From French service to large buffets Les Grands Buffets Restaurant in Narbonne has made a multi-denominational French tradition its very own, in the form of what is known as French service or buffets. From the Middle Ages this is how crowned heads and the French aristocracy held their great banquets. Differing from the English or Russian service, French service consists of serving all the foods at the same time in the form of a «buffet», inviting guests to choose their menu according to their taste and preferences.