Summary
Highlights
Setting a table correctly is a primary responsibility of a waiter, as a messy table negatively impacts customer perception and service. Proper table setting leads to happy customers and good tips.
The service plate is the largest plate and is placed in the center of the cover. It acts as an underplate for initial courses. A butter plate is positioned at the upper left (11 o'clock) of the service plate, with the butter knife diagonally across it, handle to the right and blade down.
Forks are placed on the left and knives and spoons on the right of the service plate. Utensils are used from the outside in. Dinner fork and knife go closest to the plate, with knives' cutting blades facing inward. Special utensils like fish forks/knives, salad forks/knives, teaspoons, soup spoons, and oyster forks are added based on the menu, noting the oyster fork is the only fork on the right.
The water goblet is placed above the dinner knife. To its right, a champagne flute, followed by red/white wine glasses and a sherry glass. Glassware can be arranged in a straight or diagonal line if space permits.
A salad plate or fish plate is placed to the left of the forks. A separate salad plate is preferred for neatness. The napkin can be folded and placed to the left of the forks, on the dinner plate, or underneath the forks.
The salt shaker is placed to the right of the pepper shaker, closer to the right hand, and slightly angled above it. Salt shakers have smaller, more numerous holes due to finer salt.
All utensil lower edges should align with the plate's bottom rim, one inch from the table edge. Items should be geometrically spaced, one inch apart. Limit three utensils on either side of the dinner plate, except for an oyster fork. Up to five glasses are allowed for formal settings. Rearrange utensils if the food serving sequence changes.