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The Total Experience: Creating Distinctive Food and Wine Capabilities 309
event. For many of us, serving a multi-course tasting menu in a restaurant or executing a dinner party in
our home can be a daunting task. Good planning and organization on the front end will make the evening
go smoother and eliminate some of the pre-event nervousness. Basically, a properly set table is designed
to make service go smoothly for both the guest(s) and the host. There are many great books available on
the topic of table setting and table service as well as many good Web sites. Below, are a few basics to
remember that will serve you well whether you are working in a restaurant, you’re a host or a guest:
● Dinnerware and flatware should be set about a thumb’s width from the edge of the table.
● The standard rule is that you eat to your left and drink to your right. By remembering this
guideline, you can easily figure out which bread plate, coffee cup, or water glass goes to which
guest. Of course, if a guest drinks from the wrong glass or uses the wrong fork, it should not
cause any embarrassment and should be swiftly replaced without any further attention.
● Both flatware and glassware should be placed in the order that guests will be consuming the
courses. For instance, the fork for the first course will be in the outside left position and the
wine glass for the first course will be in the outside right position. If you are serving a soup or
other course that uses a spoon, the spoon will be placed on the right of the dinner knife.
● A water glass should be placed just above the dinner knife. Wine glasses are placed to the right
of the water glass. If serving 2 wines, the glasses can be placed in a triangle with the 2 wine
glasses to the right of the water glass. The wine glass that is to the front, right hand side is for
the first wine, the one behind it for the second, and the water glass is the third glass on the left
above the dinner knife. If serving 3 wines, the glasses can be placed in a square surrounding the
water glass. The wine glass that is farthest to the right is for the first wine, the one behind it for
the second, and the wine glass behind the water glass is for the third wine (basically, starting
with the wine glass on the lower right position and moving in a counter clockwise direction. If
serving 4 or more wines (and have room on the table to place them), a straight line across the
top of the place setting or slightly at an angle going outward from the place setting (in a diagonal
formation) is your best bet. If in a straight line, the water glass is the last one to the left and
wine service begins to the right and moves to the left.
Properly preparing for service is an important part of the total experience of your guests. The following
sections provide an overview of general considerations for food and wine capabilities and the impact on
this experience.
THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE: CREATING
DISTINCTIVE FOOD AND WINE CAPABILITIES
Each food service experience can be thought of as a unique bundle of tangible and
intangible products and services provided to the consumer. This is certainly true of any food
and wine service experience. The actual food and wine are tangible, but much of the broader
experience is tied to more intangible variables such as atmosphere, service, and image. These
are intimately tied in with etiquette, customs, traditions, and fashion.
By creating food and wine matches that are either good or great, you can create value
for the customer, which is the ultimate goal of any business. Value is a complex perception
that involves many things, including food ingredients and preparation, wine price and value,
menu and wine list presentation, a well-trained staff, and professional, unpretentious service.
The food and wine pairing capabilities you have developed as you read through this text
provide you with a potential distinctive capability that could create a competitive advantage
for your business. Food service firms that are able to differentiate themselves by providing