Waitress Training: How to Set Up a Table – The Team

How to assemble a table?

Here you can read what you need to set up a table, what you should take into account and how to do it correctly. It has very detailed information and I want to show you the procedure for a fully laid table in a fancy setting.

Setting up the tables of 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 free of holes and stains
• Appropriate underlay (molton) to make the table feel smooth and to prevent noise when placing anything on the table such as plates, glasses, etc. Many times, restaurants use two different types of tablecloths (large and small) to create a more pleasant atmosphere, avoid noise, and can make it faster to change tablecloths, because often only the small cover needs to be changed.
• Iron golden vapor
• show plate gold load
• Cutlery, depending on the preset style. Here I like to use entree and main course 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.
• bread and butter plate (BED AND BREAKFAST)
• bed and breakfast knife
• dessert fork or any other small fork to eat the Amuse bouche (a small delicacy created by the Chef, served courtesy to guests at the beginning of the meal). Sometimes a small spoon (coffee spoon) may be necessary.
• Napkins folded according to restaurant standards, theme, or style
• 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 impeccably clean, polished and free of water marks. That also means that especially glassware must be odour-free!

Additionally, all equipment must be free of damage, chips, marks and/or fingerprints!

The number of 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 people, sitting opposite each other, an independent table with 4 chairs.

I assume that 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?

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

1. check the table and make sure it is stable, not wobbly (i.e. tighten the screws under the table legs, put a piece of cork under the leg, etc. if it wobbles), and that there is enough room for the following seating arrangement, as well as for there are no slats, holes, broken edges or other irregularities in the table.
2. lay the base (tablecloth or thin rubber mat) on the table. If using a tablecloth: Handle it carefully and hold it by the edges only with your fingertips. Avoid wrinkles and stains at all times. Make sure the fabric is centered with the same length hanging on all sides. For the thin rubber mat: place it in the center and make sure it is flat with no 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 face down.
3. Leave the overlap as established by restaurant standards. There are different styles of doing that, but you want to make sure you handle the fabric carefully and touch it as little as possible to avoid creases and stains here again. It should be centered and hanging the same length on all sides.
4. iron or steam the tablecloths thoroughly to remove all remaining wrinkles on the top and on the sides. Make sure the iron has a clean surface! Maybe you need to iron the fabric before you put it on the table.
5. Set presentation board (or charger) in the middle of the table, one model’s 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. Make sure the plates are polished, shiny, clean, not damaged, chipped or broken.
6. Placing the cutlery is the next step. Place the main course knife on the right side of the exposure plate, one fingernail away from the edge of the table and only 2-3mm from the exposure plate. The blade facing the display plate on the left side. Next to it, on the right side, is the appetizer knife. The distance between both knives should not exceed 2-3 mm as well, but without touching each other. The main course fork goes on the left side of the serving plate in the same way as the main course knife, only 2-3mm away from the serving plate and a minimum distance from the edge of the table. The appetizer fork goes to the left of the main course fork, at a distance of 2-3mm from each other (measured at the thickest part, the fork rakes). Both forks and knives are placed at an exact 90 degree angle to the edge of the table.
7. Placement of plate and knife B&B: The plate should be placed to the left of the appetizer fork and 5 cm from the edge of the table (There are many opinions here on where the plate should be placed. Ask your manager 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 display plate. Napkin placements always depend on the shape, style, fold, ambiance and atmosphere of the restaurant, but always make sure you touch the napkins as little as possible as your guests will most likely use them for their mouths. or around her.
9. Add the cups to assembly. 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 put on the table is the red wine glass, as this is the one that will most likely be used for the main course. Put it on top of the main course knife, so that the center of the stem is aligned with the knife. The height above the knife varies depending on the style of the glass. It can be a line or a group. Let’s do it in one line. Adjust the distance to the knife from the main course so that the glass of white wine can fit under it without touching the cutlery. The white wine glass goes to 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 just perfect. Now the water glass is again placed at a 45 degree angle below and to the right side of the white wine glass. Most likely, this glass is off the aperitif knife. Again, the distance between the water glass and the white wine glass should not exceed the thickness of a postcard. In case the configuration is a cluster. Simply move the water glass 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. It is better to carry less than to drop and/or break them. Hold wine glasses by the stem and wear them on or dangle between your fingers. Never touch the glass itself, because you will leave fingerprints on it.
11. Flowers and candles and table decoration. They are usually on all the tables. Salt and pepper are adjusted depending on the restaurant, as well as other equipment and condiments. 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 spider webs and other insects.

To get a totally symmetrical, clean and organized impression of the table when guests arrive and sit down, here are some tips on how you can achieve it:

1. Place display plates exactly across from each other and in the middle of the table on each side.
2. Line up the cutlery so that they are also exactly opposite each other, so that the entrée knife is aligned with the entrée 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 are rounding the whole picture. These must be absolutely clean (sometimes they have gaps between the seat, armrests and backrest – check between!), stable and without wobbling. Adjust them so that they are front and center of displaying the plates 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 placed correctly, clean, undamaged, and in perfect condition.

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

That’s all for the beginning. Give it a try and you’ll see after a few times that it’s not that hard!

Serve others and make a difference!

your martin