GUERIDON SERVICE

                             National Council of Hotel Management & Catering Technology's 

B.Sc. H&HA- V Semester Syllabus 

GUERIDON SERVICE

INTRODUCTION

Guéridon service is an enhanced form of table service styles such as American service, Silver service and Russian service etc. But the uniqueness of this service is that it is a mobile service table or trolley, from which a partly prepared dish may be dressed, prepared, carved, flambéed and finished in the presence of guests near their table in front of the guest. It is essentially the work of a wait staff, who possesses high level of culinary and service skills but introducing the Guéridon service into a restaurant would optimize revenue to the greater extent. The Guéridon service is more personalized and guest centric. Today, we find this service style in a few fine-dining restaurants where à la carte menu is offered with higher levels of service and the average spending power (ASP) is higher because of its cost factor and lean market segment. Guéridon service may also refer to service using a drinks trolley, carving trolley, cheese trolley or a sweet trolley. The drinks trolley, carving trolley, sweet trolley and cheese trolley may also be used as selling aids as they display the items on offer to the customer.

The Guéridon service can be understood better by recalling on-the-spot cooking which is arranged during buffet service. Egg, paratha, and dosa counters are often set up with burners, necessary cooking and presentation equipment, ingredient, etc., with breakfast buffet and the dishes are cooked to the customers preference in their presence. Guests at the counter feel satisfied as the dishes are cooked according to their choice. The carvery section also carries out carving of meat, poultry, and game using appropriate tools in the presence of guests. The carved portions are served to the guests with appropriate accompaniments. However, these services should not be mistaken for Guéridon service even though in these the cooking and carving activities are carried out in the restaurant in the presence of the guests.

In the Guéridon service, the trolley or the movable side table or service station carrying sufficient equipment for the service requirements, together with any spare equipment that may be necessary is set up near the guests’ table and the work is carried out exclusively for a party of guests seated at that table and the dishes are chosen by guests from the à ala carte menu. In on-the- spot cooking section or carvery, guests go to the counter to collect the food, whereas, Guéridon service usually indicates serving foods onto the customers' plates at the guéridon . Here, the choices available are very limited as the menu offered is table d'hôte. It is more costly as apart from higher level of service skills, there is the use of more expensive and elaborate equipment. and larger service areas to allow for the movement of trolleys.  

HISTORY OF GUERIDON

The origin of Guéridon service itself is hard to trace. There is no solid evidence regarding the birth of this speciality service. As the term 'Guéridon' is from French language, and most of the gastronomical advancement happened in France, this service might have originated from the same land. It is only a possibility but not conclusion. Not only the term Guéridon, but the service style is also imported and extensively used in English. Now a day we find this fascinating style of service in the rest of Europe and Western countries as well.

It is considered that carving of meat in front of the guest is the oldest act in the Guéridon service where as the Flambé dishes first became popular in the Edwardian era. The first claimed flambé dish was Crêpes Suzette which was supposedly invented by Henri Carpentier when working as a Commis at the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo (1894). 

DEFINITION

Guéridon means "movable service table" or 'movable side table' or trolley, from which food may be served. Any service that is offered from a trolley which is stationed near to the guest table can be called as Guéridon Service. 

GENERAL CONSIDERATION OF OPERATIONS

Following few points are important in relation to the decision of introducing guéridon service in an outlet:

(a)    The service is suitable to an outlet with given infrastructure, and

(b)    Its compatibility with present service design scenario.

The following points would help in arriving to a conclusion:

• Mostly the restaurant staff is responsible for guéridon service, but the pre-parations are done by the kitchen staff. So, a great deal of coordination is equired between both departments.
• In this service the preparation trolley must move around the tables, and a considerable amount of extra space is required in the restaurant.
• A clear and accurate market survey is required for potential guest as it still has a lean market segment.
• It requires special design of ventilation system.
• Keeping the trolley clean and hygienic all the time is a challenge.
• Consider safety while serving from the trolley. 

Guéridon Service in comparison to American (Pre plated) Service:

GUÉRIDON SERVICE	AMERICAN SERVICE
Final preparation and presentation done in front of the guest.	Food is prepared and presented in the kitchen.
Increases the visual appeal.	No showmanship.
It gives high quality impression as the ingredients are displayed.	Guest must depend on final product to gauge quality of the food.
All guest preferences are taken care.	Only some requests are possible to serve.
Personal attention and more chances of interaction are possible.	Minimal interaction would not give importance to the guest.
It boosts the impulse buying.	Less or no chances of impulse buying.
Food cost can be higher.	Portion control and cost control is possible.
Special planning and highly skilled manpower is required.	High-skilled labour is not mandatory to serve food from kitchen.

