By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Mastering these skills helps you create a smooth, professional dining experience that guests will appreciate and remember.
Performing mis-en-place is a fundamental practice in food and beverage service that ensures all necessary equipment and materials are prepared and organized before service begins. This preparation enhances efficiency, maintains service quality, and supports a smooth workflow in hospitality establishments across Kenya. From high-end hotels in Nairobi to county government cafeterias in Kisumu, mastering mis-en-place guarantees readiness to meet customer expectations promptly and professionally.
Food and beverage service equipment is everything used to lay tables, serve food and drink and present the meal: tableware, special service items, crockery, glassware, disposables, trolleys and vending machines. Having the right items, in the right quantity and in good condition, is the heart of mis-en-place, because a waiter who has to search for a clean fork in the middle of service keeps the guest waiting. Equipment also tells the guest what kind of outlet they are in: heavy silver-plated cutlery and fine glassware signal fine dining, while stainless steel and toughened glass suit a busy coffee shop. Example: a lakeside hotel may keep bone china and crystal glasses for its à la carte restaurant and hotel earthenware and tumblers for its poolside snack bar.
Tableware is the trade term for the metal items used on the table and in service. It is divided into flatware, cutlery and hollowware, and is made of stainless steel, silver-plated nickel silver (EPNS) or, in a few top restaurants, solid silver. Stainless steel is cheap and hard-wearing; silver plate looks finer but tarnishes and needs regular polishing.
| Name | Specification | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Flatware | Spoons, forks and flat serving dishes, stainless steel or silver plate | Eating, serving and presenting food |
| Cutlery | Table, fish, steak, side and dessert knives | Cutting food at the table |
| Hollowware | Teapots, coffee pots, jugs, sauce boats, tureens, sugar bowls | Holding and serving liquids and food |
In the service trade, flatware means all forms of spoon and fork, together with the flat serving equipment, such as flats, salvers and platters, on which food is presented. Examples are soup spoons, dessert spoons and forks, table forks, service spoons and forks, oval and round flats, and salvers. Flatware should be evenly weighted and smooth-edged, and is polished to a clean shine before service.
Strictly, cutlery means the cutting instruments: table (joint) knives, fish knives, steak knives, side knives and dessert knives, although in everyday speech the word is used for knives, forks and spoons together. A good knife has a firmly fixed handle and a blade free of rust spots and nicks. Once polished, cutlery is held only by the handle and is carried on a service plate or salver, never loose in the hand.
Hollowware is any deep or hollow item of metal service equipment, such as teapots, coffee pots, milk jugs, hot water jugs, sugar bowls, sauce boats, soup tureens, wine and ice buckets, butter dishes, toast racks and cruets. Lids, hinges and spouts trap residue, so hollowware is cleaned carefully inside as well as polished outside, and is dried with lids open so that it does not develop a stale smell.
Tableware is washed promptly after use, because egg, salt and acid stain and pit the metal. It is dried at once to prevent water marks, sorted by type into lined drawers or cutlery boxes, and silver is kept in baize-lined drawers away from damp. Stock is counted after each service so that losses and bent or worn items are noticed. Polishing methods are taught under Polishing equipment.
Special service equipment is the range of items used for particular dishes, drinks or service methods, beyond the basic cover. Using the correct item shows professional service and makes a dish easier and more pleasant for the guest to eat. Example: a guest who orders a cheese board is served with a cheese knife, while a guest ordering an ice-cream dessert receives it in a chilled coupe on an underplate with a teaspoon.
Teapots are hollowware or china pots with a lid and spout, used to brew and serve tea, usually with a matching hot water jug, milk jug and sugar bowl. They come in one-cup to six-cup sizes. A teapot is warmed with hot water before the tea is made, cleaned inside to remove tannin stains, dried with the lid open, and withdrawn if the spout is chipped.
The table number is a stand or card showing the number of each table. It lets staff identify tables on the order and deliver food to the right place. It is made of metal, wood or acrylic, wiped clean daily and kept in a set place on the table or in the sideboard drawer. Its placement on the laid table is covered under Table accompaniments.
The flower vase is a small glass, china or metal container for fresh or artificial flowers used as table decoration. Table vases are kept low so that guests can see each other across the table. They are washed and refilled with fresh water daily, and chipped vases are withdrawn. Strongly scented flowers, or flowers that drop pollen, are avoided near food.
The ashtray is a small heat-resistant glass, ceramic or metal dish for cigarette ash. Kenya's tobacco control law allows smoking only in designated smoking areas, so ashtrays are placed only in those areas, such as a smoking terrace. A used ashtray is changed by covering it with a clean one, lifting both away together and putting the clean one back, so that ash does not blow onto the table or the guest.
Ice-cream coupes are stemmed glass or stainless steel bowls for serving ice cream, sorbets and cold sweets. The coupe is placed on an underplate lined with a doily, with a teaspoon or sundae spoon. Coupes are chilled before use where possible and stored upside down on clean shelves.
The butter knife is a small knife with a blunt, rounded blade used to spread butter on bread or toast. At the cover, the side knife on the side plate serves this purpose, and a separate butter knife is placed with a shared butter dish so that guests do not use their own knife in it.
The cheese knife has a curved blade, often with a forked tip for picking up cut pieces, and is used to cut and serve cheese from a cheese board or trolley. It is laid on the cheese board itself or with the cheese course.
Crockery is all china ware used for service: plates, bowls, cups, saucers, jugs and serving dishes. It should be of good quality, match the style of the outlet, resist chipping, stack easily and be easy to replace. Plain white or a simple house pattern is widely used, because food stands out against it and broken pieces are easy to match.
