hotel management

Chapter 17 Catering Service and Practice (5)
The specific operation method of western food banquet service depends on the service form adopted.British service, American service and Russian service are all Western-style banquets.

British service is suitable for family-style light banquets. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. The dishes are served on large plates and the waiters bring them to the table, and then the guests pass them one by one to eat from them.Some foreign restaurants do not have special waiters for the English banquet service, and the dishes are only delivered directly by the restaurant supervisor.

American service is characterized by fast speed and high efficiency, which is suitable for large western food banquets.Since the American service does not require the delivery service, each dish has one plate for each customer, and the food is the same. Therefore, the food loading in the kitchen can be done in an assembly line.The dinner plates are all covered with stainless steel, so they are easy to stack, and a table of dishes can be served at one time. Most western food banquets adopt American service.

Russian style service is common in luxury banquets.Since the waiter in the Russian service has to distribute the dishes first, and then serve them one by one, it takes a lot of time. Therefore, if the scale of the banquet is too large, it may be difficult to ensure that the dishes are served at the same time.

2. Banquet service organization
Similar to the Chinese banquet service, the banquet director or restaurant supervisor should familiarize the western banquet service personnel with the content of the banquet notice through explanations or instructions, usually including the banquet unit, banquet object; meal type, time, location; number of tables, number of people; banquet specifications Standards; types and quantities of wine and beverages required; special requirements of guests, dietary taboos and customs, etc. The waiter should be familiar with the menu content, master the flavor characteristics, main ingredients and cooking methods of the main dishes of the banquet, and respond when necessary. Get the help of the head chef.Familiarize yourself with the order of serving dishes and the rules for matching wine and dishes, avoid confusing the order of serving wine and serving dishes, and determine the types and quantities of tableware and utensils required for banquet services according to the menu content.Then reasonably allocate work tasks and service areas.

3. Table layout
Multiple tables or single tables do not use rectangular dining tables as most people think. In fact, it is very common to use round dining tables in Western food banquets (also for Western food individual customer service).The banquet table shape should be determined according to the customer's requirements, the size of the restaurant, the number of guests and other factors.There are many changes in the shape of the rectangular table, which can be changed according to the number of guests, such as one-shaped, U-shaped, E-shaped, etc. Large-scale banquets can adopt the layout of venues and theaters; the seat of the banquet host is generally arranged at the position facing the entrance of the restaurant. The seat of the vice-host is facing the host; the seats of the guest of honor and vice-host are arranged on the right and left of the host.If a round table is used, the table-shaped layout and seat arrangement are similar to a Chinese banquet.

Western-style banquets generally use full-set tables, but more importantly, it is necessary to decide which tableware and wine glasses are needed according to the number, type and serving procedure of the dishes scheduled for the banquet menu, as well as the types of alcohol and beverages used.

Do not set the tableware by hand, use a tray and wrap it in a clean napkin.Avoid touching the inner wall of the wine glass with your fingers when placing the wine glass.After setting up the table, you should check table by table whether the tableware and wine glasses are complete, whether the position is complete, whether the position is symmetrical, whether it is consistent with the order of serving, and whether the tableware on each table is neat and unified.

Candlesticks and flower arrangements are also needed for western food banquet setting.Candlesticks can be single-ended or multi-ended, and flower arrangements should be made with fresh flowers.Generally, large-scale high-end banquets require decorations in the center of the dining table, and various flowers or fruits can be used for decorations.

4. Banquet service
The specific content of the service in the banquet room varies with the standard of the banquet, the number of dishes, and the variety of designs and colors. The following are the general points of the service in the Western-style banquet room.

About 5 minutes before the start of the large-scale banquet, the service is to pour ice water, put bread and butter.For a single table or a small banquet, ice water can be poured after the guests are seated.Since the bread and butter dish is placed in the guest's left hand, the buttered bread can be placed from the guest's left.After the guests are seated, candles are lit immediately to show their welcome.

Table wines for banquets generally include champagne, white wine, red wine, sherry, etc. Due to the fast pace of banquet service (rhythm), there is almost no gap in the middle, so all alcoholic beverages that need to be chilled, refrigerated, and beverages that need to be blended must be Prepare in advance.

Because there are certain rules for matching wine and food in western food, and there are also fixed rules for what kind of wine to match with dishes in a banquet, so there are also certain rules for the placement of wine glasses.The operation should be carried out in strict accordance with the predetermined order of pouring wine and serving dishes. It must be strictly observed that the wine is served first and then served. All wine and drinks are poured from the right hand of the guests. , in a counterclockwise direction, pour the female guests first and then the male guests.

The serving order of western food banquet is the same as that of western food individual guest service, they are all served in the order of appetizer, soup, salad, main dish, fruit and cheese, dessert and after-dinner drink.

