GUERIDON SERVICE - Style, Skill & Showcase

 A style to attract and skill to showcase in Fine dining 

• Guéridon service is a specialized form of table service normally found in establishments that serve an à la carte menu and offer a higher style of service to its guests.  It is more costly as it requires the waiter to have a higher level of skill and uses more expensive equipment.  It also requires larger service areas so that the trolley can be moved around easily.
• A guéridon is normally a movable table, or trolley, from which food may be served.

Points should be remembered while preparing different categories of dishes or selecting and handling the food for Gueridon service:

• Prepare food hygienically according to the food hygiene regulations of the establishment.
• Ensure that food is fresh and visually attractive.
• Check that the ingredients do not discolor or break down easily during the preparation.
• See to it that the preparation of the dish is simple and requires a minimum of handling and cooking time.
• Ensure that the dish does not produce any unpleasant smell when it is being cooked.
• Clean the ingredients thoroughly, check if they are fresh, and then make them bite-sized.
• Display the ingredients in appropriate glass containers.
• Handle all the ingredients with spoons and forks.
• Keep the items chilled until they are required.
• Prepare the salad dressing either in the kitchen or on the trolley. In most cases, it is done in the kitchen.
• Dress the salad at the Gueridon at the time of service.
• Arrange and garnish the dressed salad on a bed of lettuce leaves.
• Select good quality meat.
• Remove all fat and sinews in the kitchen.
• Trim and shape the meat appropriately for faster cooking.
• Prepare the marinade and soak the meat in the marinade for a few minutes in the presence of the guest.
• Cook the meat on a high flame quickly to seal the surface of the meat to retain the juices.
• Use fresh and ripe fruits without any damage or bruises on the skin.
• Keep the prepared fruits chilled and covered.
• Do not cook fruit beyond the point at which it breaks down

Mise-En-Place for Gueridon service includes the following:

• The equipment on the trolley.
• Ingredients for the preparation.
• Plates or bowls in which the dish is portioned for the guests.

What is the purpose of gueridon service?

The main purpose of gueridon service is to entertain and satisfy the guest.

 we have gathered some points that let us discuss.

• Gives highly personalized service, and a high level of customer satisfaction to the guest.
• Impress the guest by demonstrating cooking, flambeing, and carving skills.
• Turns food and service into entertainment.
• Ensures exact serving temperature and stage for any dishes sensitive to this.
• Makes the guest curious and order the dishes.
• Stimulate demands in other guests for that level of attention.

What is the procedure of gueridon service?

The service procedure of all carved dishes such as meat, poultry, and game are the same, though their carving procedures may vary,

1. Place all the mise-en-place on the trolley for the dish to be carved.
2. Collect the dish with accompanying vegetables, potatoes, gravies, and garnish.
3. Place the accompanying vegetables, potatoes, and garnishes in a chafing dish or food warmer.
4. The joint plate is kept in the plate warmer, while the cutlery is set up at the table.
5. Carry the plate by holding the rim or edge of the plate.
6. Carve the dish according to the procedures of the establishment.
7. Maintain the temperature of the dish. In case it becomes cold, heat it.
8. Arrange the portion of the carved dish on joint plates and accompanying vegetables which are collected from the plate warmer at the appropriate time by the assistant waiter.
9. Potatoes should be placed at 12 o’clock, vegetables at 10 o’clock, and the meat at 6 o’clock position on the plate.
10. Place the accompanying gravy at the 3 o’clock position.
11. Place the plate from the right-hand side of the guest in such a way that the meat is closer to the guest.

Types of trolleys used in Gueridon service

There are many types of trolleys used in the restaurant practicing gueridon service. The design, equipment required, and layout of the trolley depends on its function. The design of a flambe trolley is different from a liqueur trolley.

 

Here we listed 5 different types of trolleys used in Gueridon service

1. Hors d’ oeuvre varies trolley

It displays 10 to 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 horse d’ oeuvre selected by the guest on the cold half plate, and the appropriate accompanying sauce.

2. Salad trolley

• It has half plates and bowls, underplates, containers with prepared ingredients, salad 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 

3. Food preparation, carving, and flambe trolley`

These have a gas burner of flare lamp which is fixed on the trolley to the level of the top surface. The carving trolley has a carving board that is placed over the chafing dish during carving to retain the heat of the meat. A trolley may have a single or double burner. A 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.

4. Cheese trolley

It has a variety of cheese, cheese board, and cheese knives for cutting the cheese, and appropriate accompaniments for cheese, the surface of the trolley is normally in marble and has a translucent dome to cover the top. Cheese selected by the guest is portioned and plated on the gueridon trolley. and then served to the guest.

5. Liqueur trolley

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

Advantages and disadvantages of gueridon service

Gueridon service has its own advantages and disadvantages, we will discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of Gueridon service.

 

 👉Advantages of Gueridon service

1. Highly personalized service The wait staff prepares or carves the dish and serves the guest personally
2. High level of customer satisfaction. The dishes are prepared, carved, or flambeed in the guest’s presence
3. Good merchandising device. Guests will be tempted to order dishes that are served from the trolley.
4. Wait staff can exhibit their culinary, carving, and service skills, the wait staff has an opportunity to impress the guests by demonstrating their cooking, flaming, carving, and skills to them.
5. High average spending power. The revenue generated will be more as the dishes served from the trolley are always expensive.

👉Disadvantages of Gueridon service/ Limitations :-

1. Slow service. The time taken to the extent the service from the trolley is more.
2. Low seat turnover. The number of times a seat is sold during operation hours will be low as the service takes more time.
3. Expensive style of service
4. The chances of an accident are more
5. More investment in-service equipment
6. Cooking in the service area may leave an odor

Dishes prepared in gueridon service

The following are the dishes you can prepare using Gueridon service

• Salad: Salad is served as an appetizer or horse d’ oeuvre, or as an accompaniment with the main course.
• Prawn cocktail: It is a shellfish appetizer or horse d’ oeuvre.
• Escalope De Veau a La Creme: It is an entree served as the main course.
• Escalope De Veau a La Creme et Champignons: It is an entree served as the main course.
• Escalope De Veau au madere: It is an entree served as the main course.
• Escalope De Veau pene: It is an entree served as the main course.
• Steak Tartare: It is an entree served as the main course. This preparation is served raw.
• Entrecote Aux Champignons (Sirloin steak with mushrooms): It is an entree served as the main course.

The equipment used in gueridon service

The Gueridon trolley carries sufficient equipment for service. It is filled with a gas burner on the top and a small gas cylinder at the bottom, as well as some other necessary equipment. The following are the necessary equipment used in Gueridon service

1. Flare lamp

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

2. Gas stove

The gas burner is lowered to the level of the trolley 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.

3. Chafing dish

It is a container holding hot water on which a food container is kept to retain the temperature of the food. It is also used to cook custard for certain sweet preparations. A chafing dish with a safety valve or steam outlet is used in carving trolley

4. Suzette pan

It is a sauteed pan with a thick bottom and a lip. It is normally made of copper lined with corrosion-resistant, non-reactive metal, such as tin, nickel, and stainless steel. It is used for flambeing and cooking.

5. 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.