Service Etiquette Using a Maid

The maid announces to the hostess that dinner is served at a prearranged time or twenty minutes after the last guest has arrived. The hostess seats guests in the customary manner of alternation, unless one sex outnumbers the other, and then the hostess uses her discretion.

When a Resident Maid or Hired Help Serves Cocktails and Dinner

1. Usually six to eight guests are invited.

2. The time for cocktails and dinner is settled. Invitations are written or telephoned.

3. The menu is written out for the maid to check the procedure. A resident maid will know where things are and your way of doing things. Hired help will need everything put out in readiness and a more careful check of procedure. Remember to allow plenty of room around the table for service. Usually a three-course dinner is offered. Canapés and dips that do not need constant attention are suggested.

4. Cocktails in any may be mixed and served at a bar accommodation in the living room or other suitable place. The maid serves the canapés.

5. Before the guests enter the dining room, the water glasses should be filled, butter put on the butter plates, and candles lighted. Sherry should be poured if it is to be served with the first course.

6. The maid announces to the hostess that dinner is served at a prearranged time or twenty minutes after the last guest has arrived. The hostess seats guests in the customary manner of alternation, unless one sex outnumbers the other, and then the hostess uses her discretion.

7. To simplify service, the first course may be already on the table, whether it is a cold fruit cup or a hot soup in covered dishes.

8. All serving of the food is done on the left side of the guest. Water and wine are served on the right. – Patricia Easterbrook Robert’s, 1960

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