Everyone should follow the rules of restaurant etiquette in order to make a good impression of themselves.

Compliance with the rules of etiquette will help you have a great evening and leave a good impression on others about yourself. Not sure how to behave in a restaurant? Relax and have fun. But don't forget about etiquette.

• We all love to have lunch and dinner at home. But sometimes this consistency gets boring, and you want to go to an expensive restaurant and taste real culinary masterpieces.
• Often, ladies are invited to a restaurant by their fans, grooms or husbands. How to make a good impression of yourself? What should you say to the waiter, and what can you ask him?
• It often seems to us that nothing can spoil the rest, destroy the holiday atmosphere. But a lot depends on the behavior. If everything is followed correctly, good memories of the holiday will remain.

It is better to book a table in advance, but if the decision to go to the restaurant was spontaneous, you should resolve all issues with the administrator. You should not immediately go into the hall and take the first free seat. After all, perhaps the table has already been booked by other guests.

The administrator is usually located at his counter near the entrance. If he is not there, then you need to wait, he can deal with visitors who came before you.

So, the administrator has invited you to a table. Now the question arises: how to behave in a restaurant, how to communicate with a waiter? Etiquette and rules of conduct:

• Relax and keep at ease... Take away unnecessary stress, enjoy the evening. Pleasant atmosphere, beautiful design of the hall, gallant waiters, wonderful outfit - all this disposes to be the hero of the evening. Enjoy your time.
• Start eating with everyone... If food has been brought to you, and other people from your company have not yet, you do not need to immediately grab the fork and knife and use them for their intended purpose. You can warn the waiter in advance to bring the food at the same time.
• Consider the specifics of the restaurant, forget about your tastes. If you go to a fish restaurant, don't order meat. At the famous restaurant that serves delicious steaks, you don't have to limit yourself to just the salad.
• Don't be afraid to ask the waiter questions. If the menu contains incomprehensible names of dishes, ask the waiter what this dish is made of. This is especially important if you are allergic to certain foods.
• Always ask for a price if you are interested. There is no shame in this. The waiter can suggest the restaurant's signature dish, or you can ask the price.
• Leave a tip. According to the rule of etiquette, you need to leave 10% (of the value of the check) or more to the waiter "for tea". It's a shame not to leave a tip if you've been well served.

Visitors generally don't talk to the waiters. The restaurant employee must accept the order, serve the guest at the highest level and ask to pay for the dinner. Visitors should have a good rest and not bother about doing something wrong or saying something wrong.

Restaurant etiquette - cutlery: how to use it, how to put it after a meal?

In a restaurant, you usually have to use more than one fork and knife. But you don't need to be intimidated by the large number of cutlery near your plate. Here are some tips on how to use it, how to put cutlery after meals. Restaurant etiquette in this regard says the following:

• Think about the order in which the dishes are served. First, the salad is cold or hot, then the first course, if you ordered it, and the second course.
• Start your meal with the forks and knives farthest from the plate., and move to those that are closer.
• If a fork or knife falls off the table, do not overdo it.... Call an employee of the establishment, and ask to replace the device for you.

Remember: The length of the salad knife is the same as the diameter of the appetizer plate, and the appetizer fork is slightly shorter. The length of the main course knife is equal to the diameter of the plate in which the dish was brought to you. The table fork is long, and the long spoon and knife are used to serve portions from the common plate.

• Other devices are served with dessert dishes: a knife with a sharp tip, a fork with three teeth and a small spoon.
• Fruits are served with special cutlery: Fork and knife for eating the fruit is smaller than dessert utensils.
• Separate spoons are used for drinks: for coffee - coffee, for tea - tea. The teaspoon can be used for soft-boiled eggs, as well as cocoa drinks and cocktails.
• Additional devices: tongs, special forks, spoons and knives. With a fork with two cloves, you can take a piece of herring, as well as eat crab or shrimp. The small spoon in the salt shaker helps to add salt to the dishes. With the help of tongs they put it on their plate confectionery, sugar, marshmallows, candy and marmalade.

Restaurant Etiquette - Cutlery

Important: If there is red or black caviar on the table, then there is also a special spatula to put this dish on a plate. The large, rectangular paddle is suitable for transferring meat or vegetables. A small curly spatula is used for pâté.

General rules use of cutlery:

• The knife should always be in the right hand.
• Keep cutlery parallel to the table when eating with a fork or spoon.... Do not blow on a hot dish.
• If there is some soup left in the plate, you can finish it. tilting the plate away from you. Scoop up the rest of the soup carefully, do not knock on the plate.
• During a pause or conversation at the table, cutlery must be placed on a plate next to food.
• If the knife and fork are parallel to each other on a plate, and the knife is pointed towards the fork, this indicates the end of the meal. For the waiter, this means that the plate can be removed.

In the following video, an etiquette specialist will tell you how and what a well-mannered person should do at the table, and how to use forks and knives correctly.

Video: How to use cutlery correctly

You should not take with your hands what you can eat with cutlery at the table. A food that can be eaten with a fork should not be eaten with a spoon. There are many nuances of behavior at the table, like eating a kebab, a burger or an expensive dish. Here are some rules:

• Pieces of kebab are removed from the skewer and consumed with a knife and fork.
• Hold the burger with your hands... No cutlery is used. Take small bites and chew for a long time.
• Expensive dish eg lobsters are served with special cutlery. Use a sharp, perforated knife to break out the pincers. Eat lobster meat with a two-pronged fork. There will be a bowl of water to the left of the plate. In it, you can rinse your hands after a meal.

The main thing in a restaurant is to eat quietly. But, if you cannot, for example, cope with lobster, ask the waiter for help.

The napkin always accompanies us at the table. It is not only a decorative item, but also a unique serving item that helps to facilitate the meal. Often in a restaurant, you can see that a person ignores the napkin or pretends that it does not exist. There is no need to be afraid of this serving item.

How to use napkins in a restaurant - rules:

• This hygiene product should be on your lap, not on your neck or on the table.
• If the napkin gets dirty, you can ask the employee of the establishment to replace it with a fresh one.
• At the end of the dinner, a napkin is left to the left of the plate. You should not put this item on a plate, no matter you used a tissue or paper napkin.

If you need to leave during dinner, the napkin is also placed next to the plate on the left. It is unacceptable to hang it on the back of a chair or put it on its seat.

As soon as the waiter or your companion has poured the beer into glasses, you need to start drinking it. This drink is usually poured to a special label. If there is no such mark, then no more than 3/4 of the glass should be poured.

According to beer etiquette in a restaurant, you cannot consume a lot of beer or prolong the process for a long time. First, half a mug is drunk, and the rest is divided into two doses. Do not mix beer with other types of alcohol. Dark beers are worth drinking in the cold season with salads and hot dishes. Light beers are good for summer with shrimps or pistachios.

If you came to the restaurant before the rest of your friends, then you should wait for everyone outside. The waiter pushes the chair back to the girl as she sits down at the table. But, if there are several girls, then their companions help them.

Other important rules of etiquette in a restaurant at the table for a girl:

• Hide your excitement... If you are unsure of how to properly use certain appliances, see how others do.
• At the table you need not only to eat, but also to maintain a conversation.... There are forbidden topics: about disease, death, sex, religion and politics.
• No smoking at the table even if it doesn't bother anyone. The restaurant has designated smoking areas.
• When wine is poured into glasses, take your time to drink it... The host has to say a toast or take the first sip. Before you drink the drink, you need to wipe your lips with a napkin, otherwise greasy marks will remain on the glass.
• When the waiter has started serving food, take a napkin from the plate and place it on your lap.
• If you are allergic to a certain food, you should not talk about it loudly or scandalize. Just leave your plate intact.

Wrap long pasta with a fork and knife. Then quickly put them in your mouth. Bones from meat or fish that are in the mouth are placed on a fork, and then on a plate. If they are too small, you can take them out with your index finger and place them on a plate.

Upon entering the restaurant, a man opens the door for a woman. The door to the hall is also opened by a man and lets the lady in front. Near the table, the woman chooses the seat she likes, and the man has to move the chair so that she can sit down.

The rest of the rules of etiquette in a restaurant at a table for a woman with a man:

• It is indecent to move a chair if you are uncomfortable sitting... You can just slide over to the edge.
• If there are two menus, then they are served to both the woman and the man. If there is only one menu, then the lady chooses first.
• Don't be limited to the cheapest meals- this will indicate doubts about the solvency of a man.
• You shouldn't order the most expensive dishes either., because you do not consider yourself a woman who will take advantage of the opportunity. Choose something in the middle for the price.
• A girl shouldn't say "Order it according to your taste"... One can only ask "What do you advise?"
• The man makes the order, and the lady expresses her wishes to the companion, who thus shows care and resourcefulness.
• Previously, you couldn't keep your elbows on the table- this rule of etiquette is a thing of the past. In a company with a young man or with friends, no one will pay attention to this. If you are dining with the older generation, it is best not to risk your reputation.
• Eat slowly and calmly... Don't talk while eating. Start your meal earlier than the man and finish your meal later.
• Don't rush a man when he eats and don't ask the waiter to bring the bill. He will do it himself.
• A man ends a romantic dinner... But, if the lady wanted to leave earlier, she can do it by apologizing to her beau.
• Usually a man pays the bill, and a woman should not be embarrassed about it. If a man and a woman are friends, then you can pay the bill in half.
• To leave beautifully- this is also the main thing in a restaurant. You can thank the waiter for the dinner and the head waiter. The man leads the lady to the exit, opening the door for her. He takes the outerwear in the wardrobe and puts on himself. Only then does he help the lady get dressed. She must patiently wait for help from her companion.

If you do something not according to etiquette, do not worry. A man will still see in you a well-mannered shy woman who behaves beautifully in a restaurant and at the table.

Many deals are not concluded in the company's negotiation room, but in a restaurant. The result is influenced by everything - behavior, the ability to eat mussels or spaghetti, and much more.

Business etiquette in a restaurant - the rules for a dinner to be on top:

• Guests should not come hungry... After all, the purpose of a business lunch is to address specific issues.
• If you are inviting to a business lunch, then you need to book a table in advance and study the restaurant menu.
• Both sides should be well versed in cutlery.
• It's indecent to complain about service or food... You should not discuss your diagnosis when refusing to eat, if you have an allergy, ulcer or other illness.
• Blot your lips before drinking wine or water from a glass. so as not to leave traces of food on the glass.
• Do not eat if invited guests have already finished their meal.
• The table does not discuss the topics of religion, medicine and politics.... Talk only about work. You can talk about children, talk about the weather, history or sights.
• Business papers laid out after the waiter clears the table from plates and food.

A business lunch helps to establish friendly contacts with partners and promotes successful collaboration.

You shouldn't use your mobile phone in a restaurant. Turn off the sound and leave your cell in your coat pocket. Telephone etiquette in a restaurant prohibits talking at the table. If you are waiting for an important call, then put your phone in your pocket or purse. When your mobile rings, apologize to your companion and leave the room to talk.

Often when going to a restaurant, many people ask the question: "Who pays at the restaurant?" If you go with a man on romantic evening, then he pays. If you have friendships, pay in half. At the banquet, the initiator of the feast pays.

Remember: Who will pay for dinner must be agreed in advance. It is indecent to find out when the waiter has already brought the bill.

Communicate with the waiter politely, and he will help you choose the most delicious dish in this restaurant. Next time the waiter will definitely tell you which dish the cook turned out to be very tasty, and which one is better to try next time.

Video: Etiquette. How to behave in a restaurant

Introduction

We go to a restaurant not only to eat, but also to chat with a partner or friend, on a date with loved ones, on family holidays, etc. a conversation during a meal often depends on the degree of pleasure received and the success of a business meeting. Knowledge of restaurant etiquette will allow you not to spoil the mood for yourself and those present.

Behavior rules

Choosing a restaurant and ordering a table

General rules

When choosing a restaurant, one should take into account not only taste preferences, but also the composition and number of guests, price category and location.

The restaurant must surely correspond to the purpose and the occasion of the visit. An institution with a calm atmosphere is conducive to a long, confidential conversation. Stylish music, for example, "live" jazz, is a pleasure for connoisseurs and dancers.

For the first meeting with a girl or a business partner, a restaurant with European cuisine is suitable, so that dishes and rules for their use do not distract from the main goal - conversation.

Experts believe that it is a quiet establishment that allows gourmets to fully enjoy their meal.

When ordering a table for a banquet, you must personally meet with the head waiter, discuss seating arrangements and meeting guests.

Business lunch

For a business lunch, negotiations, business meeting, the restaurant is ordered by the inviting party, preferably closer to the partner's office.

You can invite for a business dinner or lunch orally - in person or by phone. The time of the meeting can be discussed by the secretaries.

A restaurant with fine, sophisticated cuisine that requires special attention to food, not the best place for a decision-minded meeting.