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

Although the guéridon service is very luxurious, famous and popular, it has its own advantages and disadvantages, that one must consider before planning to introduce the guéridon service into a restaurant.

ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
Provides visual appeal to the guest.	Requires more space and special planning.
Gives high-quality impression.	Increases labour cost as it requires highly skilled persons.
Gives the staff a chance to pay personal attention to each table.	Takes long time to prepare and serve a dish.
Can make the atmosphere more luxurious and specialty dining.	Special attention is required on safety.
A great marketing tool.	Comparatively more expensive.
Creates an affect of impulse selling.	Getting right ingredients would be difficult.
Increases profitability by increasing contribution margin of a dish.	Not possible in all decors.
Helps presenting skills and creativity of staff members.

TYPES OF TROLLEYS 

Different types of guéridon trolleys are in existence for different purposes. They can be classified by the shape, design and purpose.

• Flat Work Top Trolley It is mainly used for making simple salads and serving cheese. It is a basic trolley with two levels- the top level is for preparation and presentation purpose and the bottom level is to carry necessary crockery and bottles.

Hors d'oeuvre Varies Trolley

It displays 10-12 varieties of appetizers. The containers holding appetizers are placed over ice. The trolley is designed in such a way that it has provision for holding ice and containers. It has adequate cold half plates, necessary service gear to transfer the hors d’oeuvre selected by the guest on the cold half plate, and the appropriate accompanying sauces. The plated food is served to the guest from his\her right-hand side.

Salad Trolley

It has half plates and bowls, underplates, containers with prepared ingredients, salads dressings, and seasonings that are required to prepare the salads. Salad dressings may either be prepared on the trolley in the presence of guests or in the kitchen. Most restaurants make the dressings in the kitchen and the dressing of salads is carried out on the trolley in the restaurant.

Cheese Trolley

It has a variety of cheeses, cheese board, and cheese knife for cutting the cheese, and appropriate accompaniments for cheese. The surface of the trolley is normally made of marble and has translucent dome to cover the top. Cheese selected by the guest is portioned and plated on the Guéridon trolley, and then served to the guest from his\her right.

 Dessert Trolley

• Trolley with Hot Plate This trolley has provision of hot plate which is used to keep the finished or to be finished food hot. Sometimes vegetables and potatoes are kept on the hot plate until service. This trolley cannot be used for flambéing.
• Beverage Serving Trolley As the name denotes this trolley is extensively used for preparing drinks and cocktails. This is also called liquor trolley. This trolley has provision to hold bottles and glassware.

Liquor Trolley

It has a assorted glasses, measure, ice bucket, spirit and liqueur bottles, carafes, etc. It may also have cigars, cigar, cutter, and a lighter.

Food Preparation, Carving & Flambé Trolley

These have a gas burner or a flare lamp which is fixed on the level of the top surface. The carving trolley has a carving board which is placed over chafing dish during carving to retain the heat of the meat. A trolley may have single or double burner. Double burner trolley is necessary when the partly finished food is to be held hot during the preparation. One burner is used for keeping the food hot while the other is used for cooking.

• Carving & Presentation Trolley This is used for jointing or carving of meats. This trolleys is equipped with a wooden carving board on work top along with a set of carving knives. This can have hot case to hold the meat and vegetables. Meat is carved in front of the guest and presented.

• Flambé Trolley This trolley is mainly used to make sauces and flambé dishes. This is equipped with flare lamp or gas burner and a bottle rack.

Parts of a common Guéridon Trolley

Gas Hob or Hot Plate	Cold Cabinet
Hot Chambers	Plate Stacker with Clean Plates
Cutlery Racks with Clean Silver	Waste Bin

Set up of a Guéridon Trolley

Efficiency of the Guéridon service depends on set-up of Guéridon Trolley. A well set and presented trolley not only looks attractive to guest but also reduces the load on staff. The trolley set-ups would change according to the purpose of the trolley. For example, a 'Salad trolley' set-up would not include a gas burner, but a 'flambé trolley' must have it. In the same way, the mise-en-place of a pasta trolley is different from a dessert trolley.

FACTOR TO CREATE IMPULSE, BUYING- TROLLEY, OPEN KITCHEN

An impulse purchase or impulse buy is an unplanned decision to buy a product or service, made just before a purchase. One who tends to make such purchases is known as impulse buyer. 

Research findings suggest that emotions and feelings play a decisive role in purchasing, triggered by seeing the product or upon exposure to a well-crafted promotional message.

