There are three primary service styles that influence restaurants, parties, and any catered affair all over the world. American, French, and Russian/English styles of service vary in many different ways and revel in their mark in the history of the restaurant world, and offering guests an array of dining experiences. Many are not aware of how each style differentiates from the other, how they’ve influenced the service industry, and how the evolution of each technique gives way to the history of restaurants, and service styles of great Russian and European royal families, their interesting familial connections, their conflicts, trades, and most importantly, their parties.The word restaurant originally stems from the French word ‘restaurer’ or ‘to restore’ that first appeared during the sixteenth century. Helen Greenwood notes that around 1765 the word is first applied to an eating establishment, a Parisian soup seller named Boulanger. While the Chinese started out early with teahouses, Europe traditionally had inns that fed travelers but didn’t usually cater to the locals. When Europe finally caught on in the Middle Ages food was served family style where food is placed in a large platter in the middle of the table of guests and they serve themselves. It was often joked about that the diner with the longest arms got the best choice of food, but it was more luck of the draw as to what dish was placed closest to you. This was the style of service when America first entered the restaurant business in 1794 when the first one appeared in Boston.
As to the association of French service with France or English/Russian with Britain or Russia they are not so closely tied. Royal families were all related and dined together, fought together, and traded goods and ideas with each other. Plus, they were the only ones that could afford such extensive service and ambiance. The czar of Russia and the head of the British house could both cut meat French style and call it their own—especially if they are at war with France. In fact French style of service was actually brought to France by a Russian! Prince Alexander Kurakin of Russia brought Russian service to France in the 1850’s, revolutionized what was formerly a cluttered, unorganized, and unsanitary event by introducing specific plates, refined flatware, and warmer food via tableside preparation. France didn’t become famous for its restaurants until after the French Revolution, the aristocracy had broken up the catering guilds and placed some of them in the Bastille, they were freed during the French Revolution and came together to revolutionize the dining industry throughout the world.
Russian service actually originally began in Constantinople and was brought to St. Petersburg around 1810 by an ambassador to the czar. It gained such popularity with the czar that he began to use it at every food gathering. Meats would be cooked and prepared in kitchen and then put back together, bone and all, so that the server could present and carve it tableside. The integration of the English service style stems from the butler service where canapés and hors de oeuvres are placed on a platter in the hand of servers and offered to guests as they pass by. The two came together to form the Russian/English service were food is brought on platters or tureens, typically pre-portioned, and served to the seated guests; butler service is still the primary style of service at parties and gatherings.
American service style is what many of us are most familiar with, as it is the primary service technique in the majority of restaurants in America. It can range from the fine dining experience to the most casual dining experience, emulating to many degrees a culture of jeans and instant gratification. Service is fast, less importance is placed on server training, and many say that it lacks the pomp and circumstance of French and Russian/English dining. On the other hand, restaurants are saving money via the lack of extra tableside equipment or elegant service settings, the lack the costs of extensively training servers, and the chef can better manipulate cost and the presentation of food than in the other styles.
American has two fundamental service styles, a la carte and Banquet. In a la carte food is prepared, plated, sauced, and garnished in the kitchen, none of the food is prepared tableside. Servers usually maintain three to five tables, set up to serve a lot of customers and turn tables quickly. In upscale restaurants servers are set in a brigade were one server is responsible for only one table. There is much more emphasis on the guest, and the service is more streamlined, there is less equipment, and there is less training for the servers. Banquet service is another form of American Service where a meal is predetermined for a set number of guests, menus are usually set ahead of time, and servers work as a team under a captain or a maitre d so that all guests can be served at the same time. Servers are assigned stations consisting of around twenty to thirty guests.
Russian/English service is when the server spoons or plates portions directly onto a dish in front of the guest, this style of service is sometimes called silver service in America. All of the food for this service is prepared, portioned and garnished before being presented on platters, tureens, and service plates. There are some initial equipment costs, guests lose some of the glamour when their food has already cooled from a platter, or they are the last to be served. Unlike French service this can involve a single server or a team of servers and the food is served much quicker. Servers must be well trained to serve and present, but are not otherwise trained extensively. Servers use service sets to transfer food from the platter to the guest plate, and the three primary service styles, that can all take place during a meal are tureen service, platter service, and casserole service. Each contain the guests food pre-portioned or not, and the server serves the guest their desired amount. More space must be available between the guest’s seats in order for the server to have room to serve the guests. Unlike American service Russian/English only partially completes the meal in the kitchen, the rest is presented proportionately to the guests tableside.
French service is synonymous with elegant settings, expense with abandonment, and the service and food preparation must go along with that style. French service is typified by tableside preparation and food plating right in front of the guests, and is for the diner with a heavy pocketbook. Food is prepared and served by a group of highly trained servers called a brigade that work together to ensure the diners sense of elegance and sophistication. All plates are presented to the guests at the same time by the brigade, and is sometimes served sous cloche, literally translated to ‘under bell’ or a domed plate. French service sets demands both a refinement and an extensive array of plates, dishes, and silverware each for a specific purpose. It is obvious that French service demands an extensive and highly trained workforce; there is a dining room manager or chef de service (translated ‘service boss’) who keeps things connected with all departments, a sommelier or wine steward, the captain of the brigade or chef de rang (translated ‘row boss’), the waiter or commis de rang (translated ‘front waiter’) who serve under the captain, the back waiter or commis de suite serving as a channel between the kitchen and the brigade, and the busser or commis debarrasseur, an entry-level cleaner of the restaurant and clearer of the tables.
French service also requires more table equipment, a service set, gueridon, rechaud, blazer pan, chauffe plats, flaming swords, and a wagon or slicing cart. All play in integral part in the elegant tableside service in which servers assemble salads or tuna tar tar, finish off an already plated meal with a sauce or garnish, or the server will carve or debone fish, poultry, game, and meats, or peel or slice fruits and cheese. Whole venison, duck, halibut, salmon is prepared tableside and sometimes the guest admires it before cooking to ensure freshness.
The level of quality and pure elegance in French style service is unparalleled with any other. The amount of time, precision, and training required of the work staff helps ensure the same quality food and presentation as dining experience. French style and Russian/English style regulate portion control for the guest, and Russian/English style ensures quickness. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and many restaurants integrate the styles into their own unique service. The development of restaurants throughout history and the evolution of each service style embody the culture and progress of the dining experience.
A Little Hisory
The sign above the soup sellers door advertised restoratives, or restaurants, referring to his soups and broths. By 1804 Paris had more than 500 restaurants, and France soon became internationally famous for its cuisine. Other European restaurants include the Italian trattorie, taverns featuring local specialties; the German Weinstuben, informal restaurants with a large wine selection; the Spanish tapas bars, which serve a wide variety of appetizers; and the public houses of England. Asian restaurants include the Japanese sushi bars and teahouses serving formal Kaiseki cuisine as well as the noodle shops of China. Most U.S. restaurant innovations have revolved around speed. The cafeteria originated in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush; cafeterias feature self-service and offer a variety of foods displayed on counters. The U.S. also pioneered fast-food restaurants such as White Castle (founded 1921) and McDonald's (Ray Kroc), usually operated as chains and offering limited menus and fast service.
No comments:
Post a Comment