Serving trays

These trays come in all shape or forms. Their main purpose is transportation of plates and glasses.
They are unmissable in any restaurant or bar and as a server they will become your best friend.
Serving drinks in general just looks better using a tray, it gives a certain feeling of professionalism.

When using a tray to serve food, that should only happen when it is a lot of small items.
If you are incapable of running 2 of 3 plates by carrying them in your hands, you should practice more but for the time being using a tray is acceptable.
What is not acceptable when using a tray:

• Wet or dirty surface of your serving tray

• Carrying a tray with 2 hands

A wet and dirty tray looks messy and shabby. Usually these trays are abundant so when you do not have time to clean a serving tray in busy times, just take another one and clean it later.
Anything you put on a dirty tray will get dirty itself and leaves a stain on the table.

If  you use a tray to carry items, it usually will have several items and will therefore be heavy. That does not give you any right to carry a tray with two hands. Learn to carry even heavy and big trays with 1 hand.
Using 2 hands to hold a tray with food in front of you makes you look like a rookie.

Personal note:

Trays are a pretty need invention. However I only like the rubber ones which are lightweight and have a non-slip layer. Any old-school wooden or chromed ones are horrible and the cheap metal tray offered by your beer rep belongs in the trashcan.

But please, whatever tray you use, carry it in one hand. Using 2 shaky hands is for interns on their first day only. Experienced servers will carry trays on top of outstretched arms above their heads through dense crowds. And these trays carry dozens of glasses.
You can practice your skills with plastic cups filled with water. Place them on your tray and find the right balance to place them and to serve from the tray without the need of putting it down first.

Sincerely,

Den The Man