The following factors create impulse buying:

• Showmanship About 40% of the Guéridon service is based on showmanship. So, this can increase sales by helping impulse buying.
• Well Presentation of Dish Guéridon service helps in better presentation and display of the product. A well presented dish can be popular selling dish.
• Personal Attention Everyone craves for recognition. The Guéridon service gives importance to each and every table which in turn can get more orders from other tables.
• Attractive Display In a specialty restaurant, a well-arranged trolley could improve sales by 20%.
• Quality Impression A dish made in front of the guest can impress more than the one made in the kitchen. It gives a feel of high-quality product. 

By considering the above factors and careful practice, one should be able to tempt clientele to order something special for which they have not planned earlier. The Guéridon style service can catch the attention of guest and make them buy something extra. This successful impulse selling would earn high profits to establishments.

Guéridon Arts

Carving or Jointing of meats is an art. To perform this act in front of the guest, one must have extra skills and practice. When carving meat on the trolley, try to avoid touching with hands. Hold the meat with a service fork in the left hand which gives greater grip while carving. Use an appropriate sharp knife to cut through joints. The service staff must know and practice how to carve different types of fish, bird and meat.

Flambéing is finishing a dish with flaring, by the addition of spirit or wine. Flambéing enhances the taste, flavour and appearance of a dish. Care must be taken while flambéing as it can cause serious fire accidents. The alcohol bottles must not be placed near the naked flame. Controlling of flame in the pan is very important. Flambéing for long time may burn the dish and give unpleasant flavour. Short flambéing leaves more alcohol which ruins the actual pallet.

GUERIDON EQUIPMENT

Flare Lamp/ Methyl Spirit Lamp

This piece of equipment is operated with methylated spirit and has reservoir for fuel, a wick with an adjustment knob, a chimney, and a grid. It is 8-10 inch high with a grid of diameter 6-8 inches.

The reservoir should be filled with methylated spirit to the correct level and the wick should be trimmed regularly to prevent fumes emerging and spoiling aroma of the food. Equipment made of silver or cooper look attractive on the trolley but they are expensive. The flare lamp is used for food preparation, carving and flambéing.

These lamps lost their popularity because of high maintenance and low safety factors.

Fuel Gel Lamps/ Burners 

These are second generation lamps used on Guéridon trolleys. They have the advantage of occupying less space and low maintenance, but safety is still the concern.

Gas Stove

Many establishments prefer gas stove over flare lamp as it has advantage over flare lamp. Trimming of wicks and filling up the reservoir with fuel are not necessary for a trolley having gas stove. The gas burner is lowered to the level of the trolley top and the gas cylinder or bottle is placed under the gas burner in a chamber and connected to the stove. The gas control knob is near the burner at a convenient position for the waiter to control the flame. The burner head should be cleaned periodically with pin to ensure free flow of gas and should be free from soot. This is incorporated in carving, preparation, and Flambé trolley.

Chafing Dish 

It is a container holding hot water on which food container is kept to remain the temperature of the food. It is also used to cook custards for certain sweet preparation. A chafing dish with safety valve or steam outlet is used in carving trolley. The carving board is placed over the hot water container and the meat is carved on it. This process retains the temperature of the food being carved.

 Suzette Pan

It is a sauté pan with thick bottom and a lip. It is normally made of cooper lined with corrosion resistant, non-reactive metal, such as tin, nickel, and stainless steel. It is used for flambéing and cooking. It is advisable to use separate pans for flambéing and cooking.

Carving Board 

Carving of meat and poultry should be carried out on a carving board and for each category of meat and poultry, a separate carving board should be used. After the use, it should be thoroughly washed.

Hot Plate

Various types of hot plates are available for use (e.g., electrical , gas and induction). The main purpose is to keep food and crockery warm until service.

Hot Case

These are mainly electrical which are unplugged while trolley is in movement. These cases are used to hold and maintain the large meats (to be carved meats) and vegetables at proper temperature.  

Maintenance of Trolley Equipment

All piece of equipment and tools that are required for Guéridon service should be maintained regularly for efficient performance.

• ·        Clean all parts of the lamps regularly.
• ·         After cleaning, reconstruct the parts and check the lamp for working condition.
• ·         Never replace gas bottles near a naked flame.
• ·         Check the gas bottles for leaks.
• ·         Check the length of the wick and make sure it is trimmed regularly.
• ·         Do not check the spirit level in the tank of the lamp near a naked lamp.
• ·         Avoid overfilling the lamp.
• ·         Wipe up immediately any spirit which may have been spilled while filling the reservoirs.
• ·         It should be handled only by trained staff.
• ·         Clean pans, chafing dishes, and other equipment used on the trolley well daily so as to make them presentable.
• ·         Clean cutting, carving, and cheese boards well after the service.