In case the partners are interested not to be disturbed, it is necessary to inform the head waiter about this in advance, when choosing a table, and then to the waiter. If you don't like the table, the inviting party negotiates with the head waiter. You should also warn the waiter if you want to talk so that he does not interrupt the conversation by serving dishes.

When choosing a restaurant, it does not hurt to familiarize yourself with the menu and selection of drinks in advance. Soft drinks are enough for conversation. It is permissible to end a business meeting with a glass of wine.

For a business lunch, a restaurant or cafe offering standard menus is suitable. This will make your food choices easier.

When choosing a restaurant, the inviting party should take into account the price category and the contingent visiting the institution. It must match the level of negotiation.

Date

Be sure to inquire about the guest's food preferences. You can offer your choice, however, it is incorrect to convince you that you should definitely try it.

If a girl is a vegetarian, it is necessary to clarify how she relates to the fact that others eat meat, fish, etc.

If a man invites a lady to an unfamiliar place for an event, it is recommended to briefly describe what awaits the lady so that she can choose a suitable outfit.

It is not customary to discuss the price category of the restaurant. When making an invitation, a man should be prepared to pay the general bill. Without warning in advance, it is tactless to demand separate payment of the invoice. A man should remember that paying the bill does not impose any obligations on the girl.

Can a woman invite a man to a restaurant? Why not? In this case, it is worth warning the man that she is going to pay for two herself or pay her part of the bill: "I pay the bill, this is my invitation, OK?" A man can make a return invitation or politely insist on his payment: "I accept the invitation, but I'm used to paying myself."

If a woman begs for an invitation, expecting the man to pay the bill, the man may or may not agree. At the same time, you should not offend the lady by unwillingness to pay for her - it is better to indicate another reason.

When choosing an expensive restaurant, it should be borne in mind that a lady can choose any dish. Offering to order something cheaper is tactless.

A man orders a table. He also determines its location. It’s impossible to talk heart to heart near the podium, and it’s uncomfortable to watch the performance of artists or musicians from the corner.

Friends

A meeting with friends is often organized "on the occasion" of, say, a birthday. At the same time, it would be nice to clarify the choice of dishes, drinks, program.

It is advisable that all participants of the meeting know in advance about the reason, program, cuisine and location of the restaurant in order to have time to prepare.

In any case, the cost of food and drinks should be taken into account so that the audience can pay off without problems. In the case of an invitation, the costs are usually borne by the inviting party. If the hero of the day is determined that the guests pay for themselves, you should warn about this.

Celebration

It is convenient to celebrate holidays in a restaurant or cafe. In this case, the choice of an institution guarantees more than half of the success of the celebration.

Families going to a restaurant with children should inquire if there is a children's menu, playroom or corner there.

Those who like to sit longer should check the closing times and serving hot dishes.

If you do not want to queue up for the next dish, you should not visit restaurants and cafes offering buffets on holidays. Most likely it will be crowded there.

An establishment in the center or with a special culinary reputation will also be overcrowded.

A visit to a new restaurant offering unusual or national cuisine can be a good continuation of the holiday, but if you don't like the dish, you can not only stay hungry, but also ruin your mood.

Banquet

In the event of a banquet, especially a crowded one, it is recommended not to limit yourself to ordering a hall or table by phone, but to visit the establishment and talk to the head waiter. If you have entrusted the services of organizing a holiday to an agency, it is better to visit the banquet hall yourself. The choice of a restaurant will definitely be influenced by the courtesy of the staff and the atmosphere.

An important role in choosing a hall or restaurant for a banquet is played by the recommendations and image of the institution, as well as the possibility of additional decoration of the hall, services for meeting guests, a place for dancing, and the presence of a microphone.

Feel free to ask questions. Find out if there will be other visitors at the establishment. Pay special attention to the little things that are important specifically for your holiday. The floor should not be slippery, the hall should be equipped with air conditioning, the columns should not block the visitor's view.

Find out where guests will undress, where you can put gifts, place flowers. Feel free to ask about safety - false tact can ruin the celebration.

Check out the menu and drinks list. Do not hesitate to clarify if a special order can be made and its price.

Find out if the instruments will have cover cards with the first and last names of the guests, if there will be a seating plan in front of the hall.

If the restaurant offers a music program, listen to the performers, check out the repertoire. If you invite your speakers, ask about the possibility of connecting musical equipment, as well as a dressing room.

Check the convenience and the number of parking spaces, ask if the parking is guarded.

It is worth paying special attention to the qualifications of the personnel. The choice of the type of table setting should be entrusted to the restaurant staff, however, the more important the banquet, the more difficult the set of served appliances can be.

Be sure to discuss the possibility of bringing your own alcoholic drinks, as well as the use of unusual effects, candles, etc.

If guests are known to have smokers, arrange for a designated smoking area.

It is permissible to visit the restaurant in advance on the day of the banquet to see how the staff works, food and drinks are served.

The staff should be addressed to "you". Keep calm and confident - it is indecent to shout, demand and rush.

Corporate

Corporate events are booked by both large and small firms.

The format and location of the event is influenced by the occasion of the holiday. The anniversary of the company can be celebrated with a buffet table, for a round date or achievement it is better to organize a banquet, and a pleasure boat can be ordered to encourage employees.

Rout

Rout is an event for the business and social elite, usually without dancing. Today, however, they started dancing at the parties. When organizing a reception, special attention should be paid to the decoration of the hall, serving, and musical design. The place should be appropriate for the holiday and look meaningful.

Small restaurant- not the most suitable place for a crowded reception, since the purpose of the reception is communication and guests should be able to move around and communicate in small groups.

Card games, chamber concerts, sweepstakes and contests are often organized at the banquet. You will need a podium to show models. It is better to take a separate place for tasting.

You should also provide for a quiet place where guests can relax from the noise, for example, a corner with a fireplace.

Particular attention should be paid to the cuisine, the classification and level of the chef, a wide range of snacks and drinks.

Dress code

The dress code is dictated by the reason for joining and the level of the restaurant. It's one thing you went to a restaurant for a bite to eat, and another thing you went there on a date or a banquet.

A visit to a restaurant in the evening suggests a different style of dress than during the day, but do not forget that the restaurant is primarily a food establishment, and not a club or disco.

If you are invited, the more beautiful and festive your outfit is, the more respect you show to the invitee.

Invitation

The form of an invitation to a restaurant depends on the situation, the composition of the guests and the nature of the event.

A girl on a date, friends to a party, a colleague and relatives can be invited by phone, at a meeting or by letter. You can only invite a very close friend by SMS.

In the invitation, indicate the reason for the meeting so that guests or friends can get ready, choose a gift, flowers, calculate the time, as well as the dress code, the style of the holiday, for example, a masquerade, etc.

If you have chosen a restaurant that offers vegetarian or dietary meals, add in the invitation a line to whom or where you should report your taste preferences... This is most often the host or host.

In the invitation, you can write that you are counting on the presence of the guest, but ask him to confirm his presence.

When organizing a surprise, be sure to warn the guests about this: the holiday is a surprise for the hero of the day, do not divulge the SECRET!

Formal reception is subject to formalities. An invitation to a business lunch is sent either in person or through a secretary.

Friends can pass a verbal invitation to one another. However, it is not accepted to transfer the invitation through third parties. For example, each guest is invited to a birthday party personally.

An official invitation is drawn up from a third party: "XX is invited", "XX is inviting", "XX has the pleasure of inviting." When officially inviting a couple, the husband's name is indicated first. If the name of the partner is unknown, invite "Mr. Queen and his wife."

The invitation to the tea table is drawn up in the first person. It is customary to send a written invitation by mail, but it is permissible to send it personally, but not through a third party.

The invitation to the banquet should be sent 2-3 weeks before the event - in this case, guests will have time to respond to the invitation.

If the guests did not respond to the invitation, and it’s time for you to place an order, it is permissible to clarify the presence of friends and relatives.

The inviter can name the date of the meeting himself or find out when it is convenient for the invitee.

It is necessary to invite a lady to a restaurant in advance, and not at the time of the meeting.

When making an appointment, specify exactly where you will meet: in the hall at a table, at the entrance, etc.

Wardrobe

Like a theater, a restaurant begins with a hanger - a wardrobe. Here, visitors leave outer clothing, hats, hats, umbrellas, packages and shopping bags. It is not allowed to bring these items into the restaurant hall. It is not necessary to change shoes in a restaurant, but ladies often change their shoes - this is more comfortable. You can change your shoes near the wardrobe, but not in the toilet room.

A lady's handbag is not for rent, but it is better to hand over the case, unless, of course, the contents are very valuable - then it is better to take it with you.

The man takes off his headdress and gloves at the entrance to the building. A woman can take off her gloves near the wardrobe and remain in the hat, but not in the cap.

The man first helps the woman to take off her coat and then takes off his outer garments. It is not necessary to help at a business meeting, but you can offer your services: "Let me courteous for you." The woman is not obliged to thank for the help, although a colleague can be said “thank you”. At the same time, a colleague only helps with a coat, but does not hold a scarf or a hat for a woman.

A lady can stay indoors wearing a hat at a formal reception, but regular dinner this rule does not apply.

If the institution does not have a wardrobe, outerwear is left on the hangers at the entrance to the hall. If you can't find a hanger, ask the maitre d 'where to undress, but don't take your clothes with you at the table.

A jacket or raincoat on the back of a chair is acceptable in fast food or cafes, but not in a restaurant.

Abroad, the same rules apply, but due to the fact that visiting a restaurant there is less formal, sometimes they take a jacket with them, while a woman can remain in a raincoat.

Leave the gloves in your pocket or bag - do not take them with you, much less put them on the table.

In front of the mirror near the wardrobe, it is permissible to slightly correct the hairstyle, however, combing your hair, adjusting your makeup and clothes should be in the toilet room.

Leaving the restaurant, the man helps his companion to get dressed, and then dresses himself. The cloakroom attendant often offers help.

A man can thank him and, taking his clothes, he himself can help his lady. Sometimes the cloakroom attendant helps both the woman and the man. In reputable establishments, such assistance is part of the remit of the cloakroom attendant.

If the cloakroom attendant helped you put on your coat by coming out from behind the counter, and even brushed your clothes lightly, it's logical to give him a tip. If you don't want to pay, grab a coat and limit yourself to "thank you."

If he took a wet umbrella from your hands, shook it off and put it away, helped to take off your coat, and when seeing off, first gave a scarf, then a coat and finally an umbrella, it is incorrect to limit yourself to “thank you”. You should thank the cloakroom attendant who called you a taxi with a tip.

Tipping to a cloakroom attendant abroad is 20-50 cents, rarely 1 dollar. In Russian institutions - 50–100 rubles.

In a pair, a man - a woman, a man gives a tip, a woman does not take out a wallet. In a group of girls, it is not worth paying each one, it is enough if one pays.

It is tactless not to tip a rich lady in the evening, and no one expects them from girls in the daytime.

Leaving the restaurant, a lady can put on gloves and a hat already indoors, a man can only go out into the street.

Greetings

Welcoming the lady who entered, the well-mannered man certainly gets up. If the lady did not reach out her hand for greeting, you will have to come to terms with it. Wanting to kiss the lady's hand, the man stretches out his hand, slightly turning his open palm upward to demonstrate his intention to the woman.

For a kiss, you should bend slightly, but do not pull the lady's hand to her lips. In this case, it is enough just to touch your hands with your lips. Blowing a kiss on your hand is tactless.

It is not accepted to make an order before the lady arrives - it is better to order a glass with a drink.

At a business lunch, meeting with colleagues or a business dinner, the invitee should be the first to arrive. He takes a table, and when partners appear, he gets up, leaves the table to meet and greets those who have arrived with a handshake. Shaking hands across the table is tactless, as is forcing newcomers to walk around the table.

The first to reach out to the senior in status, the head of the delegation, or a more familiar colleague. Women do not have the privilege of shaking hands in a business setting; they shake hands according to the table of ranks, and not first, as in a secular situation.

If colleagues have already met that day and met at lunch, it is not worth getting up and shaking hands, just a greeting or a nod of the head. Rising from the table, those present express special respect to those who have arrived.

In a friendly company, you can start your meal without waiting for someone who is late. Late for the beginning of the meal, you can limit yourself to a general greeting, or, especially if friends have not seen each other for a long time, say hello to everyone by the hand, or - in case large table- by the hand with neighbors and a nod of the head with those sitting far away.

You should not shake hands with guests who are busy with crayfish or other hand-consumed dishes.

When you are late, it is not customary to interrupt the toast; it is better to quietly take your place and then apologize.

It is not supposed to greet and extend a hand to a late guest with a full mouth. Chew and say hello.

Representation

Guests who are unfamiliar with each other must be introduced. This is done by the host of the holiday or one of his relatives or friends.

If any of the guests brought a companion unknown to the hero of the occasion, he himself introduces him to the host.

With a large number of guests, it is not worth introducing everyone - it is enough to introduce the neighbors at the table, but they can also introduce themselves.