Appetizers are served with corresponding cutlery, which can be placed directly on the serving plate.Soups are served the same way as appetizers.Western-style food banquets generally have 4 to 6 courses, usually including fish dishes, seafood, vegetables, pork, beef, poultry dishes and so on.Before the main course is served, the service plate should be removed, and the table should be sorted out according to the situation of the table, and the corresponding wine should be poured for the guests according to the content of the next main course.If the American service is adopted, the waiter should serve the food from the left hand of the guest; if the Russian service is adopted, the waiter should first distribute the plate to the guest, and then serve the food from the left side of the guest.Before serving a main course, the plates of all the guests on the table should be removed first, and the plates should be removed from the right side of the guests, and it can only be done after most of the guests have finished their meals.The following main course requires special tableware. For details on how to place it, please refer to the above-mentioned western food service rules and procedures.

[-]. Cocktail party and buffet reception
Cocktail parties and buffet receptions are two forms of banquets that are casual, free, lively, and emphasize self-help.As the name suggests, cocktails and beverages are the main content of the cocktail party, while the buffet reception is about cold food.The two services are very similar.

Cocktail parties are usually held before a large banquet, and generally do not last longer than an hour. The purpose is to wait for the banquet guests, and at the same time allow the guests to get to know each other and exchange information.Cocktail parties held separately are generally for project completion, opening ceremony, press conference and other activities.

Cocktail party food is simple, such as ham slices, red sausage, fried prawns, fried chicken legs, pickles, potato chips, peanuts, cakes, biscuits, etc. Generally, there are no hot dishes.The food is placed on a dining table that has been assembled into a certain shape. There are small plates, napkins, and food tags for guests to take freely. The services provided by the waiters are only to replenish food and collect tableware.

Alcohol and beverages for cocktail parties are generally supplied by event bars, which can be picked up by the guests themselves or delivered by the waiter on a tray.Due to the concentration of guests and the short service time, there should not be too many types of cocktails to be served. Generally, 2-3 types are suitable, and large quantities must be purchased in advance.In fact, cocktail parties are more served with other alcoholic beverages and beverages, such as champagne, wine and soft drinks.

There are generally no seats at a cocktail party, and only some small tables are arranged for guests to place wine glasses and plates. Guests all stand to drink and eat, and they can move freely without restraint.

Compared with the cocktail party, the buffet reception is more suitable for large-scale receptions and celebrations. It pays attention to the environment layout and the atmosphere is very grand.According to the number of guests and specification requirements, a large dining table can be set up in the restaurant, often with center decorations such as ice sculptures and flower stands, and tableware such as plates, knives, forks and spoons are provided at both ends of the dining table.There are generally no seats at the buffet reception, and the guests all stand and eat and drink, but the restaurant is surrounded by sofas and small tables for the guests to rest. The buffet reception is used as the main meal, and the food is more abundant. There can be 40~50 kinds of snacks, and hot dishes should be kept warm with heat preservation equipment.The service of the buffet reception is basically the same as that of the cocktail party. Guests are free to take food according to their own preferences. The waiters only need to look after the table, replenish food and tableware in time, and collect used tableware.Alcoholic beverages are served from the event bar and can be served by guests themselves or served by the waiter.

There are three keys to the success of a hotel hosting a cocktail party and buffet reception.

1. Reasonably formulate standards and estimate costs correctly
Since cocktail parties and buffet receptions do not limit the number of meals and drinks for guests, when negotiating with customers, the banquet standards should be reasonably formulated according to the price range recognized by customers, and the food variety, quality specifications and restaurant environment layout specifications should be determined.And according to the number of guests, correctly estimate the amount of materials used, not only to avoid the shortage of food preparations in short supply, but also to prevent the cost exceeding the budget and causing the restaurant to lose money.

2. Preparation must be sufficient
Cocktail parties and buffet receptions are characterized by short banquet time, concentrated guests, and fast service requirements. Therefore, in addition to requiring waiters to be skilled in operation, quick in response, flexible in action, and capable of handling a large number of guests, various preparations before the meeting The work must be detailed and thorough.All kinds of food cooking and production must be carefully planned, wine and beverages must be fully prepared, and all kinds of tableware and wine glasses should also be sufficient to ensure uninterrupted supply and smooth service.

3. Focus on environment layout and atmosphere rendering
The purpose of customers holding cocktail parties or cold drinks parties is mostly to achieve some kind of publicity and public relations effects. Therefore, when hosting such banquets, the hotel needs to use all means to create a warm and cheerful environment and a relaxed and active atmosphere for the banquet.For example, the main dining table does not have to have a straight layout, other shapes or streamlined layouts tend to be more lively; to carefully design flower stands or centerpieces, you can use flowers, branches and leaves or fruits to form patterns, and high-standard cold drinks can be used Ice sculpture or cream sculpture; indoor flower and tree layout should be elegant and pleasant, potted flowers with mud should be kept away from the dinner plate, and the creative use of lighting and color is also a necessary means to beautify the environment and render the atmosphere.A comfortable and elegant environment and a warm and cheerful atmosphere can improve the peripheral quality of banquet services, and because hotels generally have the material conditions in this regard, excessive extra costs can be avoided.Of course, environmental layout and atmosphere rendering require rich imagination, aesthetic power and innovative spirit.

(End of this chapter)