Home - Banqueting - The types of servicing

For the preparation and carrying out of a reception we can use different types of servicing according to the style of the event that we are organizing.

The most important and frequently used types in our country are the following:

Servicing à la French.

It is a more complex form of waiter service that requires the participation of specialized and qualified personnel. The food is placed on a particular trolley, called guéridon, which is often used to finish the preparation of the food and its portioning. In this case the dishes are prepared in front of the guests. Nowadays this type of servicing is rarely used and considered to be not very practical.

Servicing à la Russian.

In this case the food is portioned in the kitchen, placed on a tray, a serving dish or on a trolley to be presented to the guests. The waiter fills the guests' plates with the food. The tableware is changed with every course served according to the choice of the menu.

Servicing à la English.

The food is placed directly on a tray and the waiter has a possibility to form the portions on the guests' plates. This style of servicing is considered very informal and is usually used for informal events and is not suitable for important formal events.

Servicing à la American.

In the 1970s a new style of waiter service was introduced directly from the USA. This type of servicing soon became very popular thanks to its quickness and functionality. Today this system of servicing can be considered the most widespread, especially in formal receptions. The food is portioned and garnished directly in the kitchen by highly-qualified personnel who in most cases love decorating the portions according to the dishes and their flavour following the rules of good taste and not permitting the dish to get cold. In this case we use big plates that can be decorated without the risk of mixing food, flavours and colours.

Servicing a Buffet.

Lunch or dinner serviced a buffet is distinguished by the quickness of the servicing, that is why it is often used for conventions and company meetings that involve a big number of people. The tables are arranged with a standard setting up, the plates are put directly in the buffet. There are some waiters responsible for changing the tableware and glasses, and some waiters who substitute the empty dishes.
In the last five years this type of servicing has been adopted also for wedding receptions in order to avoid long staying at the table. In fact many couples after having participated as guests at the restaurant receptions and after spending more than five hours at the table, look for something different to avoid long monotonous waiter service.
The Servicing a Buffet is recommended for those who wish to arrange their reception as a party where the culinary part takes the second place after the music and the desire to have fun.