General rules: a man is introduced to a woman, a younger person to an older person, a person in a lower position to a more eminent and influential person. Mutual presentation is also possible: “Olga Petrovna is Maria Viktorovna. Maria Viktorovna is Olga Petrovna. I think you will have something to talk about. "

Children and spouse should be introduced to guests and parents to guests. If two couples meet, cross handshake should be avoided. The first to extend their hand to each other are women. Then women to men. And finally - men. Moreover, most often women are to the right of men.

At the time of the presentation, a man can kiss a lady's hand, but kissing a hand for young ladies, for example, an invited daughter, is not worth it, it can embarrass her.

If the names of the persons represented are pronounced, you should not repeat them when shaking hands. However, if the proponent limited himself to the explanation: “This is my aunt” or “This is my colleague,” you should say your name.

In the classic version, the persons represented should exchange a few neutral phrases, however, in an informal setting, it is permissible to say that you are glad to meet you and will certainly communicate during the evening.

It is not worth saying that you have heard a lot about the relatives or friends of the hero of the day, but a compliment: “Nice to meet you. I am glad that Sergei has such friends, ”- it might come in handy.

In a friendly and youth circle, guests are often introduced by name, with the consent of the parties, communication can be started immediately.

If the guests are already sitting at the table, a meal has begun or toasts have been made, the latecomer either quietly takes his place at the table, greets the neighbors and congratulates the hero of the occasion later, or immediately goes to him. In this case, the host of the celebration either introduces a special guest of honor to the audience and thanks him for his visit, or accepts congratulations and invites the guest to the table.

In a small company, the latecomer is introduced to the audience. At the same time, shaking hands with everyone and introducing the guests already sitting at the table is not worth it. A latecomer should confine himself to a general greeting and a nod of the head. If the visitor walks around the audience in a circle for a greeting or personal introduction, the men rise to shake hands, and the women remain seated. Standing up, the men take a napkin spread on their knees with their left hand.

Seating

The rules for seating guests should be paid attention to during a festive banquet, wedding, etc. During a particularly festive event, seats are assigned "by rank". In front of the entrance to the hall, a seating plank is set, and guests take their places on the couvert cards with names.

At a gala dinner, the host of the evening or the person in whose honor the holiday is organized usually takes a place at the head of the table. To the right of the owner is the lady of honor.

Although during a friendly dinner, those gathered take places according to their interests, you should adhere to the accepted rules and do not put a husband and wife or several women next to them. The alternation of men and women at the table will make it possible to take care of the ladies and help them.

At a wedding, where relatives of two different families meet at the same table, relatives who have not seen each other for a long time, elderly relatives and young people, special attention should be paid to seating. You should not put husbands and wives next to each other. It is better to mix relatives from two families - this way they will get to know each other faster. Young people are better placed closer to the dance floor and sound amplifiers.

On a date, psychologists recommend not sitting opposite each other, but next to each other in order to be closer. However, on first dates at a small table, it is better to sit face to face - it’s easier to carry on a conversation, maintain your gaze and maintain personal distance.

The company should pay attention to topics that are interesting to everyone, and not talk in person.

Menu

The most common menu in a restaurant is A la carte... Dishes on the menu are categorized by price.

Menu Table D'H ^ ote invites visitors to choose one dish from each category ("Appetizers", "Soups", "Hot dishes", "Desserts"). The order price is fixed and does not change depending on the selected dish.

On the menu Prix ​​Fixe guests are offered a set of meals at a set price. We know it under the name "Menu of the Day".

V expensive restaurants the prices in the menu may not be indicated - only for special dishes.

Sometimes the establishment offers a tasting menu - small portions of different dishes, which are often served with matching wines. They are offered by the chef and are an addition to the main meal.

The waiter can inform about the types of the establishment's menu. He brings a menu to each guest and offers to choose a drink to be served before the meals are served.

A list of wines and spirits, as well as a dessert list, are usually served separately. Sometimes drinks or desserts can be added to the general menu at the end of the list.

When making an order, it is customary to first choose drinks, then snacks and hot dishes, and dessert at the end of the meal, for which the waiter brings the menu again. But it won't be a mistake to order everything at once.

From the menu A la carte in an official situation or at a meeting with unfamiliar people, it is better to make a classic choice: one dish at a time from different categories. Do not surprise your companion with an unusual choice on the first date or partners during a business meeting, as well as tell them about your diet. Restaurant rules do not prohibit choosing any dish, for example, two appetizers and not a single hot one. In this case, you should warn the waiter when it is better to serve them, for example, one of the appetizers along with the hot one for the companion.

Today the general scheme of serving dishes has been formed: cold appetizers, first course (soup), hot appetizers, second hot dishes - fish, second hot dishes - meat, dessert - sweet dish, cheese, fresh fruits, coffee. However, you can skip any of the categories.

If the meal mates choose dishes from different categories, it is worth warning the waiter that the dishes can be served at the same time, otherwise the dish of each next category will be served only after it has been eaten from the previous one.

If the dishes on the menu are unknown or you doubt how they will be served, it is permissible to find out the details from the waiter. When meeting with business partners, it is more convenient to choose well-known dishes. Particular attention should be paid to dishes that are unusual, high and national cuisine.

In a man-woman pair, a man asks the waiter a question; at a meeting of business partners, the host of the evening, that is, the inviting party.

If you are invited, you should not choose the most expensive and cheapest meals. It is tactless to rely on payment for expensive meals, while ordering the cheapest one can offend the inviter.

When choosing a menu, one should take into account the age and taste of the guests. The hosts of the holiday will look their best if they carefully think over the menu.

Do not get carried away with rare dishes, unless you have organized a banquet serving gourmet cuisine. The menu should suit the general tastes and level of the guests.

Do not try to "feed" the guests - the holiday should be remembered not only as a treat.

Lack of food can also ruin your mood. Everything is good in moderation!

Provide a special menu for children. If you know there are vegetarians among the guests, order some special meals for them.

Beverages

Choice

The choice of drinks depends on the composition of the audience and the situation. So, on a date, especially the first one, you should not order spirits. The best attributes of a date are wine, champagne, cocktails, or soft drinks. A beer on a date is fine as long as the lady likes the drink. But it is better to order beer in a friendly company or with a family.

During a date, family or friendly party, everyone chooses a drink for themselves or, by agreement, one type of wine or a bottle of champagne. You shouldn't insist on your tastes. When choosing a type of champagne, the lady's choice should be supported. The inviting party should not limit the choice of invitees.

If visitors have doubts about the choice of wine for a dish, it is worth asking the waiter for advice. Or make a classic order: red wine for meat, and white for chicken and fish.

The waiter is informed about wine or other drink of a certain brand or year of production. An institution where there is no the desired drink, offers a similar taste or is available in stock.

Whether to take into account the advice of a waiter or a sommelier is a client's own business.

A business meeting both in the daytime and in the evening does not imply the order of alcohol. At the end of the negotiations, it is permissible to order a glass of wine. The inviting party suggests: "Let me treat you," "Let me offer you a glass of wine." Asking which drink your partner prefers is not supposed to. It is better to make a proposal: "Let me offer whiskey" - then the partner will be able to express his wishes in response: "I will not refuse" or "I prefer ..."

Tasting

Tasting allows you to assess the quality of the wine: does it smell like mold, is there crumbs from the cork. During the tasting, you are not supposed to ask for another bottle if you have chosen the wrong wine. A mistake in choosing a semi-dry or sweet variety is not a reason to open a new bottle. We'll have to make a new order by paying extra.

Experts can also evaluate the taste and aroma of a well-known wine of a certain year or vintage, compliance with the rules of storage and serving.

If you've never tasted wine, don't pretend to be a connoisseur by sniffing a glass. Better to act naturally and appreciate the taste of the drink.

Toast

Toasts - toasts and eulogies - are an ancient custom originally associated with sacrifices to the gods.

Word toast came to us from English: toast- a table wish. It is believed that in medieval England, dried bread was dipped into a glass of wine and whiskey. (tost) to add flavor and aroma to the drink. Waiting for the bread to get wet, the British told each other parables and legends. According to another assumption, the word toast associated with English custom in the first half of the 19th century, put a glass of a drink with a toasted slice of bread in front of the speaker.

Toast is an indispensable attribute of a feast. Themes, text, intonation of the toast are chosen depending on the situation. A little home rehearsal will help you feel confident and at ease while giving your speech. In order not to get lost, it is permissible to arrange the text of the toast in the form of a postcard or a greeting address and read it.

The person to whom the toast is directed usually makes a response speech - the exception is especially important persons. All wishes can be answered with one toast.

On a date in a restaurant, a man is usually the first to make a toast, but if a woman has taken the initiative in her own hands, you should not interrupt.

At official receptions, the toast is pronounced in a solemn form and includes a greeting to the guest of honor, wishes of prosperity and happiness to the assembled guests, and reassurance of the parties of the reciprocity of friendly feelings.

Special guest makes a return toast expressing gratitude for the hospitality and expresses interest in the meeting.

Drinks, combined with toasts addressed to a distinguished person, the president, a crowned person, as well as in honor of the leadership or newlyweds, are usually drunk to the bottom, expressing this respect.

Refusing to raise a glass in honor of someone is disrespectful. Even if you are a teetotaler, you should pretend that you are ready to drain the glass and at least take a sip of the drink.

It is not customary to clink glasses at official breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Raise the glass a little higher with other guests and keep eye contact. If the glasses touch, then the men hold the glasses below the ladies' glasses.

Depending on the type of reception, toasts are made either after dessert, when champagne is served, or 10-15 minutes after the start of the reception.

It is not supposed to make toasts more often than once every 10-15 minutes.

The person to whom the toast is addressed should wait, raising the glass, until all the guests have drunk, and only then sip the drink.

The first toast is addressed to the hero of the occasion or a high-ranking leader. At the reception in honor of the distinguished guest, the guest makes the following toast of thanks.

If there is a toastmaster at the table, the host of the celebration gives him the floor to conduct the feast after the first toast.

The toastmaster (host of the feast) determines the order of performances for those present. The first to say the toasts are the most honorable or senior guests.

Toasts and toasts at a dinner party in honor of noble persons are pronounced while standing.

A man, in whose honor a toast is made, addressed personally to him, must stand up and listen while standing. Women don't have to get up.

If a man speaks on behalf of the assembled men, then with their glasses raised, all the men who join what have been said stand up.

During the toast, the guests stop eating and talking. Drinking from the glass until the end of the speech is not supposed to.

The speaker is the first to raise the glass. If the person making the toast began a speech without taking a glass, then the rest listen to wishes without glasses in their hands, raising them only at the end of the speech.

Remember: a toast is not raised or drunk - it is said. They drink drinks and raise their glasses.

It is not accepted to propose a toast with a cocktail, it is permissible with whiskey, punch, beer, dessert wine or port.

Toastmaster should remember: making toasts is voluntary. Not everyone is eloquent or courageous enough to speak in public. To persuade, and even more so to demand from the neighbors on the table to deliver a speech is tactless.

Forcing to drink alcohol is not accepted.

The optimal time for one toast is three minutes. Do not torment guests with too long, confused speech.

Lovers of active gesticulation while making a speech should be especially careful - gestures distract from words, and their hands are busy with a glass.

Order

After the selection of dishes by those present, the order is voiced by the inviting party or every man for himself. On a date, a man places an order. If the girl has any questions, it is supposed to send them through the satellite, and not contact the waiter directly. This rule is modern women violate especially often.

When ordering, you should first name the choice of the guest or companion, then your own.

Even knowing the tastes of the companion, it is not worth making an order before his arrival - it is better to order a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and wait.

With family and friends, it is undoubtedly convenient to order any, even the most rare or complex dish even if you don't know exactly how it should be consumed. It is not recommended to surprise partners in a business setting. During a business dinner, it is better to make a classic order: a cold appetizer and a hot dish.

If you are going to talk, you should warn the waiter when it is best to serve snacks and hot meals.

If you are invited, pay attention to the price category of the dish - is the person who invited you able to pay for it?

On a date, it is permissible to clarify whether a man is ready to pay for an expensive dish: "Do you think I should order this?" The man will either offer you to make any choice and try, or he will find a reason to change the order.

If the menu item you have chosen is not in the restaurant, ask the waiter how to replace it. Leaving the restaurant angrily is tactless. The inviting party should not apologize to the partner - you can order another dish for a business dinner. But the girl should apologize and offer to choose another dish or go to another restaurant.

Changing an order is not easy, so think first, then order.

If you mistakenly ordered two snacks and not a single hot dish, in response to the waiter's clarification, calmly inform that you want to order just such a combination.

Devices

Knowing how to use your cutlery will make you feel confident at the table, allowing you to enjoy your meal as much as possible and demonstrate good manners.

If you are unfamiliar with the dish and are unsure about the appliances, practice before you go to a banquet, a national cuisine restaurant, a date or an important meeting.

