- 1). Place a charger -- or liner plate -- on the table directly in front of dining room chair. This adds height and elegance to the place setting. The charger will remain in place for the entire meal, acting as a stylish underplate for all dishes.
- 2). Set the dish for the first course on top of the charger. This may be a dinner plate, soup bowl or salad plate. Skip this step if the dish is presented with the course, as is customary when serving crisp greens on a chilled salad plate.
- 3). Arrange a cloth napkin on top of the charger or first course dish. For formal settings, the napkin can be displayed intricately or left neatly pressed in a simple, folded rectangle.
- 4). Position the forks on the left hand side of the plate in the order they will be used, with the first fork going on the far left. The last fork to be used goes on the inside next to the charger. Align the bottom edges of all utensils next to the charger so they are even with the bottom of the charger. Place a small bread plate above the forks, laying the butter knife neatly on top.
- 5). Arrange the dinner knife on the right-hand side of the charger, with the sharp edge facing the charger. A teaspoon and soupspoon are set next, but only if they will be in service for the meal. Similar to the forks, the spoon that will be used first in the meal is placed on the outside, with further spoons placed to the left. Set the oyster fork to the right of the spoons when serving shellfish.
- 6). Set the water glass directly above the tip of the dinner knife. The primary or red wineglass is set to the right of the water glass at a 45-degree angle. Place the secondary or white wineglass next to the main wineglass.
- 7). Place the dessert fork and spoon horizontally above the charger, in between the water glass and the butter plate. The fork is set on the inside, closest to the charger, with the handle facing left. Place the dessert spoon above and face the handle to the right.
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