How to Hold a Server's Tray in a Restaurant

As a server, your most important task, next to taking and relaying orders accurately, is bringing your customers' orders to the table efficiently and in a timely manner. Whenever possible, the entire party should be served at the same time, which means that several items will need to be carried at once on a tray. If a tray is carried improperly, the risk of an accident is high; done correctly, serving several dishes or drinks at a time should appear effortless.

Instructions

1

Load the tray properly before lifting it. The heaviest item should be placed in the center, with lighter items closer to the edge. Do not overload the tray; it's OK to make more than one trip if necessary.

2

Slide the tray onto your left hand for right-handed servers or your right hand for left-handed servers. Hold the tray on the palm of your hand, using your thumb and fingers for balance.

3

Lift the tray just above shoulder level. Turn your face away from the tray while holding it to avoid breathing on the food.

4

Turn your whole body with the tray in a fixed position when walking through the dining room; don't swivel your tray arm.

5

Serve the food or drinks with your empty dominant hand when you reach the table, if you're using a smaller tray.

6

Use a tray jack, which should be set up by a busser or another server just before you reach the table, for large trays holding several plates of food. Shift the tray to both hands by grasping the edge closer to your shoulder with your dominant hand, then sliding your tray hand to the other edge so you can lower the tray onto the jack with both hands.

7

Place any items the customers are finished with, such as empty salad plates, on the tray to carry back to the kitchen. Hold an empty tray in the same way as a full tray as you return to the kitchen or bar. Stop at your other tables to pick up empty glasses or bottles, if you have room on your tray.