Appliances for the main hot dish are called "dining rooms". It is a well-known knife for meat or fish, fork and spoon.

Appliances differ depending on the dish to which they are served. Appetizers and some hot dishes, such as scrambled eggs and pancakes, are served with snacks. The snack knife is shorter than usual, its length is equal to the diameter of the snack plate.

The knives are served with the edge towards the plate, and the forks are served with the prongs facing up. The ends of the instrument handles should visually be in one straight line.

For dessert, there is a small dessert spoon, a small knife, and a three-pronged fork. Dessert knife and fork are used if cake, pie, melon, watermelon, and also cheeses are served.

A dessert spoon is served with sweet dishes: ice cream, pudding, etc. Ice cream can be accompanied by a flat spoon, similar to a spatula.

Fruit knife and two-pronged fork are served with fruit.

If at the time of seating there are already appliances on the table, they should not be touched. If you order a dish that requires other appliances, they will be brought in, and the extra ones removed. If there are still too many devices left, for each next dish you should take the device farthest from the plate.

The devices to the right of the plate are taken and held during the meal with the right hand, and on the left with the left. Even if you are left-handed, you are not supposed to swap instruments. The exceptions are so-called soft dishes, for example, vegetables or omelet, as well as dishes from minced meat, which are not customary to cut with a knife (cutlets, meatballs) or dumplings. In this case, it is permissible to take the fork in the right hand and eat only with the fork.

Europeans eat meat, gradually cutting pieces from a large piece with a knife and fork. Americans, on the other hand, first cut the meat into pieces, and then shift the fork to their right hand.

Dessert and fruit cutlery is often placed parallel to one another at the dinner plate. The dessert appliance is taken with the hand in which direction the handle is located.

The butter knife is on the edge of the bread plate, parallel or perpendicular to the edge of the table.

During a banquet with service or seating in a circle, a different kind of wine is served with each new dish, while the glasses are changed. One spice appliance is served for two guests.

Any National dish it is permissible to eat with a knife and fork. If only chopsticks are served, you can ask the waiter to bring a regular appliance. You shouldn't apologize for your inability. If you find yourself at the table with a partner from this country, you can discuss with him the specifics of using the devices, but you should not say that these devices are inconvenient.

It is not supposed to bend over to the plate. A fork or spoon should be brought up to your mouth.

The used cutlery must not touch the tablecloth. If there is a pause in the meal, the knife and fork must be resting on the edge of the plate with the prongs down.

After finishing the meal, the knife and fork are placed parallel to each other - like the hands of a clock showing 17.20.

Napkin

A linen napkin as an element of table setting is placed on a snack plate in front of each guest. Usually the napkin is starched and folded in an original way.

The ability or inability to use a napkin immediately distinguishes the guest. Regardless of the solemnity of the dinner, you should not remove the napkin from the plate in advance, as well as put it aside or place the menu on the snack plate.

While waiting for the dishes to be served, you should not wrap the napkin around your finger, straighten it, play, look at the patterns. When they start serving food, the napkin must be unrolled and placed on your lap. You should not fasten the napkin on your chest or neck, even if you are afraid for a suit or dress.

The napkin folds in half, but not exactly in half - it is better that the lower part is longer than the upper one: then the dirt will not get on the clothes, but only on the lower layer of the napkin.

A napkin on your lap for wiping your fingertips at the end of your meal. When eating, use paper napkins... Do not wipe lipstick from your lips with a linen napkin and do not wipe your mouth by lifting the napkin from your knees.

If the napkin is dropped, the waiter brings a new one. If the waiter does not notice the dropped napkin himself, a clean napkin should be asked for.

After finishing your meal, you should first use a napkin and only then leave the table.

Leaving the table, the napkin is left on the table, to the right of the plate. It is wrong to leave a napkin on the seat or back of a chair, much less put it on a plate.

It is not supposed to fold the napkin along the arrows, as it was originally, even if you used it a little.

Conversation

In the restaurant, meal is combined with communication. The classic rule is three pieces is a replica. The theme is determined by the situation and the composition of the guests. but medical topics, politics and controversy are considered taboo.

When on a date or a friendly party, questions to be answered are best asked when serving appetizers and desserts. At a business meeting, the conversation can be conducted either after ordering and before serving dishes, or after dessert. You should not interrupt your meal with business conversations.

Do not swing your knife and fork during the story. Speak so that the other person can hear you, but not so loudly as to attract the attention of visitors at the next table. You are not supposed to laugh at the whole hall, even if you are gathered in a friendly male or female company.

Placement at the table plays an important role in the communication process. Seating next to each other contributes to a friendly disposition, but during a business meeting or first dates, it is better to take seats opposite each other in order to keep eye contact and maintain distance.

The number of topics for communication at special events is limited. The conversation is with all the guests. If there are many guests, small groups or neighbors communicate with each other. It is important that no one is left alone, so whispering or touching on personal topics is not supposed to.

Maintain a conversation and show attention with gaze, facial expressions, and a slight forward bend.

While serving food or cleaning up the dishes, an important conversation is interrupted.

Swearing, sorting things out at the table is not worth it. The anecdote will undoubtedly amuse those present, but it is better to tell it while waiting for the dish, but not during the meal, so as not to laugh with a full mouth. On the family dinner the child should not be persuaded to finish the portion. It is better to do upbringing at home, and order his favorite food in a restaurant. If the child gets dirty, do not rush to publicly scold him.

Basics of Behavior

Politeness, the desire to spend a pleasant evening with a delicious meal in a pleasant company - this is the basis of the rules of conduct in a restaurant.

You should move one hand to the table. It is not supposed to put your elbows on the table, sprawl on a chair, cross your legs and bend low to the plate. Leaning back slightly is only permissible when changing dishes.

While eating, your free hand should not be kneeled under the table.

Sometimes in a crowded restaurant, you may be put at someone else's table. In this case, it is not necessary to get acquainted - just say hello. It is also permissible to wish the neighbors Bon appetit... Leaving the table, you should politely say goodbye. Try not to pay attention to their conversation, lead your conversation. It is not customary to ask casual neighbors for advice on choosing a drink or dish, even if their plates contain exactly what you want to order.

You can draw the waiter's attention with a wave of your hand or a nod. Beckoning the waiter with a shout, snapping a finger, and even more so by knocking a cutlery on a plate is tactless.

Talking on the phone at a table is bad form. If possible, do not be distracted by calls or, apologizing to those present, ask them to call you back later. If this is an urgent call, you should leave the table and apologize again.

Before heading from the table to the dressing room, apologize to your companion and tell them that you will be back quickly: "Sorry, I won't be long." If there are several people at the table, permission is conditionally asked from all those present: "With your permission, I will be absent for a while." In this case, neither the hosts nor other guests are required to give permission.

During a date with your partner, you can clarify where the toilet is: "I would like to powder my nose, do you know where?" It is not customary to ask others - it is better to check with the staff.

If you are sick, accepting an invitation is not always tactful. If you have a cold and are coughing, you should leave the table. Running out of the table every time is uncomfortable, so sneeze and cough as discreetly as possible. But blowing your nose at the table is indecent, even as an exception. It doesn't hurt to apologize to your neighbors, tactfully adding that you didn't want to miss the event. Covering your mouth with a napkin, as well as blowing your nose into it, is bad manners.

It is not customary to use toothpicks at the table, even if they are on the table - it is better to use them by taking them to the toilet room.

If you meet friends in a restaurant, it is enough to greet each other with a nod. If an acquaintance came up to your table to shake hands or have a short conversation, both the man and the woman should stand up. You should introduce a newcomer to your companions only if you invite him to sit at your table. Sitting down at a table without an invitation is tactless - as well as asking for a show or introducing yourself until you are invited and introduced.

At a business meeting, it is okay to use communication tools like a tablet, but not during a meal. It is not allowed to place a laptop on the table while waiting for food to be served.

The behavior of the company should not annoy others. It is not supposed to speak loudly, shouting over each other, as well as frivolously getting to know each other and distracting people at the next table.

Particular attention should be paid to children. You should not teach your child to use a knife and fork if he has not learned this at home, or publicly scold the child for mistakes, a dirty mouth or clothes. A child is as much a visitor to a restaurant as an adult. If a napkin or fork falls off, the waiter will serve a new one - do not climb under the table for them.

If you become the object of intrusive harassment, ask the waiter to handle the incident.

The first person to invite to leave the restaurant is the one who invited. On a date, the initiative belongs to the man, but this does not mean that the woman cannot offer to finish the dinner.

Men

Men should not forget about the rules of gallantry: move a lady's chair, monitor the filling of her glass, hand over the lady's order and her questions to the waiter, offer food, lead and maintain a conversation.

Men are not supposed to take a seat at the table until the ladies are seated.

In the presence of women, men should carefully monitor the vocabulary and topics of conversation. You should not get carried away with men's topics, the conversation should be interesting to everyone.

If a man smokes, he should apologize by retiring to the smoking room. Smoking at the table is not worth it, even if you are offered an ashtray.

In many establishments, smoking is not accepted, so you should check with the lady if she agrees to visit a restaurant that allows smoking.

Yes mom

Pomade leaves marks on the glass or cutlery. Before starting your meal, it is recommended that you blot your mouth with a paper towel and set it aside. Rubbing your lips is not worth it, as well as using a woven napkin that is placed on your knees. You are not supposed to take out a mirror at the table - in which case you can visit the toilet room.

Bracelets, especially large ones often get in the way during a meal. It is better to raise them higher so as not to rattle on the table.

Handbag regardless of size, it is better to place it on the back of a chair, on a special hook on the edge of the table or on the back of the chair seat. On the table, for its part, it is permissible to put only a small clutch bag. On the evening reception take a miniature suede or leather handbag or clutch. For an informal meeting, you can take a small handbag with short handles or a short strap.

Diet is considered a tactful excuse to refuse a private invitation to a restaurant, and there is no need to explain the reason. At a festive banquet, a lady on a diet should choose the available dishes herself. Vegetarian options are available.

Hairstyle, makeup, lipstick and powder corrected in the toilet room. It is not customary to take out a mirror at the table and examine yourself in interior mirrors or in a wardrobe.

Payment of invoice

Bill payment - important point... Doubts about the size of the tip, lack of agreement about who will pay for the party will ruin the experience.

To avoid embarrassment, it is convenient if everyone knows in advance who exactly pays.

Usually the inviting party pays. The girl has the right to count on the payment of the bill by the man who invited her on a date, however, the plans of the young man can be clarified.

If a girl does not agree to be paid for, she should openly declare: "I will pay for myself." If there is a friendly relationship between a young man and a girl, the bill can be paid "in a friendly way", that is, equally or each separately for his order.

It is tactless to ask who will pay at the time of viewing the menu and choice of dishes.

Colleagues and business partners should not take part in paying the bill, it is better to make a return invitation.

Lunching with coworkers assumes that everyone pays for themselves.

If attendees pay separately, you should warn the waiter about this - he will write out several invoices.

Usually the waiter will serve the bill to the man or person who made the order. Only in the case of a man's financial difficulties, a woman can take over the payment of the bill.

If the woman pays the bill, the man can either receive the required amount from her in advance, or give her the bill brought by the waiter. You can also warn the waiter, and he will immediately pass the bill to the lady.

Various forms of waiters' behavior are practiced. Some, after offering an account, leave and return for payment, while others wait at the table. If your visitors need to discuss who is paying, it is okay to tell the waiter that you will call him later.

Tips

Should you pay the waiter a tip - a small amount on top of the bill, as a token of gratitude for the quality service?

Tipping is a voluntary gratitude from the client, and the decision to leave it is your own business.

It is worth leaving for tea only if you are satisfied with the service and cuisine. The waiter is worthy of gratitude if he quickly completed the order, patiently and politely answered questions, responded quickly and you are satisfied with his service.

The expression “give for tea” appeared in Russia in the 19th century, when the saying “they go to tea together” meant good, friendly relations between people and was more significant than, for example, “give for vodka”. The explanatory dictionary of Dmitry Ushakov interprets the expression "for tea" as "reward for small services in excess of salary."

In Europe, tip is called tips... According to legend, in the 30s of the 18th century the high society of England often spent their afternoons in the so-called "tea gardens". There were boxes on the tables with the words "T.I.P.S." ("To Insure Prompt Service") - "for fast service." By dropping a coin, the visitor quickly received hot tea.

Tchaevs should be given special attention. A tip that is too small will upset a helpful waiter; a tip that is too large will surprise. We are unlikely to refuse a large tip, but in most European countries, a larger than usual amount is inappropriate and may even offend.

In European establishments, visitors leave about 10% of the account size - just like in modern Russia. However, the size of the tip often depends on the type of establishment and the unwritten rules prevailing in the circle of frequent visitors.

In a restaurant, where the average bill is about 1000 rubles, a tip of 10% is accepted, if more than 3000 rubles, then most guests leave a tip of 500 rubles for two guests.

