It has surprised me the number of times I’ve come across people working in the food service industry that don’t know how to properly set a table. However I guess that it shouldn’t be that surprising with more of us eating in front of the TV or in cafés and restaurants that roll their cutlery in a paper serviette – not that there is anything wrong with that. But when you’re faced with a more formal or special occasion, you may like to brush up on your table setting skills as it is a simple and low cost way to add style to your event.
To look at a fully set table it can be rather daunting. You are most definitely not alone if you find yourself thinking “Really, how many glasses and forks do I need?” The important things to remember are that a well set table shouldn’t have any unnecessary items, and that all you have to do is work your way from the outside in.
If it is your job to set the table a few things you need to remember are that the forks all go on the left of the dinner plate and the knives and spoons go on the right, with the glasses above them. The bottom edge of the cutlery and the lower rim of the plate should all line up so that they are approximately 3 cm in from the edge of the table. This way guests should be able to sit down without knocking them.
For the more formal of occasions, usually when the menu is pre-plated, a bread plate and knife is added above the forks, and the dessert spoon and cake fork are placed above the dinner plate so that they can be moved into place either side of the plate space once the other courses are completed. Napkins can be either placed to the left or on the plate. The only other item to mention is the service plate, sometimes called a Charger. No food is served directly on this plate, instead it serves as an under plate for the plate holding the first course. The service plate will then be cleared either with those from the first course or will be exchanged for the plate holding the second course.
Lastly, while there are the traditionally accepted ways of setting a table it is also quite common to tweak these to suit the specific needs of your occasion.
If you want to learn more about table settings then I recommend the following articles:
- Emily Posts – Table Setting Guide
- Table Setting by Etiquette Scholar
- How to Properly set the Table by The Classy Woman