Gueridon service is a style of tableside food preparation where a mobile trolley is brought to diners’ tables, equipped with ingredients and equipment to prepare and present select dishes. Skilled staff perform cooking techniques and finishing touches in front of diners, creating a personalized and theatrical dining experience.
In this type of service, a mobile trolley known as a “Gueridon” is wheeled to the diner’s table, typically equipped with all the necessary ingredients, utensils, and often specialized equipment required for the preparation of select dishes. Guridon service can be understood better by recalling on-the-spot cooking which is arranged during buffet.
This type of service is implemented in fine dining restaurants where a la carte menu is offered and the average spending power is higher. 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.
History of Gueridon service
The Gueridon trolley originated in Russia in the early 18th Century. However, the popularity gained from Monte Carlo (situated between Italy and France and ruled by the Monaco Monarchy) in 1894. The first claimed flambéed dish was Crepe Suzette, invented by Henry Carpenter when working as a Commi at Café de Paris.
Following are the commonly practised food preparation techniques on the Guéridon service trolley and their procedure
ALSO READ: Types of trolleys used in Gueridon service
Types of Guéridon service
1. Tossing/Mixing
It is the process of combining the main ingredients with the appropriate salad dressing, sauces, cream, or liqueur in a mixing bowl of the plate. The sauce or dressings may be prepared in the kitchen and brought to the trolley or made in the presence of the guest.
Generally, sauces, such as mayonnaise and hollandaise are prepared in the kitchen and their derivatives, such as tartare, and mousseline are made on the trolley. If the salad dressing is made on the trolley, it should be made first. Some hotels take the guest preference for the dressing their salads and make them accordingly. The finished dressing is then added to the main ingredients and tossed.
Examples of Tossing/Mixing in Gueridon service:
- Prepared sea foods are tossed with mayonnaise (If served cold) or hollandaise (If served warm).
- Cut fruits are tossed with custard sauce. (Sweeted and flavoured cream)
Ingredients used for dressings:
The ingredients required must be brought in clean containers.
- Olive oil/salad oil
- White vinegar
- salt
- Pepper (powder)
- Mustard (powder, paste)
- sugar (optional)
2. Cooking
Saute is an ideal type of cooking on the gueridon. In saute preparations, dishes are cooked in a small amount of hot oil for a very short period of time. During sauteing, the flavour and fumes that emanate may be enjoyable for the guests for whom it is being made, but for others, it may not be.
The ideal Items for sauteing in cooking gueridon service:
- Sirloin
- Tournedos
- Minute steaks
- Lamb chops
- Chicken breast
- Fillet of fish
The meat for cooking by the table side should be trimmed, fat removed and shaped in the kitchen and sent to the restaurant for cooking. For all dishes prepared on the gueridon, kitchen staff must extend good support to the service staff and provide prepared ingredients.
The following points should be considered while sauteing in the Gueridon service:
- Use the appropriate cooking medium, which is normally a mixture of butter and oil or only butter. Oil prevents the butter from browning too quickly
- Sear the ingredients quickly at high temperatures to obtain colour and retain the juice of the meat by sealing its surface.
- Cooking time for the preparation should be observed
- Deglaze the pan with the addition of liqueur of brandy and flambe
- Reduce the sauce and coat over the portioned dish
3. Carving
Carving in food service operation means slicing or cutting the meat, poultry, and game at the time of service. In some fine dining restaurants, carving is carried out on a specially designed carving trolley in the presence of guests. However, in most hotels, it is carried out in carvery section of the restaurant rather than on a carving trolley.
The art of carving needs a thorough knowledge of anatomy of the animals and high level of carving skills which can be acquired by regular practice. Butchery section of grade manager is the best training area for a person to understand the bone structure of animals and bird and to develop carving skill.
Carving tools for Gueridon service:
- A 12 -inches long knife with 1-inch with, is required for carving joints of lamb, mutton, and pork.
- A 7 -inches long flexible knife for roasted poultry and game
- Three two-pronged carving forks with safety shafts to hold the joint while carving.
Service procedures of the carved dish in Gueridon service
The service procedure of all the carved dishes is the same, though their carving procedures may vary.
- Check the trolley for mise en place for the dish to be served
- Collect the dish with accompanying vegetables, potatoes, gravies, and garnish
- Place the accompanying vegetables, potatoes, and garnishes in chafing dish of food warmer
- Ensure that the join plates are kept in a plate warmer
- Carry plate by holding the rim of the edge of the plate
- Present the dish to the host form left-hand side announcing the name of the dish
- Ask the preference of the guest, if any , according to the dish to be carved, for example, white meat, dark meat
- Carve the dish according to the procedure of the establishment
- Maintain the temperature of the dish. In case it becomes cold, heat it
- Arrange the portion of carved dish on joint plates and place potatoes and accompanying vegetables which are collected form the plate warmer at the appropriate time by the assistant waiter
- Place the accompanying gravy at 3 o’ clock position
- Place the plate form right-hand side of the guest in such way that the meat is closer to the guest
4. Flambeing
Flambeing: It is a cooking procedure in which food is covered with alcohol and allowed to burn for short time.
Flambeing is setting alight the liquor added to the dish either during or at the end of the preparation. The liquor is added mostly is brandy or liqueurs. The glamorous work is done mainly to entertain the guests at the table and to impart the flavour of the liquor to the food. Though the flambe work is simple and can be done by anyone who can strike matches, the element of the risk involved is very high.
Following are the commonly used spirits and liqueurs used for flaming:
| Sprits | Liqueurs | Liqueurs | Liqueurs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rum | Curacao | Krisch | Kahlua |
| Brandy | Cointreau | Calvados | Tia maria |
| Grand Marnier | Chartreuse | Aurum |
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
- Highly personalized service The wait staff prepares or carves the dish and serves the guest personally
- High level of customer satisfaction. The dishes are prepared, carved, or flambeed in the guest’s presence
- Good merchandising device. Guests will be tempted to order dishes that are served from the trolley.
- 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.
- High average spending power. The revenue generated will be more as the dishes served from the trolley are always expensive.
Disadvantages of Gueridon service
- Slow service. The time taken to the extent the service from the trolley is more.
- Low seat turnover. The number of times a seat is sold during operation hours will be low as the service takes more time.
- Expensive style of service
- The chances of an accident are more
- More investment in-service equipment
- Cooking in the service area may leave an odour
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.
The service procedure for Gueridon service
The service procedure of all carved dishes such as meat, poultry, and game are the same, though their carving procedures may vary,
- Place all the mise en place on the trolley for the dish to be carved.
- Collect the dish with accompanying vegetables, potatoes, gravies, and garnish.
- Place the accompanying vegetables, potatoes, and garnishes in a chafing dish or food warmer.
- The joint plate is kept in the plate warmer, while the curlery is set up at the table.
- Carry the plate by holding the rim or edge of the plate.
- Carve the dish according to the procedures of the establishment.
- Maintain the temperature of the dish. In case it becomes cold, heat it.
- 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.
- Potatoes should be placed at 12 o’clock, vegetables at 10 o’clock, and the meat at 6 o’clock position on the plate.
- Place the accompanying gravy at the 3 o’clock position.
- Place the plate from the right-hand side of the guest in such a way that the meat is closer to the guest.
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.
ALSO READ: Types of trolleys used in Gueridon service
Conclusion: Gueridon’s service, though it is entertaining and satisfying to the guest, poses certain limitations to the operations. It calls for trained and experienced staff, more investment requires more space, and in such service dishes are restricted to the ones that can be quickly and easily prepared. However, gueridon’s service is an excellent merchanding and flambeing technique will make the guests curious and order for the dishes.
