(1) Procedures and rules for serving food
There are many local cuisines in China, and there are many kinds of banquets, such as swallow-wing banquet, sea cucumber banquet, whole duck banquet, whole lamb banquet, vegetarian banquet and Manchu-Han banquet. Different banquet tables and different local cuisines will lead to different dishes design and arrangement, and it is impossible to be exactly the same in serving procedures. For example, the main course of the whole duck mat is Beijing roast duck, but it can't be served as the first course. Instead, some special dishes cooked from duck viscera and other parts are served first, and then the roast duck is served. People call it "yet we called and urged a thousand times before she started toward us". Another example is the time to serve snacks, which varies from place to place. Some are interspersed in the banquet, and some are served at the end of the banquet. Some salty desserts are served together, and some are served separately. It depends on the type, characteristics and needs of the banquet, depending on people, time and events, but it must be carried out according to the relatively fixed serving procedures of Chinese banquets.
1, serving procedure: Generally, the serving procedure for Chinese banquets is: the first course is cold dishes or cold dishes, the second course is appetizing soup (after about 8 minutes), the third course is the first course (usually a representative dish of the banquet), the fourth course is the main course (a noble and famous dish), and the fifth course is the general hot dish (a large number) Generally, there should be no more than six dishes on the table, except that the guests ask to leave the dishes on the table, but the dishes can't be placed on the base. One dish is placed in the middle of the countertop-except for the dish and the turntable, two dishes are placed opposite each other, three dishes are triangular, four dishes are square, five dishes are pentagram, etc.), the sixth course is soup (formal soup, or two soups, such as two soups, four soups or six soups in a wedding banquet), the seventh course is beet (with snacks), and finally fruit is served after the main course.
Chinese banquets will be divided into old-fashioned and new dishes in a slightly different order.
(1) The serving order of the old banquet: the fruit is served on the first course (the second course is served); The second cold dish; The third way is hot cooking; The fourth course is the first dish; The second largest dish on the fifth road; The sixth course is served with salty soup and salty snacks; The seventh course serves fish dishes; Beets on the eighth lane; The ninth course serves sweet soup and dessert; The tenth course (stew); The eleventh dish is served with a small dish of food; Finally, the meal is served, and then the fruit is served.
(2) The order of serving the new banquet: the first course is served with cold dishes; The second course is served; Barbecue dishes are served on the third course; The fourth dish is fried; Beets on the fifth road; The sixth course serves sweet soup and dessert; The seventh course serves fish dishes; Vegetarian dishes on the eighth course; The ninth dish (stew basin) is followed by a point; Serve a small dish of food on the tenth course; The eleventh course is served with fruit.
2, serving rules: the basic rules of serving Chinese food banquets are: first cold and then hot, first dish and then order, first salty and then sweet, first fried and then burned, first meat and then vegetarian; Dry before soup, dish before soup; First light and then thick, first high quality and then general, and follow the general customs and habits. If guests have special requirements for serving, they should be flexible. Chinese Cantonese cuisine is served in a different order from other cuisines, that is, soup is served first and then dishes.
Generally speaking, the name of the dish is announced while serving, and the name of the dish is announced after taking a step back from the table; Answer the questions raised by the guests. Between different kinds of dishes in the world, it is necessary to replace tableware such as bone plates and soup bowls, ingredient plates, delivery of small towels (if there are no disposable small towels) and washing cups, toothpicks and other items.
3. The way of serving. There are three main ways to serve food: one is to bring a large dish to the table, and the guests will pick it up or give it to each other (large dish); The other is that the waiter holds the dishes one by one and distributes them to the guests' food plates (large plates are divided into dishes); Another is the serving of the main guest table, which is filled with bowls or small bowls and served in front of each guest's desk (called eating alone). How to serve food at a banquet can be determined according to the specifications of the banquet, the number of people present and the requirements of the organizer. Different dishes and dishes have different requirements, depending on specific requirements.
(2) Timing and speed of serving.
1, Timing of serving: In order to ensure the quality (temperature, color, temperature, etc.) of the dishes and make the guests eat delicious and satisfied, the waiter should be able to properly grasp the timing and speed of serving. If the dishes are slow, the dishes will be too cold. If the food is served too fast, it will make the guests eat badly. To be just right, we must know the timing of serving different catering methods.
A la carte cold dishes should be served within 10 minute of the guest's order, and hot dishes should be served within 20 minutes or 15 minutes. When there are few guests, it usually takes about 30-45 minutes to complete the dishes, or you can master them flexibly according to the requirements of the guests.
For banquets, cold dishes are required to be served 5 minutes before the banquet begins. After the guests are seated, when the cold dishes are eaten to about 1/2 or 1/3, the first hot dish is served. Generally, pay attention to the guests' dining situation and control the rhythm of serving. If it is a marriage, all the hot dishes should be served quickly within 30-45 minutes. At the same time, it depends on whether there is a speech or a toast. If there is a speech, when will it be said (the general habit in our country is to sit down and talk), and how many guests and hosts will speak? Do you have a speech? How long will it take? You can get a clear understanding of this situation from the staff of the organizer before the banquet begins. If you are not sure before the banquet, please ask the staff of the organizer to ask the guest of honor and the host directly and tell them after the banquet begins. Some banquets can't determine the situation of the speech for various reasons, so the service personnel need to pay attention to observation and master it flexibly. Sometimes before the banquet, you are told not to make a formal speech during the dinner, but to make a speech temporarily in the middle of the banquet. At this time, if the dishes in the kitchen are officially made, you should immediately inform the master to suspend the production; If the dishes have been cooked, temporary measures should be taken to keep them warm.
Secondly, we should communicate with the kitchen in time, and inform the kitchen of the speech at the banquet and the speed of eating during the dinner, so as to master the cooking. Service personnel should be familiar with the cooking requirements of various dishes and the approximate time required for cooking, so as to be aware of them and serve them in time. If the guests have not eaten the food or eat it slowly, they should inform the kitchen to postpone the next dish. If the guests eat it quickly, they should inform the kitchen to serve the food quickly. For banquets with more than two tables, the serving should be done in a unified way, and it is not allowed to go its own way. For small banquets, the serving should be done according to the action of the guest. For large banquets, an indicator light can be installed in the hall, and the yellow light signal is used to replace the food plate to prepare serving, the green light signal is used to start serving, and the red light signal is used to stop serving.
2. Speed of serving: If there are no special circumstances, the serving speed is mostly determined according to the dining situation of the guests. The serving speed should not be too fast or too slow. If it is too fast, the waiter has no time to distribute it and the guests have no time to taste it. If it is too slow, the dishes on the table are not rich, or the guests are empty. Therefore, we should grasp the speed of serving food. Generally speaking, serving food at a banquet should be controlled within 10~ 15 minutes.
(3) Serving position
1, the restaurant waiter should choose the correct position when serving food for the guests. The service of serving a la carte meal is flexible, and the waiter should pay attention to choosing a spacious position to serve so as not to disturb the guests. Do not serve food beside the elderly, children and ladies.
Chinese banquet is usually served between the escort and the secondary guests, or to the right of the secondary host (which is beneficial for the secondary host to introduce the dishes to the guests), and always stays in one position. Pay attention to the overall atmosphere of the banquet and the serving position between different tables.
2, dish, soup, etc. should generally be on the right side of the guest, and a dish can only be divided for one guest; Guests first, guests first, ordinary guests first, ladies first, men first, or according to the instructions of the guests, clockwise in turn.