DINING ETIQUETTE
You never get a second chance to make a first
impression. And in this fast-food era, many people have
forgotten – or were never taught - the fundamentals of
dining etiquette. Which way should I pass? Which fork
is mine? What do I do with my napkin?
Table manners play an important part in making a
favorable impression. They are visible signals of your
manners and therefore are essential to professional
success. Whether you are having lunch with a
prospective employer or dinner with a business
associate, your manners speak volumes about you.

OBJECTIVES
By the end of the presentation, participants will:
 Know proper table manners in business or
social setting
 Gain skills to conduct themselves properly
when eating in any situation

WHAT WE WILL COVER:
 General Social and Dining Etiquette Rules
 The formal table setting
 Serving Food, Passing Dishes
 Table Manners
 Eating
 General tips

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE TABLE
 Do not place any bags, purses, sunglasses, cell phones, or
briefcases on the table
 When everyone is seated, gently unfold your napkin and
place it on your lap, folded in half with the fold towards
your waist
 Keep utensils in the same order they appear on the table
 Do not rearrange utensils to accommodate yourself if you
are left-handed
 Wait for all parties to arrive before beginning any part of
the meal

Formal Table Setting

NAPKIN ETIQUETTE
 Placing the Napkin in Your Lap
 Unfolding the Napkin - Unfold your napkin in one smooth motion
without "snapping" or "shaking" it open.
 The size determines how you unfold a napkin in your lap.
 Large napkins provided at more formal dinners, are unfolded halfway.
 Smaller napkins are unfolded completely and cover the lap fully.
 Tucking the Napkin -Don't tuck a napkin into your collar, between
the buttons of your shirt, or in your belt.
 When messy finger food is served before tucking the napkin under the
chin or tying it around the neck, look to the host to see if he does the
same.

CONTINUED
 Using the Napkin-Use your napkin frequently
during the meal to blot or pat, not wipe, your lips.
Blot your lips before taking a drink of your
beverage-especially if you're a woman wearing
lipstick.
 Napkin Rings-If a napkin ring is present, after
removing your napkin, place the ring to the top-left
of the setting. At the end of the meal, grasp the
napkin in the centre, pull it through the ring, and lay
it on the table with the point facing the centre of the
table.

PASSING FOOD
 Food should be passed to the right - but the point is for
the food to be moving in only one direction.
 One diner either holds the dish as the next diner takes
some food, or he hands it to the person, who then serves
herself.
 Any heavy or awkward dishes are put on the table with
each pass.
 Cream pitchers and other dishes with handles should be
passed with the handle toward the person receiving
them.
 If a platter for sharing is present it is passed around the
table, with each diner holding it as the person next to
him serves himself, using only the serving utensils
provided.

SALT AND PEPPER ETIQUETTE
 Taste Before Salting. Be sure to
taste the food before putting salt or
pepper on it.
 Pass Salt and Pepper Together.
Always pass salt and pepper
together. If a person asks for just
one, pass both anyway.
 If there is no spoon in the saltcellar,
use the tip of a clean knife to take
some salt.
 If the saltcellar is for you alone,
you may either use the tip of your
knife or you may take a pinch with
your fingers.

 Cut the food by holding the knife in the right hand
and the fork in the left hand with the fork tines
piercing the food to secure it on the plate.
 Cut a few bite-size pieces of food, then lay your knife
across the top edge of your plate with the sharp edge
of the blade facing in.
 Change your fork from your left to your right hand to
eat, fork tines facing up.
 If you are left-handed, keep your fork in your left
hand, tines facing up.
Using the Fork & Knife

SERVING ETIQUETTE
Formal Meals
 Food is brought to each diner at the table;
 The server presents the platter or bowl on the diner's
left,
 (Alternatively, plates are prepared in the kitchen and
then brought to the table and set before the diners.)
Casual Meals
 The host will dish food onto guests' plates to pass around
the table; or
 The diners help themselves to the food and pass it to
others as necessary

USING SERVICE CUTLERY
Some general guidelines for using serving cutlery:
 Serving cutlery are placed on the right side of serve
ware;
 When a serving spoon and serving fork are presented
together, the spoon is laid on the right ready to cut and
lift and the fork on the left to steady and hold.
 The cutlery is returned to the platter or serving bowl in
the same position.
 When a serving spoon is presented on an under plate,
after use the cutlery is replaced in the bowl (ready for
the next person to use).
 To protect the hand, the blade of a carving knife faces
inward.

COURSE FINISHED
When each course is finished:
 Place the knife and fork parallel with the handles in
the four o'clock position on the right rim of the plate;
 The tips rest in the well of the plate in the ten
o'clock position;
 The blade of your knife should face inward;
 The fork tines may be either up or down.
 This position signals to the server that you're finished. It
also decreases the chance that the utensils could fall to
the floor when the plates are cleared.

SPECIFIC FOOD ETIQUETTE
 Berries: Generally, eat berries with a spoon, whether they
have cream on them or not.
 Bread: Break slices of bread, rolls and muffins in half or in
small pieces never larger than one bite. Butter each bite at a
time. Small biscuits do not have to be broken. Never cut a
roll with a knife.
 When the rolls are served in a basket, take one, and
always pass the basket to your right. Never tear your roll
in half or into many pieces.
 Use your own butter knife and the butter on your plate;
buttering should be done on the plate or just above it.
 Clams and oysters in the half shell: Hold the shell with
the left hand and lift the clam out using your oyster fork.

CONTINUED
 Crab, shrimp and lobster cocktails: These are eaten
with a cocktail fork.
 Fried Fantail Shrimp: Picked up by the tail and eaten
with the fingers.
 Pasta or Spaghetti: The perfect method for eating
spaghetti or other long stringy pasta is to twirl it
around your fork. Use a spoon to help if needed. It is
also acceptable to cut pasta with a knife and fork.
 Potatoes: If not already slit, cut across the top with a
knife, open the potato wider with your fork, and add
butter or sour cream and chives, salt, and pepper. You
may eat the skin as you go along. Don't take the
insides out and put the skin aside (or take the foil off).

THANK YOU