When paying on an account of 300–350 rubles, it is enough to leave 20–30 rubles or nothing. It will not be a mistake to bring the invoice amount to the nearest "round number". In an evening establishment with a bill of 900 rubles, the waiter will most likely get 100 rubles.

In our country, the largest tips for service personnel are in Moscow. If you like the service, wherever you are, leave 10% of the bill.

If you don't like the service, leave a few small coins on the saucer to express your dissatisfaction.

In some establishments, a tip may be included in the bill. In this case, an entry will appear in the menu: "tip is included in the cost of service" (eng. tips included, fr. servis comprised, it. trinkgeld inberifen). In this case, you do not need to leave something extra. When ordering a banquet, a tip for a service is often included in the bill.

Sometimes in the invoice you can see the phrase: "The remuneration to the waiter is welcome, but always at your discretion." Proceed at your own discretion!

If the inscription on the invoice calls for a tip to evaluate the work of the waiters or the client is ready to thank for the good service, but pays with a credit card, the tip is left in cash after the payment is made or the check is signed.

The decision about the tip is made by the client. In a friendly company, it is permissible to discuss the issue of tips, but it is not accepted to clarify the opinion of business partners, as well as the invited lady.

Friends or colleagues who pay the bill equally discuss and share the tip. In case of payment of separate bills, everyone decides for himself.

It is tactless to flaunt excessive tips in front of a lady. Leaving a large amount to tip in front of a lady, be prepared to spend money on her, otherwise you will cause resentment.

Cocktail

"Cocktail" is the most common form of reception. The cocktail is organized during meetings with prominent foreign statesmen or cultural figures, on the days of conferences or symposia, when meeting and seeing off delegations, etc. The cocktail is sometimes held before an official lunch or dinner.

A cocktail party can be organized both in honor of a birthday and in honor of an important event, for example, the launch of a new product line, the opening of a branch, an award, etc.

The purpose of the cocktail is informal communication with partners, establishing contacts and connections.

It is not necessary to meet and communicate with everyone at the cocktail, but you should greet the hosts of the reception. The conversation is not supposed to touch upon private or secret topics so that everyone present can join the conversation.

It is permissible to introduce yourself, but you should not introduce yourself to persons of a higher rank, of a respectable age.

The cocktail lasts about two hours. Cocktail invitations often indicate not only the start time, but also the end time. Guests can come and go with a cocktail at any time. A business or official reception is supposed to leave according to the chain of command, not earlier than guests of honor and higher in rank.

It is also not supposed to leave the corporate cocktail before the management - just as it is not supposed to appear after the management.

This type of reception got its name from the main drink served that evening, but other alcoholic drinks can also be served.

The cocktail starts between 17 and 19 o'clock, it is evening, but not officially solemn. The cocktail is often chosen when there are a large number of guests. High (due to the fact that the event is held standing) tables are placed near the walls and columns. Guests may be offered multiple tables to sit at.

Snacks, which are easy to take with wooden or plastic skewers, mini-forks or chopsticks, are served by waiters or displayed on the cocktail table and are small "one bite" dishes: sandwiches-canapes, small sandwiches, tartlets with salads or caviar, nuts and fruits ...

Hot snacks can also be served, for example, small cutlets, kebabs.

For dessert, biscuits or cakes are served. Coffee is offered at the end of the reception.

The drinks are served by the waiters. They can also be ordered from the buffet bar. The napkin served with the cocktail should be wrapped around the glass. In the first 15 minutes, guests can be offered non-alcoholic drinks, juices, mineral water, then - strong and at the end of the reception - again non-alcoholic.

The dress code is set in the invitation by the very word "cocktail". Clothing for men is a suit of both dark and light colors. For women - cocktail dress, light trouser suit. The cocktail dress is short to medium length, often solid, but for less formal occasions, a bright and elegant dress made of silk, satin and chiffon with short sleeves or without sleeves is acceptable. In the latter case, the dress is often complemented by a shawl or jacket.

The restaurant has a separate room for cocktails.

The cocktail is served with a straw. It is not supposed to drain the drink from the glass before the last drop- it is better to take a new glass. Should not, however, be overused alcoholic cocktails... It is important to preserve the reputation and appearance during the appointment. The classic norm is one cocktail a night.

Buffet

Buffet - an evening reception, which is held from 17.00 to 19.00.

The name of the reception comes from the French word fourchette(fork). Dishes are placed on the table and guests use forks to fill their plates with snacks.

Guests are greeted by the hosts or organizers of the event. The greeters do not have to be near the entrance. You can come to the buffet at any time, it is enough to meet the guests at the entrance to the hall at the indicated start time of the reception - then the guests themselves will greet the hosts during the evening. It is convenient if the head waiter or a restaurant employee will direct the guests to the hall.

Unlike a cocktail, a buffet table usually serves fewer drinks but more snacks.

Plates are placed at the beginning of the buffet table. The food is first transferred to a plate and only then eaten. Used dishes are left on the table or placed on special trays. The number of approaches to the table is not limited. Take a new plate each time.

Hot and cold snacks are served at the buffet table. The menu usually offers 12-16 items of cold snacks and dishes and 1-3 items of hot snacks. Hot snacks are brought on trays by the waiters approximately 30 minutes after the start of the banquet. Plates and cutlery (forks or skewers) are placed near the tray with hot snacks.

Cheese is served before dessert. At the end of the reception - champagne, ice cream and coffee. Dessert and champagne are served by the waiters, offering to each guest. Dessert is brought into the hall 15 minutes after hot appetizers.

Do not put on a plate and mix meat and fish snacks, especially the dessert. Even small snacks should be taken with a device located on a platter, but not with your hand.

Hot snacks are transferred to a plate held in the left hand. Each new piece is taken with a new skewer, it is not worth saving.

You should not put the glass on the plate - neither when you go to the table, nor when you carry the dishes.

If mushrooms are served in cocotte makers, you should take the cocotte maker by the handle with the papillote put on it with your left hand, so as not to burn yourself, and with your right hand - a spoon and bread.

You should not rush to take champagne at the same time as dessert. Take the glass after removing the empty bowl or plate from under the dessert.

The dress code for the event is specified in the invitation, usually the same as for the cocktail party.

Buffet

Buffet (or buffet) is one of the most democratic ways of serving. The dishes are placed on the table, and the guests fill their plates with portions, as if the ancestors of modern Scandinavians were treating themselves. Drinks are served to order by the waiters.

The buffet is good for informal receptions. To add festiveness to it, you can decorate the table with flowers.

Usually the buffet is not included in the invitation. The dress code specified in the invitation is determined by the occasion of the event.

Some restaurants offer buffets not only to order, but also on certain days.

When choosing food, you should not mix hot and cold food. The number of approaches and servings is usually unlimited. For the first approach to the table, an invitation follows, for example, after a short welcome speech.

Every time you approach the table for food, you should take a new plate, napkin and cutlery. It is not worth typing too much, it is better to approach again.

It is customary to place the sauce or seasoning at the top right of the plate, and leave the upper left corner for pits from olives or fish.

The used plate and cutlery, stacked on it in parallel, should be left on the table - they will be removed by the waiter.

It is worth distinguishing between the buffet as a form of serving guests in the evening and breakfast at the hotel. One plate is often used for breakfast.

Service rules

Serving dishes

The waiter will undoubtedly take care of serving dishes in the restaurant. However, knowing the rules of filing will help you feel confident and avoid all kinds of awkwardness.

If at the time of seating the table is already served, you should not touch the cutlery ahead of time, straighten the napkin or rearrange the glasses.

Typically, dishes are served on the table in the order they are offered on the menu and the order in which they are ordered. Having chosen several dishes of the same category, you should inform the waiter when it is better to serve them.

It is permissible to ask to bring children's menu faster, especially if the establishment has a play corner.

In a friendly company or family circle, you can change the sequence of serving by warning the waiter.

During the banquet, it is not allowed to change the sequence of serving according to an individual order. On a date, especially on a first date, it's also best to stick to established rules.

If, for some personal reason, you nevertheless decide to change the order of serving, inform the waiter about it.

The guest can skip the serving of a particular dish. It is impossible to return to the missed dish, but in a friendly company you can make an additional order.

There are three main methods of serving dishes: French (bypass), English (using a serving table) and Russian (on a common table).

Most establishments practice the French method. In this case, the waiter brings ready meal... Ready meals are served in portions on the right. During a banquet with a seating in a circle, some dishes are laid out on the guests' plates from a large dish by the waiter. Plates are served on the left side.

Sometimes guests take their own portion from the dish served by the waiter. In this case, the waiter approaches the guest on the left and holds the dish in his left hand. If lettuce or other garnish sticks to the groove of the spoon, it is sufficient to clean the spoon with a sliding motion of the fork.

When serving food, the temperature regime must be observed. It is advisable to serve hot dishes on preheated plates, caviar - in a caviar dish, in which a glass rosette and ice are placed. Temperature of cold snacks - up to 14 ° C, hot - 75 ° C, soups - 75-90 ° C, hot meat and fish dishes- 65–75 ° C.

Hot snacks are usually served in the dish in which they were prepared, for example, in a cocotte maker. The cocottes are placed on a pie plate.

Most restaurants European cuisine offer a wide range of second courses of fish, meat, poultry, vegetables in boiled, fried, stewed, baked and other types.

The order of serving second courses: fish, then meat and poultry dishes, then vegetables, eggs, dairy.

Most often they order 3-4 dishes: cold or hot appetizer, first course, hot fish or meat dish and dessert. Usually, a cold appetizer is served before the soup, and a hot one is served after it, but there are also options.

Lunch of five or more courses is served on special occasions. At the same time, after hot meat comes vegetable dish or both cold and hot snacks are ordered.

The English method involves serving dishes on a serving table and portioning in front of the visitors. The dish is conveniently located on the left side of the serving table, and the plates on the right. The waiters put the food on the plates in the following order: main product, side dish, sauce, herbs. The plate is served from the right side and right hand.

The waiters tend to make the portions the same; if someone gets a little more side dish or a smaller piece, it is not necessary to indicate.

The Russian serving method is convenient for a group of friends. Hot and cold snacks and meals are served on a common table and guests serve themselves. You are not supposed to take food from a common dish with your fork. It is customary to take a portion from a common dish from the top or from the edge, and not choose better pieces.

Sauces can be served individually for each guest. They are placed on the left hand of the guest.

At the time of serving food, drinks, changing appliances, guests should not help the waiter. If the waiter is uncomfortable approaching the guest on the left, he may approach the right. The main task of the service is the convenience and comfort of the guests.

Some restaurants bring bread and butter before serving.

For fish appetizers include caviar (granular, pressed, chum salmon), fish (lightly salted, aspic, boiled, stuffed, marinated, smoked, fish salads), seafood (crabs, lobsters, shrimps, crayfish, oysters, etc.).

Meat snacks: meat (boiled, aspic), sausages, smoked meats, meat salads, boiled and aspic poultry, game and poultry salads.

Vegetable snacks: vegetable and mushroom salads, pickles, olives or olives.

Soups: transparent, puree, milky, cold.

Hot meals often offered in sections: fish, meat, Domestic bird, vegetables.

Often the menu is served by a sommelier to immediately offer an aperitif and help in choosing drinks.

The menu is served to the guest open on the first page. It's not worth reaching for him. If there are several guests of equal position at the table, then first the menu will be served to the one who sits farther from the waiter. In another case, the rule is used: children - women - men - by seniority. In the women's collective, no distinction is made between women by age.

Noticing cigarettes or a lighter on the table, the waiter brings an ashtray along with the menu or explains where you can smoke.

During the official event, dishes are served "by rank": first to the more important, honored guests, then to the women and the host of the table.

Snacks are served within 10 minutes after ordering. The first and second hot dishes appear on the table within 15 minutes after ordering, if the time was not specified additionally. Desserts, coffee and tea - within 10 minutes after ordering.

Take your time to start your meal as soon as you have a plate of food in front of you - you should wait until the plates appear in front of all the guests.

Immediately after serving, you can start eating only soup.

The next dish is not served until all participants in the meal have finished the previous one. It is not worth delaying the meal and delaying the entire table.

Used dishes are removed from the right side, as soon as guests are ready, regardless of rank.

The end of the meal is indicated by the arrangement of the instruments: the knife and fork are placed on the plate with handles parallel to each other, even if there is still food left on the plate. Leave the soup spoon in the plate.

In no case should you help the waiter to clear the table, even if you came to the restaurant with your family and children.

You should not put the plates one into another, especially glasses on an empty plate or move the plates to the edge of the table, demonstrating the end of the meal.

Do not put used paper towels in a glass or wine glass.

The waiter should ask the guest if it's time to clean up something from the table. If you haven't finished your meal, and the waiter has started cleaning, you should stop him.

When removing dishes, the waiter usually moves clockwise around the table. Glasses and glasses are removed with the right hand to the right of the guest.

