"That's not practical for any party larger than 2. If the waiter needed to serve martinis to a table of 6, that would be at least 2 and probably 3 trips to the bar. Since good manners dictates that we do not partake until the entire party has been served, my martini is slowly warming up whilst waiting for yours to be brought from the bar. Also walking whilst holding a martini glass from the stem is difficult to do without sloshing martini everywhere, and holding by the bowl leaves fingerprints on my drink and warms up the drink. I know not everyone is going to drink a martini but you get the drift here. There's no way *other* than a tray to transport multiple beverages from bar to table unless you don't mind your waiter looking like the St. Pauli Girl, and I don't mind that in a pub but not in a formal, upscale dinner."

Trust me, in a past life I've served many a table of 6+ people and never needed a tray. Unless you're eating in a barn (my assumption is not since we're talking about a real restaurant here) then you don't need a tray. Your 6 martinis don't magically get made all at once. They get made one or two at a time. Unless you're physically picking the martini off of the tray (which you should not be doing) then you're going to have finger prints on it. The waiter has to pick it up to put it on the tray and also take it off. You'll likely end up with 2x the fingerprints really. Sure there is no way to transport multiple beverages, but there are multiple waitors in the place and the waiter can make more than one trip.

"Don't get me started on arm service for plates. I truly appreciate a waiter who can perform arm service for entrees for a party of 4 but for every one who can do it, there's at least a dozen who *think* they can do it but end up with tie, boob, or finger in dinner."

More than two plates really should be left for banquet service. Those who bring out 6 dinners on a tray have had those dinners sitting under a hot lamp the whole time. They kitchen doesn't magically produce 6 plates at once unless you're all eating exactly the same thing. It's better to have the meals brought out as they're made.