Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Dining Etiquette A Tablecloth Creative Correct Table Setting and Seating Arrangements

Over the Counter Etiquette
by Harold Almon
baesoe.com 
A tablecloth is used to add ambiance to a table and/or to hide bad boards. It is to be placed on a table hem side down, and crest up, if it has one. It can be made of any material from Damask to paper. It may be free of wrinkles. Who really cares if the folds show? In a commercial dining room it can be covered with glass. Avoid covering a table cloth in clear plastic, unless you are also going to give each of your guests a bib. Each table cloth can be pre-treated to resist stains.

A tablecloth could be inspected to ensure it is free from hanging strings. It might be rejected if it is dirty, torn, or worn. The tablecloth is to have a ten-to-eighteen inch drop even around the edge of the table, and end just above the seat of the chair. It can be even on all sides that show.

To get the measurement for a tablecloth for a round table measure the distance across the center of the tabletop. Add thirty six inches to this measurement. This will provide an eighteen inch overhang. If the tabletop is other than round, measure the length and width of it. Add twenty to thirty six inches to each measurement. This will provide a ten to eighteen-inch drop. The rule for determining an overhang is the tablecloth measurement(s,) minus the tabletop measurement(s,) equals overhang. Note, any tablecloth that allows less than a ten- inch overhang has a tendency to make the table or the tablecloth look borrowed.

A tablecloth can be made of a sheet. Place it on the table, unfold, and center it. At knee length, tie it underneath with a string or a ribbon. Then tie another ribbon around it, give the ribbon a bow; let the rest flow. Once a sheet is settled, it will balloon at the bottom, and the balloon effect will serve as the overhang.

A tablecloth can have an accent tablecloth or runner placed atop it. In a commercial dining room, the accent top may be butcher paper, with a cup of crayons. It is to be changed at the end of each meal.

A stanchion is used to hold a table number, on each table at a banquet. It is used to help people in getting to their table. They can be taken off table after people are seated, or informally after people are served.

A table is to have chairs that come with it. Chairs are used to add a degree of formality to an occasion. They add ambiance to an event. Chairs can represent a dream come true for people who feel too old to eat standing up or sitting on floors. When used, Captain-chairs for the host and the hostess are to match.

Each chair is to be placed so that the middle of the back of it is center the place setting. The back of the chair is to be placed six inches from the table edge, and eighteen inches from any wall. It is placed at minimum twenty four inches away from the back of any adjacent chair. Ideally, a banquet chair is to fold, collapse, or stack. They may be rented, and polished with lemon oil.



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