Gueridon service facts for kids
In the restaurant industry, gueridon service or tableside service is the cooking or finishing of foods by a waiter (or maître d'hôtel) at the diner's table, typically from a special serving cart called a guéridon trolley. This type of service is implemented in fine dining restaurants where the average spending power is higher, and a la carte menu is offered. Gueridon service offer a higher style of service to the guest.
It is similar to service à la russe, where every dish is portioned by a waiter tableside, but usually involves additional cooking steps.
Table side procedures include:
- Flambéing of dishes such as crêpes Suzette, bananas Foster, cherries Jubilee, or Chicago-style saganaki;
- Mixing or tossing salads such as Caesar salad;
- Quick pan-frying and preparation of a pan sauce, as with steak Diane;
- Boning and plating fish;
- Preparing guacamole in a molcajete;
- Carving meat or poultry - specifically, carving a whole Peking Duck into bite-size skin- and meat pieces before serving each guest at the table. Conclusively, the juices may be extracted in a designated press and served on the side.
- Final preparation of a pasta dish, as with fettuccine Alfredo;
- Preparing a compound butter, such as beurre maître d'hôtel.
Gueridon trolley
A gueridon trolley typically has a gas burner with a chafing dish for cooking or heating food and a cupboard for the necessary ingredients, which may include condiments, liquor, cream, butter, oil, and other ingredients; and service equipment such as knives, spoons, platters, and so on.