GUERIDON INGREDIENTS

Sauces & garnishes	Flambé pans
Carving knife	Cutlery (cooking and serving)
Service crockery	Towel for hand cleaning
Bowls (for garnishes and ingredients)	Brandy or spirit
Flatware (cutlery)	Carving boards
Linen	Fuel
Lighter

Items That Can Be Offered From Guéridon Trolley

There are no set rules to describe about the dishes which can be served from Guéridon Trolley. All those items that one has option of choosing from a wide variety can be offered from trolley (e.g., cheese, fruits and wines). The dishes preparation that creates visual appeal and 'wow' affect can also be served from trolley (e.g., flambéed desserts, carved meats and cigar presentations).

• Hors d'oeuvres and appetizers
• Meat and poultry
• Fish and seafood
• Desserts and sweets
• Condiments and accompaniments
• Sauces
• Garnishes
• Cheeses and dairy products
• Fruits
• Salads
• Wines
• Spirits
• Coffees
• Petite fours
• Cigars

Steps Involved In Guéridon Service

    The Guéridon service is a little complex in design and there are no set thumb rules to follow. However, following are suggested three important and standard steps that should help in smoother operations and better satisfaction of guests:

Step 1

Prepare and maintain Guéridon trolleys and equipment

• Stock trolleys and display them correctly with clean utensils and linen.
• See that hygiene, sanitation and safety rules are followed.
• Select food, alcohol and other ingredients in accordance with dishes offered and set them on to mise-en-place trays.
• Check ingredients for quality and condition prior to display on the trolley.
• Present and display foods effectively to attract customers.
• Position trolleys appropriately for customers to view.
• Check all pre-preparations are ready in the pantry before the start of service.

Step 2

Recommend and sell menu items to customers

• Educate customers on the menu and explain about the elegant preparation and presentation to them. Use appropriate language and terminology to assist them in the selections of dishes.
• Name, explain and show ingredients of dishes and preparation methods correctly to customers.
• Tell them about the sauces and accompaniments of the dish before asking for their preference.
• Use selling skills to promote high-priced dishes.

Step 3

Prepare, present and serve dishes

• Prepare Guéridon dishes correctly according to standard recipes in harmony with hygiene and safety procedures.
• Carve and serve meats, fish and poultry as required according to customer preferences.
• Consider guest requests while carving and presenting.
• Serve appropriate accompaniments and finishing ingredients.
• Encourage customers to involve in the preparation process.
• Take feedback from the guest for any improvements for next time.

Note -- While performing flambé, use only shallow pans. When preparing the meat, to catch flame on to the pan, add spirit before pouring sauce. When preparing sweets, add castor sugar to caramelize and this helps in flambéing.

Service Points of the Style

The Guéridon Service is a combination of product preparation, presentation and restaurant service. Because of this reason, it requires highly efficient and skilled personnel with showmanship. The following are tips on the Guéridon style service.

• Always push the trolley, but never pull. This helps in better control and stability.
• Avoid moving a fully loaded trolley. Always move the trolley to the table and get the mise-en-place tray to load it.
• The Guéridon should not be moved while preparation.
• When more than two covers are served from Guéridon, only the main dish is presented from the trolley and vegetables and potatoes are served from the side station as it helps in speedy service. The same is followed for sauces and condiments service.
• Unlike other service styles, while serving Guéridon, one should hold the service spoon and fork in either hands. This is more convenient to handle and present food. The left hand has fork to hold the meat while carving and presenting, and the right hand has knife while carving and a spoon while presenting.
• The trolley must be stalked with appropriate service crockery. Cutlery must be arranged in cutley rack in a sequence that is easy to handle. It is suggested to have service fork and spoon at the right most cutlery slot, and then respectively joint knives, dessert fork and spoon, tea/coffee spoons and tongs towards left.
• Any dish served from the Guéridon trolley must be placed with appropriate cutlery. Cover is not laid in advance for the course.

Compiled & Created by: Rukmini Ganguly

                      Lecturer- IHM Gurdaspur

                       rukmini_puja@yahoo.co.in

SOURCE:  

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE by D. Lilicrap & J. Cousins

F&B SERVICE SIMPLIFIED by Mr. Vara Prasad & Mr. Gopi Krishna

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE by Mr. R. Singaravelavan