagonally in the
wine order (by course), while the water glass is in front. Water and wine glasses remain on the table for the entire duration of the meal,
except for the sherry glass.
3. French Service (see French Table Setting in Lesson /)
There are two types of service in this kind of service method: the cart style or gueridon service and the banquet style of service.
A. Cart Style Service - Foods brought in the dining room are unprepared or partially prepared and placed on a cart called gueridon trolley.
Only foods that can be prepared in a short time are prepared in front ot the guest. Ingredients are assembled, prepared, or presented on the
side table. Hot tood is then cooked on a réchaud (hot plate), completed,garnished in front of the guests. Salads and desserts are also
presented in a cart and rolled on the side table tor the guest to select. This service is designed only for a small group of VIPs.
Flambé items can be served in a French cart style of service. Flambé is a cooking technique wherein an alcoholic liquid is poured on a food to
produce flames.
B.Banquet Style of Service - Foods are placed on a heavy platter, put on a gueridon, and brought from the kitchen to the dining room. This
kind of service requires two servers. The principal server is the chef de rang, who seats the guests, takes the order, serves the drink, prepares
some of the food, and presents a check for guest payment. The commus de rang assists the chef de rang in bringing the food from the kitchen
to the dining room. The commis de rang serves the chef de rang's plate to the guests, clears the dishes, and stands by to assist the chef de
rang or the guests it necessary.
The server places a heated plate before each guest from the left side, going around the table counterclockwise.
Then, the server brings the platters to the dining room from the kitchen and presents them to the guests at the
table.
Rules in Russian Service
The service staff stands on the left side of the guest. The platter is held by the server's left hand and shown. to
each guest. Serving spoon and fork are used to serve the food using the server's right hand. Dishes are already
arranged in portions of the platter. The foods are served The foods are served counterclockwise around the
table, and then the server returns the unserved food to the kitchen.

SELF SERVICE
In this kind of service, the guests must pick up their food from the counter or buffet. This kind of service is
usually used in fast-food outlets, canteens, and cafeterias, where guests bring food from the counter to their
tables.
1. Counter - Guests pass through a service counter in a line formation to select menu items and put them in a
tray.
2. Free-flow - Guests can move and select foods and drinks to any service points where food items are
presented by dishes (hot, cold, dessert, etc.) in different counter areas and exit through the payment point
3. Echelon - It is where a series of counters is positioned in angles to save space where guests can freely and
randomly select food items and drinks and exit through the payment point.
4. Supermarket - Island service points are arranged where guests can select foods and drinks within a free-
flow area and exit through the payment.
It is a mixed service method of table service and self-service. In this kind of service, the
guests pick up their food from the display or buffet, and the service staff serves some part
of the meal or food item. Usually, the buffet is set up for self- service, and refilling is done
at the table. This type of service is most common in functions, events, banquets, and
lounge areas.
1. Carvery - Guests come to the table where cooked meat is presented. The guests may
either serve and cut the meat by themselves or let the chef or server cut it for them.
In this kind of service, foods are not served to the guests. The guests get up and
choose their food from the buffet.
2. Buffet - Buffet comes from a French word that means a "refreshment table. In English,
it refers to "service from a side table." In this kind of service, guests help themselves in
selecting and getting food from the common table. It is considered more of self-
service than assisted service. It minimal or no assistance 1s given to the guest at the
buttet while he/she eats, it is reterred to as self-service. In short, the service staff does
not serve anything to the guest beyond the buffet area. On the other hand, if some
portions of the food or item are served outside the buffet area, it is known as assisted
service.
types of buffet

