The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees

By Lora Arduser

This training handbook was designed for use by all food service serving staff members. The guide covers every aspect of restaurant customer service for the positions of host, waiter or waitress, head waiter, captain, and bus person. The detailed performance of each position is described for different types of establishments, and all types of service including French, American, English, Russian, Family-Style and Banquet.

It provides step-by-step instructions on: hosting, seating guests, taking/filling orders, loading/unloading trays, table side service, setting an elegant table, folding napkins, centerpieces, promoting specials, promoting side orders, handling problems, difficult customers, managing tips and taxes, getting customers to order quickly, handling questions, handling the check and money.

Plus, learn advanced serving techniques such as flambe and carving meats, fish, and fruits. It also features a chapter devoted exclusively to food safety and sanitation. Whether it's your first day on the job or you are a twenty year veteran you are bound to learn a lot. Food service managers will find this book to be an excellent foundation for your organizations training program.

Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. The print version of this book is 288 pages and you receive exactly the same content. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
• Release date: Jun 7, 2005
• ISBN: 9781601380906

Lora Arduser

Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed

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The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees

Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. Copyright © 2005

1210 SW 23rd Place

Ocala, Florida 34474

800-541-1336

352-622-5836–Fax

www.atlantic-pub.com–Web site

[e-mail]–E-mail

SAN Number :268-1250

All rights reserved. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No warranty is implied. The information is provided on an as is basis.

This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this ebook to anyone else. If you received this publication from anyone other than an authorized seller you have received a pirated copy. Please contact us via e-mail at [e-mail] and notify us of the situation.

International Standard Book Number: 0-910627-47-9

ISBN 13: 978-0-910627-47-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Arduser, Lora.

The waiter & waitress and waitstaff training handbook : a complete guide

to the proper steps in service for food & beverage employees / By Lora

Arduser.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-910627-47-9 (alk. paper)

1. Table service--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Waiters--In-service training--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Waitresses--In-service training--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title: Waiter and waitress and waitstaff training handbook. II. Title.

TX925.A72 2004

642’.6--dc22

2004018329

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Serving Staff

Chapter 2: Types of Service and Table Settings

Chapter 3: Hosting

Chapter 4: Table Service

Chapter 5: Taking Orders

Chapter 6: Carrying Trays

Chapter 7: Suggestions and Suggestive Selling

Chapter 8: Take Care of the Kids

Chapter 9: Server Side-Work Duties

Chapter 10: Menu Knowledge

Chapter 11: Electronic Ordering System

Chapter 12: Tipped Employees

Chapter 13: Beverage Service

Chapter 14: Bussing

Chapter 15: Sanitation and Safety

Chapter 16: Workplace Forms

Introduction

In many countries, waiting on tables is considered an honorable profession and a very respectable way to earn a living. There are even schools to educate people on how to become professional servers. In the United States, for the most part, this is not the case. In many instances you will be interviewing a student, working parent or someone else looking for part-time or even in-between employment. Investing in training and education can reduce turnover and increase productivity. Technology is important in training, but getting through to your employees is even more important. The layout of the dining room and the type of food service affect the duties assigned to waiters and waitresses and the exact manner in which these duties are performed. However, certain fundamental duties that pertain to the serving of food are common to all food operations.

The precise dining room procedures may differ somewhat between one food service unit and another. A waitperson’s efficiency is measured by the carefulness and completeness with which his or her duties are performed—before the meal service, before the customer’s order is taken, after the meal service, and after the customer has left the table.

Numerous industry surveys show that waitstaff service is often the deciding factor in returning to a restaurant or going to a competitor instead. Offering great food is not enough to stay competitive. It is up to you, the manager, to train, motivate and supervise the staff to ensure your success and to keep customers coming back and spreading the word about your establishment.

