"Serve sth out VS "Dish sth out"

Question

Based on many dictionary definitions the nuance between the two phrasal verbs below is so subtle that I cannot tell them apart at all!

For instance I'm not able to distingush the foollowing sentences semantically:

• The servers have started dishing out the food.
• The servers have started dishing out the food.

According to what many dictionaries say and without any change in meaning, one should be able to ask someone:

• Please dish out my food within another plate.
• Please serve out my food within another plate.

Do you confirm my taking? Do these verbs mean exactly the same? If not please using an example clarify this nuance.

Answer 1

"Serve out" is incorrect; it's not a phrasal verb - you should just use "serve." "They have started dishing out the food" or "They have started serving the food." "Please dish me out a plate" or "Please serve me a plate."

Whilst very similar in meaning, "dish out" is more informal, and has a sense of sharing something equally to multiple people. You would dish out a large bowl of stew to several different people, for example. Or you could dish out a box of sweets amongst your friends. It refers mostly to that action of actually pouring the stew out to the different people.

"Serve" tends to be more formal, and refers more to bringing food out to someone at a table. A waiter carrying your food over to you is serving you dinner.

In a restaurant, you might have the cook dish out the food to several different plates, and then the waiter serve those plates to the people waiting at a table.