A.Sit-down Buffet - Foods are displayed where guests help themselves, then
sit down to have their meals. It is typically seen in both formal and informal
dining. If wine is served along with the food, glasses are put on the tables,
and the servers serve wines. Servers clear the table to ensure that all
services will be given to the guests on the table, such as wines, coffee, tea, or
cigarettes.
B. Stand-up or Fork Buffet - Foods served must be easy to eat and eaten by a
fork. Foods that require cutting of knives are avoided. It does not require
elegant flatware, for it only requires a fork when one is eating while
standing.
C. Display Buffet or Finger Buffet - Guests come to various buffet service
points, select food items, and return to their tables to consume their meals.
Ancillary items are also collected in the buffet, such as sauces, butter, dinner
rolls, tableware, flatware, and napkins.
SINGLE POINT SERVICE
Single point service exists to those types of establishments where guests order food or drinks at the counter, receive the item, and pay. In this type of
service, the guests consume their food or beverages in the premises or take away at a single point. Here are various examples of where you can find a
single point service:
1. Fast-food - It is where the guest at a single point orders at the counter, receives the order, and pays for the ordered food and drinks. Guests
consume ordered tood items either on-premise or off-premise.
2. Food Court - It is where guests select from the numerous counters that offer different food items. Guests select food, get the order, and pay at the
counter chosen, then consume it in a common dining area or outside the premise.
3. Takeaway - Guests order, wait, and pay at the counter, then take away the ordered foods and drinks off-premise for consumption. Drive-throughs
are considered takeaway where the guest drives a vehicle to a takeaway window point to order and pay, then stops at the next point to collect the
ordered food and drink items for consumption oft-premise.
4. Self-Kiosk - It is where the guest places • the order in a point-of-sale (POS) system and pays at the kiosk. It helps to handle orders, service, and
payments during peak hours to prevent long queues.

5. Bar - Guests can order, receive drinks, and pay at a single point or counter within the licensed premises, and they are expected to consume
beverages within the premise.
6. Food Stand or Food Booth - It is where the guests place an order, get service, and pay at the counter. Food and drinks are consumed within the
area or off premises. It is a temporary setup located in busy areas to sell food and beverages to the general public and is usually found in parks or
malls.

7.
Vending - This type of sérvice is prevalent in railway and airport terminals and other institutions or organizations where guests can take food and
drinks through automatic retailing.
 IN SITU OR SPECIALIZED SERVICE
• In situ or specialized form of service is offered in areas where services are not primarily designed for food and beverage
service. It is where toods are taken to where the guest is. Example of in situ service are the following:
1. Grillroom Service - In this type of service, various meats are grilled in front of the guest. Meats and vegetables are
displayed behind a glass partition for better view and choice. The counter is decorated with great aesthetics where the
guest can select exact cut meat or an option of vegetables. Grilled meats, vegetables, and accompaniments are then
served to the seated guests
2. Tray Service - In this type of service, toods are pre-portioned and placed in a tray, and servers bring the tray to the
guest's seat. This type of service is expected in hospitals, airlines, and in some countries with railway catering.
3. Trolley Service - Cooked or prepared foods are placed in a movable trolley and presented to the guest. Examples are
aircraft and train trolleys.
4. Home Delivery Service - In this service, prepared and cooked food is delivered to the guests home, workplace, or
wherever they want it to be delivered.

5. Lounge Service - Lounge service can be available in a hotel or any independent place in a lounge area. This type of
service can provide breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and beverages to the guests. Covers are laid according to the meal
and time of the day.
6. In-room Dining Service - In this type of service, the guest places an order with the room service personnel. Foods are
delivered to the guest's hotel room. Small orders are usually placed in a tray, while meals are placed in a room service
trolley.
 In-room Dining Service
room service offers various services, including the inventory of minibar during
checkout, daily collecting of breakfast menu, and providing other room amenities
to the guest room. The extent of room service depends on the nature and size of
the establishment. Five-star hotels usually otter 24- hour room service, while
other small hotels limit their offer to coffee and tea facilities in the room. Some
offer only breakfast.
Types of In-room Dining Service
Centralized Room Service - All food offers delivered are from the main kitchen to
the hotel. It requires room service support facilities, equipment, and workforce.
Decentralized Room Service - Food and beverages offered from decentralized
room service are only limited to easy-to-prepare foods; such as sandwiches, tea,
coffee, and the like. Order takers take the guest's order from the central point
and transfer the order to the respective floor's pantry. Some hotels have a pantry
for each floor, and others have a pantry serving several floors.
Mobile Room Service - In this kind of service, one elevator serves as à pantry and
is designated only for room service. Guests' orders are also