The Garde Manger Service Line

A service line is a row of large food-service equipment units selected and arranged for the fast and efficient turn-out of food. Service lines may be single or double.

• A single-service line consists of one row of equipment with a pickup window situated above one or more of the equipment units. Cooks and chefs working a single-service line work facing that row of equipment only.
• A double-service line consists of a front line and a back line running parallel. The cooks and chefs stand in the corridor formed by the two lines, which is typically about 36 inches wide. By simply turning toward the front or the back, they are able to utilize several equipment units and work spaces without taking extra steps. Typically, the front line is used for plating food and contains the window where finished plates are picked up. The back line is for finishing the food components (and on a hot line typically contains the cooking equipment). On a garde manger double-service line, the back line might contain refrigeration for larger food items and workspace for cold foods that require last-minute assembly.