As a server in the restaurant industry, learning how to serve meals to large tables can be quite challenging. Most people will have no trouble carrying platefuls of food to one or two people, but dishing out plates to three or more guests is tricky.
Ideally, the restaurant you work for will provide large serving trays that can be used to transport several meals at once. Oftentimes these trays will be paired with a tray stand that can be used to hold up the tray when you arrive at the table. In this way, servers can easily carry several meals and hand them to each guest at the table.
However, some restaurants do not provide this equipment and servers must manage multiple plates all by hand. Some situations may feel dangerous and could seem impossible, but carrying three, four, or even five plates can actually be quite manageable.
The most important thing to remember when learning how to balance plates is that your fingers must stay out of the eating surface of the plate. It is nearly impossible to keep thumbs off the top of the plate completely, but every effort should be made to do so. Another point to remember is that two trips are better than a failed one. If a plate falls, breaks, and contaminates the food, you will be wishing that you would have made two trips instead.
To carry two plates with one hand, put the first plate between your thumb and index finger, rotating the plate away from your body. Slide the second plate in under the first, using your other three fingers to give support to the bottom of the plate.
To add a third plate, rest the plate on top of your forearm, allowing it to balance on the lip of the second plate for additional support. Keep only one plate in your free hand so that if one of the other plates starts to slip, you can more easily recover.
Finally, to add a fourth, move the third plate back on your forearm and use the new plate as a bridge connecting the edge of the third plate with the knuckle of your thumb.
These techniques will certainly take practice; don’t try to carry four plates with one arm your first day on the job. Stay relaxed and always keep the following principles at the forefront of your mind:
- Keep fingers and the bottom of other plates out of meals
- Two safe trips are better than a disastrous one
- Practice makes perfect
If the skill of carrying multiple plates to your guests’ table is mastered, you’re sure to catch their eye and you’ll hopefully earn a bigger tip. Give yourself plenty of time as you grow in this area of food service.
—Jeremy Howard
