Timing the starter and main course

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happyjacks

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The busing tables thread got me wondering... what do you do when you get a s...l...o...w eater who's still working on the starter course and your main course is hot and ready to serve?
We try to hold off until all people in the same party are done but I hate to let the plated mains sit any longer than they have to. Sometimes if it's just one slow eater I'll bring it out anyway and say I'm not trying to rush them but want them to have it hot. If we wait too long, others start in on the cereal as if they don't really believe that more food is coming.
What to do?
 
If the rest of the party had finished their starter and the main course was piping hot, plated, and ready to serve, the other starters would be cleared and the hot main course came out. That's exactly what I'd do...just say, "I don't want to rush you at all, but I wanted to bring you your entree while it was HOT! Please feel free to keep your first course and take your time with it."
The other folks don't need to sit there and wait just because one person takes forever!
 
We bring out the next course. We have two tables that seat 8 each, so there's plenty of room to put their main course next to their first course if they're still working on it. And, we are still struggling with how to keep some food warm while cooking the different components, so I'm not going to add any extra cooling time waiting on slow-poke.
 
Most of our breakfasts take long enough to cook that the starter is over by the time the main course arrives. I have had to stop DH a few times from getting the main plated because something is going on at the table and no one is eating the starter. This usually happens when it's a baked dish that only needs plating and not cooking. Or they are still waiting for one of their party to show.
If it's plated I serve it and say what you do, 'No rush...'
 
We bring out the next course. We have two tables that seat 8 each, so there's plenty of room to put their main course next to their first course if they're still working on it. And, we are still struggling with how to keep some food warm while cooking the different components, so I'm not going to add any extra cooling time waiting on slow-poke..
Hot holding cooked foods- we use a toaster oven for things like bacon and the lowest setting on the oven for biscuits.
I don't know if you were required to take a food safety course or not, but this is something you need to be sure you get right! Not the muffins, but any meat dishes need to be held at the proper temp for the duration.
 
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