Crockery is grouped by the clay used and the temperature at which it is fired, which decide its strength, weight and appearance.
Porcelain is made of fine white clay (kaolin) fired at a very high temperature, which makes it hard, non-porous, slightly translucent and strong. Vitrified hotel porcelain is especially chip-resistant, so it is used in good hotels and restaurants for everyday service.
Hotel earthenware is earthenware made stronger for catering use and finished with a hard glaze. It is fired at a lower temperature than porcelain, so it is opaque, heavier and cheaper, and it suits busy coffee shops and staff dining rooms. Once the glaze is chipped the body absorbs moisture and germs, so chipped pieces are withdrawn.
Bone china contains bone ash, which makes it very fine, white, light and translucent. It is the most expensive type, often hand-decorated, and is used for fine dining and VIP functions. It chips if knocked, so it is handled and stacked with great care.
Stoneware is made from natural clay fired at a high temperature, giving a dense, heavy, non-porous and opaque body with a rustic look. It is hard-wearing, keeps food hot and suits casual dining, oven-to-table dishes and themed restaurants.
Glassware is all drinking glasses and glass serving items. Each glass is shaped to suit its drink: the bowl collects the aroma, the stem keeps the hand from warming a chilled drink, and the size matches the measure served. Plain, clear glasses of good weight and free of chips show the drink at its best and are easy to replace.
Disposables are single-use items made of paper, plastic, foil, wood or plant fibre. They are used where washing up is impractical, where hygiene requires single use, or for takeaway and outside catering, such as a garden wedding where the caterer has no wash-up area.
Disposables are grouped by the job they do in the operation.
Foil containers and trays, cling film, baking paper, piping bags and freezer bags are used to store, wrap and cook food. They keep food covered and protected and save washing up.
Paper doilies, dish papers, decorated cocktail sticks, cutlet frills and table confetti improve the presentation of food and tables.
Paper napkins, wet wipes, disposable gloves, hair nets, paper hand towels and single-portion sachets of sugar, salt and sauces reduce the spread of germs.
Takeaway boxes, paper bags, cup lids, carry trays and sandwich wedges pack food and drink for guests to take away or for delivery.
Paper or plant-fibre plates and bowls, disposable cups, wooden or compostable cutlery, straws and stirrers serve food and drink at outdoor events and in quick-service outlets.
A trolley is a mobile unit on castors used to display food and drink to guests and to serve at the table. It sells by sight: a well-presented sweet or cheese trolley wheeled to the table tempts guests to order a course they had not planned. Trolleys are part of specialised table service in fine dining restaurants.
Each trolley is equipped for one kind of food or drink.
The salad trolley displays bowls of salad ingredients and dressings so that a salad can be mixed and dressed at the table to the guest's taste. It may have a chilled compartment.
The cheese trolley displays a selection of cheeses on a board under a cover, with cheese knives, biscuits, butter, celery and grapes, for service of the cheese course.
The liqueur trolley carries bottles of liqueurs, brandies and ports with the correct glasses and measures, and is wheeled to the table with the coffee after the meal.
The wine trolley carries wine bottles, ice buckets, glasses, a corkscrew and decanters for wine service, and may have a cooled compartment.
The hors d'oeuvre trolley displays a selection of cold starters in small oblong dishes (raviers), often on a chilled tray, from which the guest chooses.
The fruit trolley displays fresh whole and cut fruit with fruit knives and forks, grape scissors and finger bowls.
Trolleys are wiped and sanitised after every service, castors are checked to turn quietly and brakes to hold, and heaters or cooling units are tested before service. When not in use they are parked out of service routes with the brakes on.
An automatic vending machine sells food or drink without a server: the customer pays by coins, notes, card or mobile money and the machine dispenses the item. In hospitality they are placed where guests and staff need food or drink outside restaurant hours, such as hotel corridors, conference centre foyers and staff rest rooms.
Vending machines are grouped by what they dispense.
The snack vending machine dispenses packaged snacks such as crisps, biscuits, chocolate and nuts from spiral coils or trays.
This machine dispenses hot food rather than drinks, such as soups, noodles, pies and ready meals, either kept hot or heated in the machine by microwave.
This machine dispenses chilled soft drinks, juices and bottled water in cans, bottles or cups.
An alcoholic vending machine dispenses beer and other alcoholic drinks automatically. Such machines are used in some countries, but in Kenya the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2010 (section 30) forbids selling an alcoholic drink by way of an automatic vending machine, because a machine cannot check that the buyer is over 18 or sober. A Kenyan outlet therefore sells alcohol only through a licensed bar or by a server.
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Create a free accountThis chapter provides a comprehensive overview of performing mis-en-place in food and beverage service, beginning with the identification and use of essential equipment and materials such as tableware, special service equipment, crockery, glassware, disposables, trolleys, and automatic vending machines. It emphasizes the importance of polishing equipment to ensure cleanliness and presentation standards. The chapter then discusses the proper stocking of the sideboard to maintain efficiency during service. Linen management is covered in detail, including the types, uses, storage, maintenance, techniques for laying tablecloths, and creative napkin folds like the rose. Attention is given to table accompaniments that enhance the dining experience. The roles of food and beverage service areas and ancillary departments are outlined to clarify operational flow. Understanding menu knowledge is highlighted, covering different types of menus, their characteristics, and the presentation of menu cards or beverage lists. Finally, the chapter addresses briefing food and beverage service personnel, covering introductions, terms of reference, staff introductions, menu explanations, and post-service tasks to ensure smooth and professional service delivery.
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