Table Maintenance

TABLE MAINTENANCE

The goal of table maintenance is always to keep the table neat, clean, and running smoothly, and to do so as unobtrusively as possible.  The four basic categories of maintenance that a server must consider, aside from the actual serving of food and drinks are:

• FLATWARE
• GLASSWARE
• CLEARING
• DECRUMBING

Flatware should be checked for spots prior to service and returned to the dish area if soiled and replaced with properly polished silver.  If a diner orders something that requires flatware that is not set as a part of our normal cover, then the utensils should be placed just prior to each course.  Dessert flatware should be set in after decrumbing and just before dessert service.
Clean flatware should be transported to the table on one of the silver trays designated for that task, or on the small, individual silver server trays. 

In particular to glassware, it is important to remember the three R's of glassware

• Refill- If a glass or cup is empty, offer to refill it
• Replace- If a glass is empty, offer (sell) the member another
• Remove- If the member does not want a refill or replacement, remove the glass or cup

When clearing the table after each course, never scrape plates onto one plate on the dining room floor, or in the view of any diners.  Ask for help from managers, bus staff, or fellow servers so that the table can be cleared in as short a time as possible with as few return trips as possible. 

To decrumb a square four top, imagine a large cross on the table running from guest to guest.  Begin decrumbing on the left side of one guest, then decrumb on the right side of the next.  Move clockwise around the table, repeating this procedure until complete.  If a table becomes soiled during dinner, a half cloth or dinner napkin can be temporarily used to cover the problem when the tablecloth cannot be changed.