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Napkin folds

The final presentation on the table setting is the napkin fold. Restaurants will either use paper or linen napkins, linen being mostly used in more up market restaurants due to laundry costs. Paper napkins are available in a number of sizes and colours and the degree of thickness is indicated by the numbers of ‘Ply” (one, two and three ply serviettes are the most common).

Napkins should be folded with clean hands, and away from the set table to avoid disturbing the set cutlery.

When selecting a napkin fold, the following considerations known as the acronym ‘HATS’, apply:

	Hygiene Handling There is a trend towards simple folds to lessen handling of the napkin by the waiter, to improve hygiene.

	Appearance Select a fold to suit décor and table setting. Some folds are suitable for placing in wine glasses or bread baskets, but most are designed to sit in the centre of the cover, on a show plate or on the side place.

	Time Simplicity in style reduces staff costs.

	Storage Some folds have the advantage that they can be folded in quiet times and stored.

Below are six examples of napkin folds reproduced from The Professional Waiter:

Practice these folds.

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