You should not call the waiter who cleans the dishes from the next table. Having taken dirty plates from the table, the waiter must immediately take them away so as not to stop and not put on someone else's table dirty dishes... It is enough to give a sign and the waiter will return to your table.

The dessert card is served when all guests have finished their meal and the plates are removed after the hot one.

The waiter should clarify if it is / is time to serve the dish. Sometimes the waiter warns the guest that the dish will be served when ready.

From time to time, the waiter asks the visitors if they like everything, if they want something else. A short answer "yes, thank you" is enough. Admire or criticize the cuisine is not worth it.

It is permissible to ask for a replacement dish only if the cooking norms are not followed or the food is served half-baked or sloppy. If the dish does not taste good, it is not supposed to require replacement.

If no sauce is served with your meal, don't ask for mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise. Even if the visitors are accustomed to this kind of food at home, it is better to eat the offered menu in the restaurant.

If smoking is still allowed, then in the case when one person smokes at the table, the ashtray is changed after each cigarette. Two ashtrays are available for four or more guests. Cigarettes and matches are served to the visitors on the left.

Brewing coffee signals the end of lunch. Coffee and tea are served with sugar, sometimes lemon. After stirring the sugar, remove the spoon and put it on a saucer.

The bill is served on the left side.

Serving drinks

Drinks are an important part of a meal. If the restaurant has a sommelier, he is the first to approach visitors, present a map and offer to help with the choice. The waiter can also offer the drink that best matches the selected meal.

The glasses must match the selected drink. A red wine glass is more rounded than a white wine glass, and a champagne glass should be narrower. The shape of the glass enhances the taste. So, in a rounder glass, the visitor will better feel the aroma of red wine, and a champagne glass narrowed towards the top contributes to the formation of bubbles.

Sometimes, in addition to the main price list, a wine list can be served, dividing them into white still, red still, sparkling and dessert wines or a cocktail list.

Before the arrival of visitors, waiters are allowed to carry glasses in their hand, turning them upside down. However, in the presence of guests, glasses are always served on a tray. Serving a glass to the guests, the waiter holds it by the main or by the leg.

If the table is served with one glass, it is located 2.5 cm above the table knife. Several glasses are placed in one line in the order of their use, starting from the right.

There is a rule to agree on the serving of food and drinks. Working together, the sommelier and the waiter coordinate the serving.

Before serving the menu, visitors are offered an aperitif - a drink that stimulates the appetite.

If guests have not expressed any special wishes, then aperitifs are served within 4-5 minutes after ordering. Drinks must be served within 5 minutes of ordering.

In the case of serving an aperitif, hot drinks are first brought into the banquet hall before the invitation, then cold non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Glasses and glasses are placed on a tray on a napkin. It will be convenient for guests if the glasses are located at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Tall glasses are placed in the center of the tray, low glasses are placed closer to the edge.

Most often, juices, vermouth with ice, cocktails, and wines are served as an aperitif. The most popular aperitif is champagne.

The rules of etiquette suggest no more than one glass of aperitif.

Do not pounce on the nuts and snacks served for the aperitif - other dishes will soon follow.

Soft drinks can be served with all meals except ice cream and fruit.

Since the wine is a complement to the meal, the sommelier will suggest a wine list after the order has been accepted.

Wines are served before the respective dish: white before reds, dry before sweet, young before old. However, the visitor can choose his own sequence and combination of wines.

An exception may be the serving of some wines with dishes presented in advance as part of the evening program. The degree of drinks increases during the meal.

Drinks are served in glasses, or they are poured at the table. Pouring an effervescent drink, such as champagne, is not allowed.

For each new drink, clean glass... Each guest is offered a glass for soft drinks, it is placed on the right.

The next drink is served after the used glasses are removed.

It is necessary to remove glasses and bottles from the table on the right side of the client with the right hand. But the soft drink glasses in the jug or bottle are not removed until the end of the meal.

The first to taste the drink is the visitor placing the order. If he approved the drink and did not ask someone else at the table to try, for example his lady, the drink is poured for the rest.

Carbonated drinks and aperitifs are not tasted.

Glasses for the last drink are removed after the bill is paid and the visitors leave. Therefore, after finishing your meal and not intending to make the next order, you should ask for the invoice, but do not wait until the glasses are removed.

When seating guests in a circle, the waiter pours wine and other drinks in a circle - on the right side of each seated person. It is not supposed to help the waiter, bending to the side, to raise and bring the glass to the bottle.

A waiter uncorks a bottle of wine or champagne. However, a man in a company with a lady or a man's company can take the initiative in bottling. In this case, the first circle is poured by the waiter, and then it must be said that further you serve yourself. Not receiving such instructions, the waiter will monitor whether the glasses are full.

If drinks are served in glasses, they are placed on the right hand of the guest, at an angle of 45 °, in descending order of the height of the glasses.

Before dessert, the sommelier or waiter can remind you of the possibility of ordering dessert wines. Dessert wines are classified as sweet and serve as a complement to a sweet dish.

Digestives, i.e. alcoholic drinks served after meals: liqueur, cognac, whiskey, are ordered before coffee is served. The digestif is served along with coffee.

It is not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks with you to the restaurant. The exception is Bring Your Own Liquors restaurants that are not licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.

Water for hand washing

Some restaurants serve a bowl of water for hand washing at the start of lunch. Water is also served with shrimp, crayfish and some other dishes, such as chicken or seafood.

You are not supposed to ask for water to wash your hands: if this is not accepted in the institution, you will be refused.

A vase filled with one third or half water is served on a flat plate to each visitor.

A slice of lemon, a few rose petals or flower buds, and scented oil can be added to the water.

Lightly moisten your fingers in water, rubbing them together. It is not supposed to dip the whole hand into the vase or wash the whole hands.

A napkin is provided to dry your hands, do not use your table napkin!

Hot towel

In national restaurants, a towel is often served before meals. If the towel is hot, do not throw it on the table, blow it - just unfold it and it will cool down.

National cuisines

Knowledge of the peculiarities of the use of certain dishes and their combinations, the ability to use cutlery and awareness of the rules of conduct will make a visit national restaurant pleasant, and the meal tastier.

Japanese food

Japanese cuisine is known for a wide assortment of numerous seafood, special rules for decorating, serving and serving dishes, and traditional ceremonies.

Features of filing

For Japanese food the seasonality of the use of products is characteristic. In the process of preparation, minimal processing of products, their naturalness is preferable. Particular attention is paid to fresh food... Raw fish is often offered in Japanese cuisine. If you don't like it, do not hesitate to check if the fish has been used in the preparation of the dish.

By tradition, all ordered dishes are served at the same time, alternate serving is not accepted.

European restaurants often offer menu cards with pictures of the food. If you are not sure that you will pronounce the name correctly, it is permissible to place an order by the dish number or by pointing to the picture.

Most Japanese food is eaten with hasi chopsticks. Spoons are used for soup and some dishes. Non-hasi visitors may ask for familiar appliances. Learning to work hashi is better at home than on a date and a business meeting.

Hasi come in different shapes and sizes, distinguish between female, male and child forms. Hasi are made from various types of trees, bones. In restaurants, visitors are offered disposable wooden or, less commonly, plastic hasi. It is not supposed to pass hashi to another.

Before meals, a wet towel - oshibori is often served to dry the face and hands in Japanese restaurants. It can be served hot in winter and chilled in summer.

Oshibori is usually served on a special stand or plate. In some restaurants, the waiter waits for customers to dry their hands and return the oshibori; in others, the oshibori is served for the entire meal, and it remains on the plate.

During a business or formal lunch, an assortment of snacks: sushi, rolls, pieces of fish or meat can be served on a common dish. The guests put the hasi snacks on their plate. Eating from a common dish, as well as taking a common dish in hand to choose snacks, is not supposed to.

At the end of the meal, black or green tea with desserts, most of which are made from rice or bean dough and are low in calories.

The traditional Japanese table is lower than the European one, they sit on the floor: in an official position on the heels, straightening the body, or - in the case of an informal meeting - with their legs crossed in front of them.

Rules of conduct at the table

Eating food in Japan is closely surrounded by ceremonies and traditions. So, before starting a meal, I must say itadakimas!, that is, I accept it with gratitude or taste it with pleasure.

Since all meals are served at the same time, it is permissible to try first various dishes and then start eating.

Sushi can be eaten in turns, by variety and alternately. However, it is best to start with the ones wrapped in nori seaweed. Wet rice softens the algae and the roll can fall apart.

It is not worth inviting a partner to a Japanese restaurant for a business conversation - the atmosphere is not conducive to work, but for closer communication, the development of contacts, it is quite acceptable.

Should you take your girlfriend out on a first date at a Japanese restaurant? If both of you are not fans of this particular cuisine, it is not worth it: it is difficult to make a choice, and the inability to use hasi will embarrass the girl.

By the way, about hasi. During a break from eating, the hasi are placed across from the plate, on a special narrow stand, with the sharp ends to the left. It is not worth putting them on a plate either during a pause in food or at the end of a meal. Having finished the meal, the hasi are left on the stand. Hasi is not supposed to wave, point them, call the waiter. Hashi, clenched in a fist, the Japanese perceive as a threat. Hasi is not supposed to lick. It is also not customary to prick food on them.

After eating the food served in a bowl with a lid, the bowl is closed with a lid, which is a sign for the waiter.

Japanese restaurants offer a wide range of familiar drinks, however, traditionally, it is customary to order green tea or sake with Japanese dishes.

It is customary to drink tea in small sips between sushi, and sake - warm, before the start of the meal.

You are not supposed to pour yourself drinks. It is better if the neighbors on the table fill each other's glasses. However, the younger should pour the older one if the elder has an empty glass or glass. If a drink is being poured for you, move the glass towards the dispenser to show your respect.

The Japanese feast does not involve making toasts, but you can touch the glasses and say "kampai!" (to the dregs!).

Rice in Japan is treated with the same respect as bread. Rice is eaten from a cup, without shifting to another plate as a side dish. In this case, the cup should be held in the left hand at chest level.

V Japanese traditions it is customary to raise a cup of soup, rice or sauce, tea during the tea ceremony to chest level, demonstrating in such a way that you feel with your heart.

Lunch often starts with a small portion of rice, then soup can be continued. If a spoon is not served with the soup, then you should drink the broth and eat the dressing with the hasi. Raise the bowl of broth to chest level. However, it is permissible to ask for a spoon.

Sushi is eaten whole; it is permissible to separate them with hasi, but do not bite piece by piece.

A plate with sauce, in which each piece is dipped, should be held in place with your left hand. Soy sauce is poured onto a sushi dipping plate, but not into rice, even if it is bland.

Traditionally, the guest continues his meal until his bowl runs out of rice. Rice is supposed to be finished to the last grain.

The tea ceremony ("tyanoyu") is a special way of brewing and a stylized custom of drinking tea. When taking part in the tea ceremony, all suggested customs should be followed. The ceremony may take a long time, but it is not customary to interrupt or shorten it.

The conversation during the ceremony does not touch upon the topics of money, politics and disease. Better to talk about poetry and philosophy.

After completing the meal, you should express gratitude for the delicious treat.

Dishes and condiments

Sushi (sushi)

Sushi - a snack made from rice and fish or seafood - is the most popular Japanese dish. There are several types of sushi: nigiri and rolls or maki.

Sushi is served with pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce.

Rolls

Rolls - small rolls rolled in a nori sheet - consist of filling (vegetables, a small piece of fish or other seafood) and rice. Usually rolls are rolled with a sheet outward. If the leaf is rolled in rice, then these rolls are called nori-maki.

Rolls are distinguished by their size. Futomaki are large rolls and hosomaki are small.

The rolls do not bite off, but are put in the mouth as a whole. If you can't eat the hasi rolls, ask for a fork. Women are not allowed to take sushi with their hands. Men can take sushi with their hand, but it is better to use the device. It is not supposed to prick the rolls on the hasi - it is better to ask for a fork.

Do not dip the whole roll into the sauce - just moisten it without touching the rice to the sauce.

Sashimi (sashimi)

Sashimi is the pieces raw fillet sea ​​fish... Since thick or thin slices of fish will not allow you to enjoy the taste of the fish, it is best for a professional to cut the fish into slices.

Nigiri

Nigiri is a piece of rice or a ball topped with a piece of fish.

Wasabi

Wasabi is a spicy green herb. Wasabi is also called "Japanese horseradish". Both horseradish and wasabi belong to the same family. For the preparation of the seasoning, the rhizomes of the plant are used.

Wasabi has special taste, so be careful: try it with a dish first and decide if you want to take more.

Ginger

Pickled ginger is used with different sushi to kill and refresh their taste, and as a disinfectant for raw fish.

Ginger is served with sushi along with other condiments such as wasabi and soy sauce. A small piece is enough. Ginger can also be eaten with rice.

