The French Style Table Setting

The generic French place setting has the water goblet and wine glasses placed on a diagonal on the right of the plate.  The last wine glass of the diagonal is placed above the fish knife.  The dessert fork and spoon are placed directly above the top of the plate.  Then come the individual salt and pepper shakers with the place card at the twelve o'clock position at the top.  It is important to note that the dessert fork tines face to the right while the spoon above it faces in the opposite direction.  Like the American setting, this arrangement makes it possible for the waiter or butler to slide the fork and spoon to the left and right respectively after the other flatware has been removed.  The dessert is then served.  

The French style place setting typically has no bread plate.  Any bread that is served is placed on the service plate.

As mentioned previously, the flatware on the table reflects the various courses to be served.  To the left of the plate, the forks are placed in order of the courses served, starting from the left to the right.  That usually means the fish fork, then the main course fork and finally the salad fork.  Typically, the right side starts with a soup spoon, fish knife and then the main course knife.  Notice that here again, there is no salad knife.     


Although the cutlery is laid out the same way as in American and British settings, the forks and spoons are turned over.  The reason for this is typically the French family monograms are engraved on the back of the cutlery.