Dining Etiquette
How to manage a meal in a professional setting
The purpose of dining etiquette rules:
- Demonstrate good manners
- Keep the table clean and tidy
- Communicate with your server
- Wait until everyone at your table is served before you begin eating.
- Do not season your food until you have tasted it.
- Offer items to other before helping yourself. Offer to the left and pass items to the right around the table.
- Pass the salt and peper together, they are a pair.
- Always pass items in the serving dish.
- Start with outside utensils and work your way towards the plate.
- Never put a used utensil back on the table, rest them on a plate.
- Place used wrappers under a plate.
- Tear off pieces of breat to butter as you eat. Do not butter the whole roll at one time.
- Use your napkin (blot, don't scrub your face).
- Solids to the left of the plate, liquids to the right.
- Always follow the lead of your host.
