Advantages
- Elegant,
- Showcases food,
- Great amount of checking of food can be done
Disadvantages
- Need highly trained staff,
- High labour costs
- Capital investment in cart
- Large amount of space is required for the cart to go around the table
- Fewer tables in dining room.
Silver Service (Russian service, or service à la russe)
The food is prepared and portioned in the kitchen and placed onto silver platters, a dinner plate is placed in front of the customer, in general the right side is for plates and left side is for food – Counter clockwise. Served to the customer using a fork and spoon from the silver platter. This service system is used in banquets.
Advantages
- Elegant
- Faster than French Service
- Fully cooked, hot food served at the table quickly
Disadvantages
- Need trained staff
- Capital investment in silver platters
Family Service
All food cooked in kitchen, then plates are preset and food is carved and put on plate by host then guests serve themselves side dishes. However, the server can use sideboard and plate all food for guests.
Advantages
- Casual dining
- Guests control portions
- Less service skill needed
Disadvantages
- Less formal
- May run out of food
- No service presentation
These are the main methods of table service, although some variations can occur, there can be intermediates e.g. service carts may be used in other service styles other than Gueridon service.
Other Forms of Service
Buffet Service
Simple, fast and economical with large groups, set price, guest goes to the food which is “displayed” and picks which food they wish to have.
Advantages
- Display food
- Speed
- Economics
- Less service skill needed
Disadvantages
- Food safety
- Capital investment
Take Away Service
These products are highly standardised, the take away operation offers a basic menu, however there may be a number of variations on these basic food items. This type of service aims to achieve volume sales by offering low-medium priced foods.
Advantages:
- Convenience
- Lower cost
- Serve more customers quickly
Disadvantages:
- Loss of quality control & sanitation
- Interrupts dining room flow
Counter Service
Counter service has been developed in units where customer have limited time available for their meal and drink are very often alone, e.g. airport terminal motorway and now also available in shopping markets and areas. Customers lining up in a queue at a service counter choosing the menu items they require at different points. The customer places selected items on a tray. Some establishments use a `carousel', a revolving stacked counter saving space. The system may not be self-service but have one or two waiter/s to serve a large number of customers per hour. In bar service customers may sit on stools or chairs at the bar counter and they served directly bar staff.
Advantages
- Fast
- Lower cost
- Less Service skill needed
Disadvantages
- Food safety
- Capital investment
A la Carte
Table d’hote
A full-course meal, such as you might get in a fancy restaurant. If you order table d'hôte, you typically get an appetizer, a soup course, a main course, and a dessert, and you can choose from at least two or three options for each of those. It's usually a little cheaper to eat this way than to order the same items individually; the restaurant wins because by offering you the package deal, they encourage you to have a complete multi-course meal at all, instead of just ordering one or two courses.
Advantages
- Conveneince
- Customer’s choose more quickly
- Portion control
Disadvantages
- More Service Skill needed
- Less choice available.
Specialised Food Service Systems
In some institutions it may be necessary to transport and serve food directly to a customer e.g. a patient in hospital, or a customer travelling on a plane. Consequently a specialised service is required; the only possible way to serve these customer is by the form of specialist en situ service.
Hospital – Tray Service
Service of a meal or part of a meal on a tray to the customer in situ. The food is brought to patients in their hospital beds. Nurses or ward staff give the patient a menu up to two hours before the meal, to give plenty of time to make a choice. Breakfast choices may sometimes be made the night before. Staff take the order when the patient is ready to make a choice, or the patient themselves mark the food they would like. Nurses or ward staff will collect the menus and send the completed order forms to the hospitals catering service. When the food arrives on the ward, it is carefully checked to make sure it is what the patient ordered, and its temperature is checked to make sure it is not too hot or too cold. Nurses or ward staff will help you to prepare to receive your meal. This might include help with sitting up or being supported, a visit to the toilet and a chance to wash hands and freshen up. Your bay or room will be prepared to receive your meal. The table or over-bed tray from which you will eat will be tidied to your satisfaction, and crockery, cutlery and condiments may be laid out. When the food arrives on the ward, it is carefully checked to make sure it is what the patient ordered, and its temperature is checked to make sure it is not too hot or too cold. After the meal, the plate or tray will be removed quickly and table or over-bed tray will be restored.
In Flight Meal Service – Trolley service
Service of food and beverage from a trolley, to customers, for instance, at their seats or desks. There are many constraints under which the food and beverage services in -flight have to operate. In essence, every aspect of the customers' needs and wants while under the care of the airline needs to be considered, and a decision made about the priority which will be given to each item. Such priority will, of course, vary from airline to airline. These differences are often the basis of the competitive stance an airline will take in relation to its rivals. There will even be differences within each airline, depending upon the type and duration of the flight. For example, the services available on a normal scheduled flight will be different from those on a charter, or the food and beverages provided on a long-haul, international flight will be different from those available on a short-haul, domestic flight.
On narrow-body aircraft trays containing all meal items are normally taken to passengers by hand from the galleys, requiring cabin crew to make repeated journeys back to the galley. On larger aircraft trolleys are used. A typical 747 economy-class trolley would hold as many as 42 trays. The crews move the trolleys along the aisles delivering trays to passengers as required. Careful planning and thorough staff training mean that it is possible for 400 passengers on a 747 to be served with cocktails, a three/four-course main meal with wine or other beverage, and a hot drink in about 90 minutes.
