Guéridon service

Guéridon service, sometimes known as tableside service, is a form of food and beverage service where dishes are prepared, finished, or flambéed by service staff at the diner's table. The practice involves a specially designed mobile serving cart called a guéridon trolley or just guéridon. The cart functions as a portable workstation for tasks such as carving meat, filleting fish, tossing salads, and creating desserts. This style of service is primarily found in fine dining establishments with an à la carte menu and is characterized by its high level of guest interaction and theatrical performance.

It is distinguished from its historical predecessor, service à la russe, which typically involves sideboard (guéridon) carving, by the introduction of more complex cooking and flambéing techniques after World War I in the deluxe restaurants of France.