Has anyone done one of these? They have locations in Pa., N.J., and Florida.

I've been shopping about six years, but this is my first true "fine dining" shop, and I have a question. What the heck is "pre-bussing"? There are questions about whether the server cleared plates after each course and if nearby tables were bussed in a timely fashion. But I don't know what "pre-bussing" is! I assumed it meant items being cleared and set up during the meal, but the other questions cover that. I worked as a waitress and never heard that term.

Is this a common term for fine dining? How might it differ from the other questions?

TIA!

I Googled it and found this:

For those of you who are not familiar with the term, pre-bussing refers to the practice of removing plates—or any other item the customer is done with—from the table before they've actually gotten up and left, but after they're done with them.

[www.google.com]

In more formal dining there should never be trash or emptied items left on the table. I have always worked on the basis of pre-bussing being removal of anything that was no longer needed. I see it more in casual dining where straws, paper bands around napkins and wrappings for butter pats or jelly provide table trash. Even in fine dining there are likely to be paper packets for various sweeteners that should be cleared soon after the guest has sweetened their beverage. Fine dining also should be crumbing the table between courses. Clearing plates between courses is required, but basically the table needs to be reset between courses with fresh plates, often fresh silverware if a full complement of silverware was not in the original setup, water glasses refilled and refills offered for other beverages. Condiments (other than salt, pepper and sugars) needed for the prior course need to be removed and ones pertinent to the next course brought.

Yes, that is how it has been explained to me, mostly clearing plates and glasses, sometimes collecting trash, etc. I agree it's a strange term since you'd usually think of bussing as the actual wiping down of the table, but I guess clearing it off would also be included.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2019 09:30PM by RedRose22.

The other thing is that at the end of the meal what should be left on your table are the salt & pepper type condiments, any floral or candle 'centerpiece', your water glasses, your coffee cups, saucers and spoons, your after dinner drink glasses and the payment folio. When you get up to leave you will just drop your napkins on the table and depart. The bus person should be by to clear the table usually within 90 seconds, clearing the last items, removing the napkins and table cloth, checking and clearing the floor of any debris and bringing a fresh table cloth to begin remaking the table. This is what you should see happening promptly at tables around you on guest departure.

By the way, on a seriously 'fine' dining the chair should be held for any lady in the group for her initial seating and napkin service provided of opening it and putting it on your lap.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2019 09:49PM by Flash.

I have done a few of these. This is not a fine dining shop, more like upscale casual. You can PM me if you have any questions.

I did one last week and they wanted individual pictures of everything including the tap water glasses. It isn't really fine dining but it is much more expensive than casual dining restaurant. With the tip. I spent the entire amount
They offer a seasonal menu.
The food was very good.

I have done these. They are reasonable. Not truly fine dining, but very nice. Be sure to take the pictures from the angles they want. It will probably be easy to over-run the budget. the food is very good.

Well, I figured "pre-bussing" was what y'all have said, but what was confusing was that they asked the same question at least two other times.... I started thinking that it wasn't what I thought it was. I can't help but think of George Carlin. Pre-bussing sounds like pre-boarding -- a term someone thought up to describe something that's not.

I'd never been to one of these before, and had thought it was "fine dining" due to the salty prices. But upscale casual is definitely more like it. It was delicious, though, and the service was more fine dining than any upscale-casual place I've been to recently. Our server was fabulous and the equal or better than most servers we've had in fine-dining restaurants. He really was amazing. And, yup; very easy to go over budget. We were a couple of bucks over, but only because we couldn't resist dessert (although we decided before we went that we would NOT have any, but when they put that tray in front of you....).

@RedRose22 wrote:

Yes, that is how it has been explained to me, mostly clearing plates and glasses, sometimes collecting trash, etc. I agree it's a strange term since you'd usually think of bussing as the actual wiping down of the table, but I guess clearing it off would also be included.

When I worked in a restaurant, "bussing" was clearing place settings, trash, etc.; wiping down tables; and re-setting the tables ready for the next customer. We had bus boys, but the waitresses were expected to help out. Servers should be clearing empty plates and straw wrappers and other trash as they go, anyway. Since there are a couple of other questions in the survey asking the same thing, I don't "get" the redundancy. Trick question? LOL.

