With great dining experience comes great table setting responsibilities. If you want to give your diners, guests, or club members a luxury and comfortable dining experience, then having the right table settings for the correct courses is vital.
A formal table setting is key for high-end restaurants, clubs, and hotel dining rooms – especially when it comes to hosting weddings, formal parties, and other events.
But what if you’ve got niche items on the menu? Inventive appetizers, tea and coffee service, and adventurous desserts require specific pieces in your table setting and require a little forethought to serve smoothly.
From bread plate to dessert spoon, we’ll show you exactly why formal table settings matter, and how to set your table for unique menu items.
Why does formal table setting in a restaurant matter?
Your table settings should align with the dishes you serve in your restaurant – especially if you offer a wide variety of courses. For instance, you may only need the basics – salad fork, dinner fork, butter knife – if you’re serving casual meals. But with a bread plate, butter knife, salad fork, soup spoon, dinner fork, and dessert spoon in place, your diners will know they’re in for a full evening of fine dining.
Either way, the table setting shows your guests what to expect, what kind of food is coming, and that you’ve laid out all the dinnerware they’ll need to enjoy the experience. In high-end clubs, restaurants, hotel dining rooms, or event spaces, diners expect a high calibre of service – and formal table setting anticipates and meets those expectations.
Niche menu items could complicate your table setting
Niche items are exciting. They offer your guests something new or out of the ordinary to enjoy. But whether it’s a tea and coffee service, a specialty steak, an inventive appetizer, or an adventurous dessert, your niche items could slow down service and make for a jarring dining experience.
You’ll need more utensils (often specialized ones) on the table, and serving staff will need to bring more plates to and from the table before and after each specialty item they serve.
For example, if you offer a full buffet, your guests may use multiple sets of cutlery, dinner plates, and utensils like steak knives, fish forks, and more, depending on what you have on offer!
Table setting tips to help speed up service
There are a few basic rules to follow when it comes to western table setting, including:
- Only set out what might be used. There’s no need to clutter your guests’ table with an oyster fork if they’re not having oysters.
- Always set forks to the left of the plate (apart from the oyster fork, which is set on the right).
- Set knives and spoons to the right of the plate, and always face the blade of any knife toward the plate.
- Lay out all utensils in the order they’ll be used from the outside in.
- Align the bottom of the cutlery with the bottom of the plate.
- Set glasses (including a red wine glass or white wine glass) to the top-right of the plate.
By following these guidelines, you can lay out a formal setting that aligns with your menu while making sure there’s enough space for smooth and speedy service.
What type of table setting should you use for your restaurant?
Different dining establishments use different table settings to set the stage for the meals they serve and meet their guests’ expectations.
Here’s a quick guide to basic, casual, and formal table settings to help you choose the one that’s right for your dining room.
Basic table setting
The most essential parts of a basic table setting are the serving plate, fork and knife, napkin, and a glass of water. The layout includes:
- Plate in the middle
- Napkin with fork on the left of the plate
- Knife or spoon (if needed) to the right of the plate
- Water glass to the top-right of the plate
This is your everyday table setting, perfect for casual restaurants, where service staff will usually bring the necessary utensils to the table rather than laying them out in advance.
Casual table setting
The casual table setting is seen in most restaurants. Each piece is flexible enough to be used for a wide variety of dishes, so serving staff won’t have to worry about swapping them out mid-meal.
This layout usually consists of the following tableware:
- Serving plate
- Salad fork
- Soup spoon
- Dinner fork
- Dinner knife
- Dessert fork, dessert spoon, or both
- Water glass and wine glass
- Bread plate and butter knife
- Napkin
When setting the table with this table setting, place:
- The napkin on top of the serving plate
- Salad and dinner forks to the left of the plate
- A soup spoon and dinner knife to the right of the plate
- The bread plate and butter knife to the top-left
- A water glass and wine glass to the top-right
- The dessert fork or spoon horizontally above the serving plate
Whether you’re serving one or several courses, this mix of formal and informal table setting is ideal for diners looking for easy access to all the flatware they need, with a touch of sophistication.
Formal table setting
If you run a high-end restaurant or any dining establishment with a Michelin star, then your guests expect a strictly formal table setting.
Items you’d typically find in a formal table setting include:
- Charger and serving plate
- Cloth napkin
- Salad, dinner, fish, and dessert forks
- Salad, dinner, and fish knives
- Soup and dessert spoons
- Water glass, sherry glass, wine glass, champagne glass
A formal setting can use up to 15 pieces, but remember, anything not being used should be removed to create more space in your tablescape. For example, if nobody is having wine with their meal, then the glasses can be removed.
The layout for a formal table setting is as follows:
- Charger with the serving plate on top
- Cloth napkin on top of the plate or on the far left
- On the left of the plate: a salad, dinner, and sometimes fish fork
- On the right of the plate: an oyster fork, soup and dinner spoons, salad and dinner knives, plus a fish knife if needed
- At the top-left: the bread plate with the butter knife
- Top-right: your water, sherry, wine, and champagne glasses
- Dessert fork and dessert spoon, directly above the plate
A formal setting creates an impressive and elegant look to your tablescape and enhances the overall dining experience.
Create the proper table settings with stylish silverware and dinner plates
Corby Hall offers silverware and dinnerware collections that not only look boutique but are crafted with durability in mind. Whether your menu is casual, formal, or a little bit niche, our large selection of utensils, servingware, stemware, and dishes are the ideal addition to your tablescape.
Take a closer look at what we have to offer for your restaurant, hotel, or events.