Waitress Training: How to Prepare a Table: The Equipment

How to set up a table?

Here you can read what you need to set up a table, what you need to keep in mind, and how it’s done correctly. It has very detailed information and I want to show you the procedure for a table completely set in a haute cuisine environment.

Setting up the tables in your restaurant completely and completely is one of the essential and really important procedures. How do you want to welcome, seat and provide a pleasant dining experience for your guests, if the tables are not set up correctly? Without that you cannot start your service!

What do you need?

Here is the list of items you need to set up a table:

  • Appropriate size Tablecloths, make sure it is washed, ironed and has no holes or stains
  • Suitable underlay (molton) to soften the table and avoid noise when placing something on the table such as plates, glasses, etc. Restaurants often use two different types of tablecloths (large and small) to create a more pleasant atmosphere, avoid noise, and make changing table linen faster, because often only the small overlap needs to be changed.
  • Iron gold vaporizer
  • Show plate or charge
  • Cutlery, depending on the preset style. Here I like to use starter and main dish cutlery to set up. This makes it easier to adapt to your restaurant. So you need main course (meat) fork and knife plus starter fork and knife.
  • Plate of bread and butter (BED AND BREAKFAST)
  • B&B knife
  • Dessert fork or any other small fork to eat the Amuse bouche (a small delicacy created by the Chef, which is served courtesy to the guests at the beginning of the meal). Sometimes a small spoon (coffee spoon) may be needed instead.
  • Napkin folded according to the standards, theme or style of the restaurant
  • Glassware, again in keeping with the style of the restaurant. In this case, I like to configure a glass of water / cup, glass of red and white wine.
  • Fresh flower or any other decoration for the table according to the theme of the restaurant
  • Chandelier with a new candle, set by restaurant standards

All glassware, cutlery, and crockery mentioned must be spotlessly clean, polished, and free of watermarks. That also means that, especially glassware, should be odor-free.

In addition, all equipment must be free of damage, chips, marks and / or fingerprints.

How many items of each you need depends, of course, on the number of people you want to set up for. Now, we want to set up a table for two guests, seated opposite each other, a separate free-standing table with 4 chairs.

I guess this table will be set for dinner, because in that case we need the most equipment and the service will be more sophisticated (but again, depending on the restaurant).

How to do it?

After all the equipment has been collected, we can now start setting up the table. This table will be set up for dinner for 2 guests, seated across from each other and at a separate table with 4 chairs.

  1. Look at the table and make sure that it is stable, does not wobble (i.e., tighten the screws under the table legs, put a slice of cork under the leg, etc., if it wobbles), and that there is enough room for the following seating arrangement, as well as no slats, holes, broken edges, or other irregularities on the tabletop.
  2. Lay the underlayment (tablecloth or thin rubber mat) on the table. If using a tablecloth: Handle with care and hold only by the edges with your fingertips. Avoid wrinkles and blemishes at all times. Make sure the fabric is centered with the same length hanging down on all sides. For the thin rubber mat: Place it centered and make sure it lies flat without ripples or wrinkles and the entire table surface is covered to prevent glasses or other equipment from tipping over. Also, the fold around the edges of the fabric should be facing down.
  3. Leave the overlap as established by restaurant standards. There are different styles to do that, but you should make sure to handle the cloth with care and touch it as little as possible to avoid wrinkles and stains here again. It should be centered and hung at the same length on all sides.
  4. Iron or steam the tablecloths thoroughly to remove any remaining wrinkles on the top and on the sides. Make sure the iron has a clean surface! You may need to iron the cloth before putting it on the table.
  5. Place the demo plate (or charger) in the middle of the table, at a minimum distance from the edge. In case you are using a second plate on top of the display plate, place it in the center of the first one. Make sure plates are polished, shiny, clean, not damaged, chipped, or broken.
  6. Setting the cutlery is the next step. Place the main dish knife on the right side of the presentation plate, a minimum distance from the edge of the table and only 2-3 mm from the presentation plate. The blade in front of the display plate on the left side. Next to him, on the right side, is the appetizer knife. The distance between both knives should also not exceed 2-3 mm, but without touching each other. The main dish fork is placed on the left side of the display plate in the same way as the main dish knife, only 2-3 mm away from the display plate and a minimum distance from the edge of the table. The appetizer fork goes to the left of the main course fork, 2-3mm away from each other (measured at the boldest part, the fork rakes). Both forks and knives are set at an exact 90 degree angle to the edge of the table.
  7. B&B plate and knife placement: The plate should be placed on the left side of the appetizer fork and 5 cm from the edge of the table (There are many opinions about where the plate should be placed here. Ask your superior how it is done in your restaurant.) Place the B&B knife on the Right side of the B&B plate (in the middle of the right half of the plate), resting on the edge and parallel to the appetizer fork.
  8. Napkin it could go in the center of the exposure plate. Napkin placement always depends on the shape, style, folding, restaurant setting and atmosphere, but always make sure to touch the napkins as little as possible as your guests will most likely use them for or around mouth.
  9. Add the glasses to settings. There we have three glasses, a glass of red wine, a glass of white wine and a glass of water (glass of water). The first glass you place on the table is the red wine glass, as it is the one most likely to be used for the main course. Place it on top of the main dish knife, so the center of the stem is aligned with the knife. The height above the knife varies depending on the style of glass placed. It can be a line or a group. Let’s do it in one line. Adjust the distance to the knife from the main dish so that the white wine glass can fit under it without touching the cutlery. The white wine glass goes on the right side of the red wine glass at a 45 degree angle below it. The distance between the two glasses should be as close as possible, but they should not touch each other. The thickness of a postcard is perfect. Now the glass of water is placed back at a 45 degree angle below and to the right side of the glass of white wine. This glass is most likely out of the appetizer knife. Again, the distance between the water and the glass of white wine should not exceed the thickness of a postcard. In case the configuration should be a cluster. Simply move the glass of water over the wine glasses, so that it forms a triangle. The same rules for distances also apply.
  10. Glassware handling: Always handle glassware with care. Better to wear less than to drop and / or break them. Hold the wine glasses by the stem and carry them to taste or dangle between your fingers. Never touch the glass itself as you will leave fingerprints on it.
  11. Flowers and candles and table decoration. they are usually on all tables. Salt and pepper are set depending on the restaurant, as well as other equipment and seasonings. The vases are placed in the middle or on one side of the table. It also applies to candles and other decorative items. Make sure flowers and all other equipment and condiments are fresh, clean, and not damaged, chipped, or broken. Also, the flowers should be checked for cobwebs and other insects.

To get a completely symmetrical, clean and organized impression of the table when guests arrive and are seated, here are some tips on how you can achieve this:

  1. Place the display plates exactly opposite each other and in the middle of the table on each side.
  2. Line up the silverware so that they are also exactly opposite, so that the main dish knife lines up with the main dish fork and the appetizer knife with the appetizer fork.
  3. The glasses should look parallel to each other, if they are placed in a line.
  4. The chairs round out the whole picture. These must be absolutely clean (sometimes they have gaps between the seat, armrests and backrest – look in the middle!), Stable and not wobbly, adjust them so that they are in the front and center of the display dishes and the tablecloth does not touch the chair. Which means that the chair should not move under the table, but this also depends on the restaurant.
  5. In the end, take a good look at the entire setup and make sure all items are set up correctly, clean, undamaged, and in perfect condition.

The same procedure can be applied to the seating arrangement of four or more guests. The alignment of cutlery, plates and glassware is always very important.

That’s it for the beginning. Give it a try and you will see after a few times that it is not that difficult!

Serve others and make a difference!

Your martin

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