Russian Service
Russian service was introduced in Russia in the 17th century and is the method of food service we use today. During sit down dining events, servers will present each course to each guest as an individual portion. This means each guest will receive their own portion of each course to enjoy. If you are not serving a buffet or tray passed appetizers then Russian service is the only way to go. It is the way to ensure that your guests are satisfied with their meal and have had an appropriate amount of food. Serving your guests any other way at an event would appear to be cheap and unsanitary.
You should not expect your guests to share dishes especially if they are unfamiliar with one another. Even in buffet service, each guest receives a plate of food which they bring back to their individual place setting. It is so important to maintain an accurate count of your guest list to make sure that you have enough food. If your expected guest list is three hundred and four hundred people show up, you won’t have food for those one hundred extras.
Russian service is based upon serving a specific amount of food for a group of people so that each person has their own portion. Russian service is also helpful because the caterer, event planner and host can control the portions and thus the cost of the food. Once all of the courses have been served- the food service stops. Russian service is the best method for accurate planning and because it is what people are used to, there are no surprises.
Also See - French Service
