The composition of restaurant menus is based on the approved sequential order of dishes which is French in origin and was adopted by English restaurants in the nineteenth century. The names for most courses are French (but native equivalents for some of them are also available), e.g., hors d’oeuvre, entrée, pièce de résistance, sorbet, and the naturalized soup and dessert. It is also worth reminding ourselves at this point that such basic words for meals as dinner and supper were taken from Old French.

Restaurant, restaurateur, maître d’hôtel, chef, cuisine, menu, à la carte, carte du jour, table d’hôte, Sommelier, and other French words and phrases used in English all bear witness to the high prestige of the French restaurant culture many of whose standards and principles still continue to be considered de rigueur by professional caterers in this country.