Glad your dinner went well and was yummy! My sense is that 'bussing' is at the end of the meal with wipe down and reset and may be done by the server in very low staff, casual places, but more likely to be done by a bus boy. Pre-bussing then becomes more table maintenance during the meal, but even at that, it may well be just clearing the table of most items prior to your departure, so you could have been staring at an empty appetizer plate during all the rest of the meal, but if it is cleared with the entrée plates before your credit card is returned, you have been 'pre-bussed'.

@ wrote:

By the way, on a seriously 'fine' dining the chair should be held for any lady in the group for her initial seating and napkin service provided of opening it and putting it on your lap.

Yes; I know that, and they expect chair service for the ladies (but not napkin service), which was another reason I'd expected more of a fine-dining situation.

Slightly OT, but it's sad that "real" fine dining is almost a thing of the past. At least where we live. Two places have closed in recent years, and there's only two others in our immediate area. We have to travel 20 to 25 miles to reach one.

@Flash wrote:

Pre-bussing then becomes more table maintenance during the meal, but even at that, it may well be just clearing the table of most items prior to your departure, so you could have been staring at an empty appetizer plate during all the rest of the meal, but if it is cleared with the entrée plates before your credit card is returned, you have been 'pre-bussed'.

I believe this is what they meant, but I'm still not sure why, then, they asked the same question one or two other times!

@BirdyC wrote:

Slightly OT, but it's sad that "real" fine dining is almost a thing of the past. At least where we live. Two places have closed in recent years, and there's only two others in our immediate area. We have to travel 20 to 25 miles to reach one.

Yes, years ago we did one fine dining location that was complete with fresh flowers and lit candles, cloth tablecloths and napkins, the full array of heavy silverware pre-set on the table with the server's assistant removing that which we would not need for our appetizers and bread and butter. Chair and napkin service were provided for both male and female guest. A verbal enumeration of appetizers was given and described (but no prices) and while were waiting for our appetizers the cart rolled over to display the aged steaks, lobster, pork chops and a plated cooked duck dish for us to decide about center of the plate item. Sides were described verbally. The meal was orchestrated well, with plenty of table crumbing, removal of used items. reset with fresh silver service appropriate to our entrees, etc. etc. It was a lovely and very elegant evening.

A few years ago we were offered an opportunity to revisit the restaurant and, as expected, the reimbursement was more than the seemingly outrageous amount from years ago. Got there and the tablecloths were now topped with white kraft paper to keep them clean, no chair or napkin service, printed menu, no trolley to display choices, food was not nearly as good as we remembered, nor was the service (no crumbing at all), yet the prices had been hiked as if it were still fine dining.

Oh, how disappointing! There was a restaurant back in Rochester (where I lived for years), N.Y., that was an upscale fine-dining place. it was one of the only places where we had a crumb sweeper! Chair and napkin service for the ladies, cloth tablecloths, linen napkins, all the glasses and silverware one would need for a multi-course meal, etc. And the fresh flowers and candles. I don't know if still in business, but if it is, I suspect it may have gone the way of the place you describe.

My DH and I love to get dressed up to go out, but these days, we'd be so out of place. Business casual is about as dressy as we get now. At least we look like we're stopping for dinner on our way home from work.

I hear that Ruth's Chris Steakhouse requires either jackets or ties; sounds more "upscale" than many places. The nearest one to us is about 70 miles away, but I have a friend who lives the other side of the state, and the location is about halfway for both of us. We're trying to set up something to meet her and her husband for dinner there.

My guess is that the age of guests being dressed to the nines for a perfect formal fine dining experience is why every place has gone more casual. I'm not sure that the RC Steakhouse is particularly elegant these days either. I recently got a flyer in the mail for a lunch seminar with my choice of locations being the mediocre restaurant in a local hotel or RC Steakhouse.

Ruth's Chris is a wonderful restaurant. We always dress neatly and never feel out of place. Same goes for all the other fine dining places. My DH and went to a scrumptious fine dining steakhouse. The guest's attire varied from shorts and t-shirts to a family visiting from out of town dressed to the nine's; their tween, early 20's daughters were wearing prom like long gowns. Too cute!

Ruth Chris by us is not too formal. The restaurant itself is, but I have seen people wearing t-shirts at the bar.