Nori

Nori is called different kinds red edible algae, as well as products made from them. Nori are slightly paper-like and are considered the most popular seafood in Japan for their many beneficial elements.

When making sushi, a culinary product is wrapped in nori.

European cuisine

General rules

The classic rules of behavior at the European table: everything that can be eaten with a knife and fork should not be touched with your hands; if the food can be eaten with a fork, do not handle the spoon. Leaving food unfinished is not prohibited.

If the guest does not want to take the food a second time, it is enough to put the knife and fork next to, on the right, with the sharp ends inside the plate, and the waiter will replace the cutlery for the next dish.

European cuisine is served not only in European restaurants, but also often in national cuisine establishments - in case the guest prefers more familiar food. In the menu card, such dishes in restaurants of national cuisine are located at the end of the list or are served in a separate menu. The waiter will help clarify this issue.

Dishes and consumption

A sandwich

Sandwiches, sandwiches, with bread, baguette, italian bread ciabatta served for lunch, breakfast. At breakfast buffet, sandwiches are eaten with a knife and fork, cutting off small pieces. At the buffet, butter is spread on the bread on the plate, not on the palm, holding the bread with two fingers of the left hand. Put sausage or cheese with a fork. Cut a piece from the finished sandwich.

Cocot

Kokot (from fr. cocotte- chicken) is cooked in a metal ladle with long handle- cocotte. This dish is known to many as julienne.

This type of snack is served warm, in a cocotte maker, on a plate or on a napkin.

The handle of the cocotte maker is directed to the left. The hot handle is wrapped with a napkin. Cocotte is eaten with a small spoon.

Meat

Meat is eaten differently depending on how it is cooked. For a piece of pork or beef, serve a medium-sized sharp, serrated knife.

It is supposed to cut off small pieces from a piece, holding the piece to be cut with a fork.

It is not customary to cut meat for future use - only a piece for food. However, according to American etiquette, the entire piece of meat is immediately cut into pieces.

Minced meat: cutlets, zrazy, small pieces of goulash or roast - eaten with a fork without a knife.

The pieces of kebab are removed one by one from the skewer with a knife and fork.

Meat on the bone is served with a paper papillote, put on the bone. Holding the piece by the bone, cut off the meat. A bone plate can be served on the table on the left side.

Usually meat is eaten with a fork and knife, but smoked ribs in a friendly company can be eaten with your hands.

Bird

The bird is eaten with a fork and knife. You should not pick up and gnaw the bone - it is better to leave some meat on it.

The exception is smoked wings and game (partridges and hazel grouses): in this case, a vase of water for rinsing hands and napkins are served.

The legs of the bird should be wrapped in a napkin. If the legs are not wrapped, it is permissible to use a paper towel.

A fish

The waiter serves the fish with a fish device, consisting of a wide spatula-shaped knife and a fish fork with short teeth.

Rarely, but if the fish knife is not available, two regular or fish forks will be served. The fork in your right hand will act as a knife.

It is also permissible to eat fish with one fork, while the fork is taken in the right hand.

It is not allowed to cut fish regardless of the cooking method - fried, baked, boiled or smoked. A special fish knife is convenient for separating fillets from bones.

When ordering soft, baked and boiled fish portions hold with the tip of a knife and separate with a fork. If the fillet is too soft and crumbles, it is permissible to turn the fork with the prongs up and put the fillet pieces on it with a knife.

If the fish is served whole, the upper part of the skin is removed first, the fillet is separated from the skeleton and eaten, then the bones are removed and the lower part of the fillet is eaten.

A circle or a slice of lemon on a plate with fish is not just a decoration. The fish can be drizzled with lemon juice. Lemon juice is squeezed out with the convex side of a fork, but not with your hand.

Smoked fish in public should not be cleaned by hand (at home - please!) - only with a knife and fork. First, the skin is separated, then the pulp is removed from the bones in pieces.

Place the bones with a fork on the edge of a plate or on a special plate.

Salad

The salad is a cold appetizer. On the table, salad is served in portions in a deep or shallow dish or in a common salad bowl. In this case, the salad is transferred to the plate with a special spoon.

Portion salad eat from a served plate. However, in the case of a banquet and a more complex serving, when the salad plate was placed not on the snack plate, but in front and to the right of it, it is supposed to shift the portion onto the snack plate.

Green salad

Green salad served with the main dish on a platter should be eaten from that platter, not transferred to the main platter.

It is not customary to cut large leaves of leafy green lettuce with a knife. Once upon a time, salads were always taken only with a fork, since the knives turned black from contact with vegetables. Today the cutlery is made of stainless steel, so feel free to use a knife. Hold the fork in your left hand with the convex side up. There is on the concave side of the fork, if the fork is in the left hand, it is not accepted.

If the salad is eaten only with a fork, then it should be held in the right hand. In this case, use the concave side of the fork.

Sauce

The sauce can be part of the dish or ordered additionally. When choosing a sauce, experts recommend paying attention to the spices in its composition.

Some dishes are seasoned with sauce before serving. Unfilled sauce is served in a special gravy boat.

The gravy boat is often served on a special tray or on a saucer covered with a napkin. It is not supposed to be placed on the tablecloth.

More often sauces are served individually for each guest. The sauce boat is placed to the left of the bread plate. The nose of the gravy boat is directed to the right side. A sauce spoon is also served on a saucer or tray.

Individual gravy boats are at the disposal of the guests on their own. Sauce from the common gravy boat is poured out by the waiter - do not rush to take the gravy boat and pass it on to your companions in a circle.

It is believed that the sauce should be eaten with the main course. If there is still too much sauce, you should not use it for a side dish, eat it up with a spoon, dip bread into it - you will have to leave the excess on the plate.

Sauce spilled on the tablecloth is enough to blot with a napkin.

Potato

Potatoes, vegetables, like any soft food, should not be cut with a knife; it is enough to cut them into pieces with a fork. It is permissible to lightly trim the crispy potato crust.

Asparagus

Asparagus is popular cold appetizer... The term of its use and submission in fresh from the second half of April to the first days of June.

Cut asparagus from the bottom. Asparagus is a fibrous product; it is difficult to cut across it. Therefore, the asparagus is cut lengthwise into strips and wrapped around the fork.

Usually a knife and a fork are served with the asparagus, although it can be eaten with a single fork. In England, it is customary to eat asparagus by holding the plant by the firm tip and dipping it in the sauce.

Soup

Soups are hot and cold, and according to the method of preparation, they are divided into broth, soup with dressing and puree soup.

Soup is the only dish that even at a dinner party is allowed to be eaten immediately after serving, without waiting for all the guests to be served. At the same time, you do not need to apologize to your neighbors.

It is not supposed to blow on the soup so that it cools as soon as possible, it is permissible to stir it slightly with a spoon.

You should not tilt the plate either towards yourself or away from yourself. Leave some of the soup uneaten.

Do not fill the spoon to the brim, much less wipe the bottom of the spoon with a piece of bread.

If a large piece of meat or chicken is served in the soup, it should be eaten using the cutlery after the broth and dressing.

Meatballs, dumplings and pieces of meat should be eaten whole or divided into pieces with a spoon, not with a knife.

It is believed that if the broth is served in a cup with handles, then the spoon is used only to eat pieces of meat or croutons, while the broth is drunk like tea. In practice, this rule is often neglected by using the more familiar spoon.

At the end of the meal, the spoon remains in the plate.

Cheese

Cheese is served at the end of a complex lunch or as an independent second course between appetizers and dessert. During a festive or gala dinner, cheese can be served before coffee instead of dessert. The cheese can also be served as snack to wine.

The cheese is served with wine, cognac, champagne and beer. When choosing wine for cheese, it should be borne in mind that white wines are combined with cheese better than red ones. Matured wines go well with mature cheeses. There is also a known rule for combining wine and cheese according to their place of origin. For example, French cheese goes better with French wine.

In a restaurant, advice on combining cheese and drinks should be given by the sommelier. During a date or a festive feast, it is better to order drinks by the glass, so that everyone can choose their own drink for the cheese.

As a snack for drinks, cheese can be served with bread or in the form of mini-sandwiches with a special skewer stuck into a piece.

At banquets, cheese is most often served as a cheese plate (or cheese plate) formed from five or more types of cheese. A round solid wood board is often used as a plate. On the plate, the cheeses are arranged clockwise, starting from cheeses with a delicate and mild flavor (curd and soft varieties) to harder and more spicy. The softest type of cheese is on the plate in place for 6 hours.

As the main course, the cheese platter consists of large pieces different varieties, and each independently cuts himself off from this or that piece.

Taking cheeses with your hands from a cheese plate and from your own is unacceptable - you take cheese with a fork.

It is customary to decorate cheese platter with fruits. Each variety is combined with “its own” fruit. The best combination for blue cheese - grapes, for soft cheeses- pears. Walnuts and almonds are served with any type of cheese; they are often placed on a plate next to hard varieties.

It is believed that etiquette was invented not only so that snobs could lift their chin by choosing the right fish fork. We did it so that people would not feel inconvenience.

Modern etiquette: Rules to know and not to forget

Here is a couple in love standing at the entrance to the cafe and hesitating: either the girl is eager to grab the handle, the guy awkwardly pushes the glass with his hand, then the girl dives under his hand like a dolphin, and he, bending, crawls in after. This awkwardness would not have happened if both knew for sure: the young man opens the door to the girl while she is waiting next to him.

But are all the other rules really necessary, or are some of them hopelessly outdated? Let's figure it out.

"Don't start eating until the waiters have finished serving the food and all the guests are seated at the table."

Well, let's say, at a banquet on the occasion of the 60th anniversary, this really needs to be remembered. It would be foolish to sit down at the front of everyone at the table and start cutting yourself as soon as possible.

However, in modern realities, gatherings with friends most often happen in an informal atmosphere, and even for birthdays, everyone gathers as best they can. And here it is stupid, on the contrary, it would be all to wait for Vasya and Lyusya, who are always late.

But to start grabbing something from a plate that the waiter has just put and to which the sauce and cutlery have not yet been reported is really ugly.

By the way, you should also not salt or pepper the dish before you try it, because this gesture will be perceived by the chef as an insult. Well, if the cook, of course, sees ...

This is true of the most lavish reception, where people still bother serving their ten meals.

But in fact, the trend towards simplification of serving has been gaining momentum in restaurants for a long time. For example, in Scandinavian Björn, anything that can be served on stone and wood planks is served on planks. In bars, in general, half of the menu is tapas (a snack for the company), and you have to eat tapas with your hands. Burgers, chicken wings ...

Moreover, rarely in any modern restaurant there is a large assortment of forks, most often a trinity: a knife, a fork, a spoon ... Everything is wrapped in a napkin and put on every table, regardless of what the guest decides to order.

"Do not put items on the table that are not food."

And there really is nothing to add. This concerns girls in the first place. They love to lay out mirrors, lipstick, or not just put a bag on the countertop, but a whole bag with all the essentials. Men, in turn, lay out packs of cigarettes, car keys, wallets ...

All this must be kept to yourself. And phones too. Yes, everyone knows that you are a business man and the Prime Minister can call you at any moment, but let this call bother you from his jacket pocket. It is difficult, of course, this is how it is and not to know whether your subscribers like the photos with the salad, but what can you do.

If you are having breakfast, lunch, or dinner alone, looking at your phone or reading a book over coffee is fine.

Do you know what item can still be put on the table? A small elegant cocktail ladies' handbag. Only this.

Also, the bag cannot be placed on your lap or on your chair, but it can be hung on the back of a chair or placed on the floor if there is no special chair (these are often offered in restaurants). The briefcase is also placed on the floor. This is just as important to remember as the fact that the umbrella is always closed to dry.

"You should not rub wooden sticks against each other, put them on a bowl, point them at food, or move this food on a plate."

When the Japanese see the Russians wielding sticks, they are overtaken by a pre-infarction state. It is, of course, great that we have learned not only to grab sushi with chopsticks, but also to dip them in soy sauce. But in order to reveal a certain level of knowledge of Japanese cuisine, there is still a lot to learn.

For example, a well-bred Japanese man always holds the chopsticks down with the ends with which he takes food. He really does not show them to the beauty he likes at the next table, does not put them on a bowl of sauce, because this is a gross violation of etiquette.

Do not stick chopsticks vertically into food. In East Asia, this is how an offering to the dead is denoted.

Do not put cutlery on the table after you have started a meal. After that, they can only be put on a plate.

And don't pass food with chopsticks. This is generally a Japanese funeral ritual.

"Remember to tip. The tip must be at least ten percent (20 percent for the US) of the order."

Anything can happen in life. Sometimes you have to ask the waiter to change the bill in order to leave him for tea. Sometimes guests can walk to the nearest ATM. But this is all just within the bounds of decency.

But if you didn’t leave for tea, it means that you absolutely didn’t like the service. This is your kind of protest form.

