Instructions for a Banquet Table

Hosting a banquet requires a lot of planning and forethought. The venue, food lists, caterers, entertainment, lighting and decorations all need to be considered. Fortunately, setting the banquet tables with the proper cutlery, crockery and glasses is an easy task. The basic rules of a formal dining setting apply to setting a banquet table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Place the service plate in the center of each seating place. Usually, there are eight seating places to a table. The service plate is the large, flat plate other dishes are placed on during the meal.

2

Place the knife vertically on the right side of the service plate, the teeth facing left. Lay the soup spoon next to the knife--cutlery handles are always toward the edge of the table.

3

Place the dinner fork to the left of the service plate, the same distance away from the plate as the knife. Lay the salad fork left of the dinner fork. Teaspoons go on the left side of the salad fork.

4

Set the water glass about 3 inches above the knife and a smaller beverage tumbler the same distance above the spoon, to the right of the service plate.

5

Position the bread plate directly above the forks, and set the teacup and saucer beside the soup spoon, on the right, with the handle of the teacup at a 5 o'clock angle for ease of access.

6

Napkin placement is variable and is a matter of personal taste. In a classic setting the napkin is to the left of the teaspoon, folded simply. Other variations include across the service plate, at the top of the service plate horizontally or as a flounce in one of the glasses.