And you shouldn't leave a trifle either. Not only because the little thing is still suitable only for tea at a gas station. But also because, first of all, it will be inconvenient for you when the waiter vertically takes the folder with the check and coins will sprinkle out loudly, like from Pinocchio. It also happens that the waiter, having coldly thanked him, returns the coins to the guest.

Who pays?

And here the fun begins. There are many vintage rules in etiquette to this effect. Most of them are outdated, but it's still interesting to remember them.

And the inviter pays. That is, there is a huge difference between the phrases "let's go to a restaurant" and "invite to a restaurant" even for people of the same sex. In addition, it is believed that a woman can pay herself if she meets a man right in a restaurant (but if alcoholic beverages were drunk, the gentleman should pay for them).

But all this in the 21st century, of course, is observed less often and less often. But the last rule in modern reality has not been canceled: the question of "who pays" must be resolved before the arrival of the waiter, with him - bad manners.

Countess Marie de Tilly talks about the intricacies of restaurant etiquette.

Olga Davydova

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So, we are in a restaurant. Not in a pub, not in a cafe, not in a family establishment with a crowd of children and coloring pages. We came to a good respectable restaurant - for a date, a business meeting or a gala dinner. The shirt is perfectly ironed, the tailcoat is properly buttoned, the dress flows into the floor in even folds. But who should enter first - the gentleman or the lady? Where should you put your hands? What to do with a clutch and what to do with a napkin? How to behave if you need to go out?

The norms of etiquette differ depending on national and cultural characteristics. For example, an English lady at dinner will put her hands on her knees, and in France it is allowed to put her hands on the table on either side of the plate, but an English lady, of course, cannot afford this. In Europe, it is customary to hold a knife in your right hand and a fork in your left, no matter if you are busy cutting or eating a steak. In America, on the other hand, you should first cut off a few pieces, then put the knife aside, take the fork with your right hand and start eating. And yet, the most refined norms are French, so they are most often studied and tried to adhere to.

Our expert consultant
So that the article does not look unfounded, we asked the Queen of French etiquette, Countess Marie de Tilly, for advice. She is a representative of an old French noble family, is responsible for diplomatic receptions at the Elysee Palace, conducts trainings for employees of Chanel, Sotheby’s, Lancóme. The next visit of the world etiquette expert to St. Petersburg will take place in early December 2012 at the W St. Petersburg will host her master class, where we will talk with Ms de Tilly in more detail about the various intricacies of French etiquette, but for now we will tell you about its main aspects.

The beginning of the meal
What is the right way to enter a restaurant? “The first one to enter is a man,” says Countess de Tilly. - He must make sure that the restaurant is calm and friendly, that the lady is not in any danger, and only then invite his companion to the restaurant.

After you have come to the table and greeted other guests, the next question arises: where do you put your purse? The clutch can be left on the chair behind your back, and the larger bag can be neatly placed on the floor next to your legs, but never next to the legs of a table or chair. This way, your purse won't bother anyone, and the waiter won't trip over it.

The next moment is an elegantly folded cloth napkin on a serving plate. Unfold it gently and fold it in half so that the fold is closer to the knees and the loose ends "look" at you. When it's time to use the tissue for its intended purpose, lift it by the free end and bring it to your mouth. Blot your lips with the wrong side, and then lower the napkin back onto your knees. So, lipstick and other possible traces will remain on the seamy side of the napkin and will not be visible to other guests.

Hands can be placed on the table on either side of the plate or left on your lap. It is not customary to put your elbows on the table. However, if a lady, wishing to draw attention to a beautiful ring, elegantly leans on the table, no one will consider this a crime against good manners.

It is absolutely unnecessary to thank the waiter for the dishes brought (it is better to address your thanks to the chef), as well as to wish your fellow guests bon appetite: this is to the chef's face, who came out to the public to prepare a show dish or to communicate with guests.

First grade
So the first course has arrived. In order not to get confused in the devices, which are laid out in many places next to the plate, you need to remember a very simple rule: we take the device located farthest from the plate. As for the knife, it is used infrequently, mainly only for meat. Such a dislike for knives is due to the peculiarities of French cuisine: the ingredients of dishes are usually prepared so that they are as soft as possible, so French dishes are easy to eat with just a fork. Ordered a coarsely sliced ​​salad, the ingredients of which are falling off the fork? According to French etiquette, it is better to help yourself with a piece of bread than with a knife.

It would seem that what could be simpler than soup? There is only one spoon, unlike forks, on the table, and there is nothing to cut. But even here it was not without subtleties: eating from the side of the spoon is considered bad form. You need to hold the appliance perpendicularly and eat soup from the elongated end.

The utensils you started eating should no longer touch the table. If there is a sudden pause in the food, leave the fork and knife on the plate, folding them crosswise, the fork on top. Imagine that the plate is a dial. Arrange the cutlery so that the fork shows eight o'clock and the knife four. Have you finished eating yet? Then the “hands” of your “dial” should be parallel to each other and point with the pens at five o'clock, and with the point at ten. This will serve as a signal for the waiter to change course.

My phone rang ...
“Your phone shouldn't ring,” the Countess de Tilly teaches. "Make sure you get all important phone calls ahead of time, or put them off until later." If the most important call in the world still came to your mobile phone during a meal, and you can't skimp on it, excuse yourself, leave the dining room of the restaurant and answer the call. When returning, you must apologize again.

By the way, it is not accepted to leave the table during lunch or dinner - all the necessary things should be done before (or after) the meal. The same goes for smoking. In France, by the way, and in many other countries, it is forbidden to smoke in establishments Catering, whether it is a luxury restaurant or a regular bar. There is no such law in Russia yet, and “smoking zones” remain in many restaurants. And yet, even if you find yourself on the smoking side, it is better to postpone your habit for the afternoon. High-class restaurants usually have cigar rooms or lobbies where smoking is perfectly appropriate.

End of dinner
When lunch or dinner is over, remove the napkin from your lap and place it on the table to the left of the plate. You do not need to crumple, fold, unfold - let it lie at ease.

And finally, about payment. Usually the invoice is paid by the person who invited you to the restaurant. If the guests have agreed in advance that they all pay together, the bill will be divided equally. It doesn't matter who drank collection wine or who ordered lobsters - the amount is divided by the number of guests.

You can thank the waiter, cloakroom attendant and valet in cash. The tip for the first is usually 10% of the total bill, and gratitude to the cloakroom attendant and valet in France is estimated at about five euros. The money for the waiter should be put into the folder with the invoice, but the tip for the cloakroom attendant and the valet should be given in the hands.

A first date, a dinner party, a celebration of an important date in a close family circle - all this is a great reason to organize a feast in a memorable place. Any trip to the restaurant is a special event and is accompanied by the selection of the appropriate image in the wardrobe. Stylishly selected clothes, neat makeup and accessories will remain invaluable if loved ones intending to share an important meal with you are not familiar with basic rules etiquette.

Peculiarities

In the basics restaurant service and etiquette have their own special distinctive features and seemingly insignificant little things that make up the overall impression of the evening. Simple rules begin to operate long before the meeting, for example, it has long been believed that a table in a restaurant should be booked by a man, and also, if possible, he should come to the meeting point a little earlier than the girl.

A man is also the first to enter the establishment, if the evening is held in the company of guests, then, according to all the rules, the one who initiated the meeting "leads", also initially confirming their subsequent consent to the payment.

This rule may partially lose its relevance, but it still works during social and business meetings of leaders of companies and dinner parties when negotiating.

Visitors at the very entrance, according to all the rules, are met by the administrator, also called the head waiter, or the head waiter of the restaurant. The meeting involves a greeting and a reconciliation of the table armor. If you have a wardrobe, it is worth leaving there outerwear, as well as purchases or, for example, a work briefcase. A man always helps a woman to undress by offering a helping hand.

Landing takes place as follows: a man always yields to a woman a more advantageous landing place, for example, overlooking the window or the stage, if the evening involves musical accompaniment. Pushing one of the chairs aside, he invites the lady to sit down. Having settled down at the reserved table and having studied the presented menu, you need to make an order.

At this moment, you need to call the waiter correctly. Any way to attract attention through all sorts of sounds is considered very ignorant: tapping cutlery on the table or dishes, trying to call out. In such a situation, a simple gesture is enough - a wave of the hand or a nod of the head, accompanied by direct eye contact with the attendant. The most the right option will be - an appeal to any representative of the service personnel directly by name, which is always written on the badge attached to the form.

The opportunity to be the first to fulfill the order of the dish is always given to the guest or the girl, while men follow, as for the choice of alcoholic beverages, he is trusted by the male sex. In principle, the initial distribution of the menu is as follows: the main menu is for the female half, the bar card is for the male.

Try to order the same number of meals as your companion.

How to behave at the table?

The rules of etiquette in a restaurant assume the absence of unnecessary things on the table surface. Thus, it is considered very ignorant to lay out the phone, keys, wallet or any clothing accessories on the table. A particularly grave mistake is to put a bag on the table. This is not only ignorant towards your interlocutor or company, but also distracts the waiter and other staff of the establishment.

Sitting at your table, remember your posture: at correct fit there will be no desire to put your elbows on the table or bend over to it once again. It is best to cover your knees with a napkin prepared when setting the table. If you need to leave while eating, then a napkin is placed on your seat.

While waiting for the order, it's time for a little conversation, but loud conversations violate the right atmosphere for eating, so in restaurant establishments it is customary to communicate quietly with partners. Vivid stories, rich gesticulation, as well as loud rumbles of laughter are also an indicator of impoliteness.

The table waiter brings meals as soon as they are ready, but meals should only be started when everyone in your group has a meal or shared snacks.

The basic rules of behavior while eating are 8 simple steps:

• Do not blow on hot food; wait for it to cool down.
• Maintain the correct position at the table. Do not put your elbows on the table, keep your posture, do not hide your hands under the table, and do not bend too low over the plate.
• Don't spit out the bones. It is considered impolite to spit fruit, fish or other bones into your palm or napkin; try to reach them with a fork. A more neutral option seems to be shifting the bone into a napkin brought to the mouth.

• Do not eat from someone else's plate, let alone cutlery. The romance of movie scenes turns out to be a very ignorant table behavior disorder
• Do not speak with a full mouth, try not to slurp or make any other sounds that give any appreciation to the prepared dishes.
• Do not use personal appliances when overlaying a common dish.
• Correctly cut off one piece from the prepared dish, only after eating it, cut off the next one. It is not necessary to cut the cooked dish whole, the constant picking in the plate looks ridiculous.
• To avoid incidents and to be more confident, try to wipe your hands and blot your mouth with a napkin as often as possible.

How to use the devices?

The most common fear of anyone who goes to a dinner party at good restaurant for the first time, it is the inability to cope with the amount of cutlery, and the fear of looking stupid. In fact, there is always logic in everything, and the table set in advance can be read.

Appetizers are served first. The very small diameter of the plate will tell you which first spoon or small snack fork to use. The cutlery is arranged in a strict order of presentation.

Next, the first and second courses are served, the devices also most often correspond to the diameter of the plate, and all subsequent ones do not differ much. If you do not eat soup today, then the deep tablespoon will remain in the same place., and at a certain time of the change of the dish, the waiter will pick it up.

Special devices for fish dishes are: a special shaped knife resembling a spatula (which is especially convenient when cutting and separating bones) and a fork with shorter teeth.

Before the dessert is served, the cutlery must be changed again. The dessert fork has three teeth, and each of the appliances is different in size.

Dessert utensils are also served for fruit, because it is considered indecent to take food with your hands.

It is not enough to figure out what device and what to eat and cut, it is also important to do it correctly. For example, the knife should always be held in the right hand. If you are not used to eating with a knife, then get in the habit of practicing this simple skill at home in separate meals. The spoon, as a rule, is not full, so as not to spill the contents in any case.

The position of the cutlery on the table is an opportunity to maintain a dialogue with the staff of the establishment. For example, if during a meal it became necessary to leave, but you intend to continue the dish you started, it is customary to put the cutlery in such a way that their ends touch, and if you have finished with the dish, then the cutlery is placed parallel to each other.

There are also other little things that can even tell you whether you liked a particular dish. Having crossed the appliances in such a way that the knife falls between the teeth of the fork, you can tell that you did not like the dish in terms of its taste or other characteristics, and in order to tell the opposite and please the waiters and cooks, place the cutlery perpendicular to the side of the table and point it to the right.

After eating, wipe your mouth and hands with a napkin that can be placed on the dish, and place the cutlery parallel to each other with the handles downward, so you indicate that the meal is over, and the waiter can clean up the table or continue serving by serving the next dish.

Simple combinations can be a great compliment for service personnel or a signal that you should pay attention to.

Often a controversial issue arises after a meal when it is necessary to pay the bill. Restaurant etiquette assumes that the inviter or the man pays the bill. Dividing the bill is appropriate if dinner or any other meal was friendly. In restaurants, it is customary to tip, a pleasant compliment for the staff will be ten percent added to the total invoice.