Results from Food and Wine’s Food in America 2002 survey clearly indicate to any restaurant owner/manager that customers consider service to be an important part of their overall dining experience. Findings from the survey include the following diner pet peeves:

This new training handbook was designed for use by all food service serving staff members. The guide covers every aspect of restaurant customer service for the positions of host, waiter or waitress, head waiter, captain, and bus person. The detailed performance of each position is described for different types of establishments and all types of service including French, American, English, Russian, Family-Style and Banquet. It provides step-by-step instructions on:

Hosting

Seating guests

Taking/Filling orders

Loading/Unloading trays

Table side service

Setting an elegant table

Folding napkins

Centerpieces

Promoting specials

Promoting side orders

Handling problems

Difficult customers

Managing tips and taxes

Handling questions

Handling the check

Handling money

Getting customers to order quickly

Plus, learn advanced serving techniques such as flambé and carving meats, fish and fruits. Also, a chapter is devoted exclusively to food safety and sanitation.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

The Serving Staff

How to Hire a Good Service Staff

The key to hiring good, competent employees is to put aside personal prejudices and select one applicant over another only because you feel he or she will have a better chance of being successful at the job. What a potential employee is qualified and capable of doing is often quite different than what he or she actually will do. The purpose of this section is to provide the interviewer with the information necessary to determine if the applicant has the qualities needed.

What Makes a Good Server?

Servers are essentially internal marketing tools. They are the link between your customers and sales, so you want a server who is going to be successful at marketing your menu and establishment to your guests. Obviously, knowledge and experience make a person a good server, but what character traits should you look for in an individual that will tell you they would shine as a server? Here are some guidelines:

Effective Communicator

One of a server’s main jobs is to communicate with customers and the rest of your staff. Servers should be able to communicate with a wide range of personalities. This communication extends to facial expressions and body language. If a server is frowning at a guest, he or she is communicating negative emotions, whereas a natural smile implies a welcoming emotion.

High Energy

Restaurant serving is a tough job that requires many hours of walking and long periods on your feet. Servers need to be able to maintain this energy level throughout a shift.

Flexibility

Servers should be flexible and able to deal with sudden, unexpected rushes that require them to extend their shift. They also need to be flexible and tolerant in dealing with the public.

Can Handle Stress

The restaurant world is a stressful one, and servers will have to deal with physical and mental stress on a daily basis. This stress can take the form of annoying customers, a surly kitchen crew, another server that won’t pull his or her own weight, or simply dealing with a full restaurant.

Cooperative

Restaurants require a good deal of teamwork and cooperation. Therefore, servers should be willing to pitch in and help. For example, a good server will help the salad person when he or she is backed up; a less than ideal server would stand and wait for his or her salads.

Courteous

Servers should be polite and courteous with their managers, fellow employees and guests. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it!

Desire to Please Others

The job of server is aptly named. A person that is working in such a position should get satisfaction from pleasing other people. A server must be able to put his or her ego in check for the good of the customer, as well as for the good of the tip!

Empathic

Good servers can read a customer quickly and see if they want to be alone or are interested in chatting. This ability to feel and reflect another person’s mood is helpful for setting the right tone for a guest. If a solitary diner is reading, the server shouldn’t loiter, automatically assuming the person is lonely. If the guest encourages conversation, that’s fine; otherwise, he or she may simply be interested in the book they’ve brought along!

Neat Appearance

Servers need to be neat and clean. Your server indicates to your guest how clean and organized your facility is. If the server runs up to the table frantically searching for a pen, wearing a dirty apron and shirt, the customer is going to feel that this reflects how much you care about the rest of your operation.

Job Lists

Before you can teach someone a job, you must be able to break that job down into discrete steps. A job list is a list of all the duties a person in a particular position must perform. These lists can help managers in hiring, training and evaluating employees.

To develop these lists, you should break all jobs down into broad categories, such as customer service, opening duties, kitchen duties, etc., and then group tasks associated with the job under these categories. Think about every single thing you can that is associated with a particular job function when developing these lists. Remember, for someone who has never preformed the job before, no task is too small to mention. You might consider having an employee or employees help you with these lists or you might want to trail an employee while creating the lists yourself.

You’ll need to make a determination of how detailed you want these lists to be. Taking an order may be too general of a term to use for your training list; you may need to break this task down into several stages. How detailed your lists are partially depends on your establishment. If you have an extremely varied menu, your cook’s job list may be very detailed and extensive, for example.

Also keep in mind that these lists are not static. Jobs will change over the course of time—make sure your job lists change as well!

For training purposes you can make these lists checklists, putting a blank before each task so you can check it off as the employee masters that particular skill. These duties should be listed as specifically as possible so there is no confusion about the actual duties you want employees to perform.

A sample server and busser job checklist follows.

Server Job List

Name: _____

Reports to: _____

Hire Date: _____

Employee must be able to:

(When employee has mastered each task, please place a check mark beside the task.)

General

☐ Hospitable to guests

☐ Neat appearance

☐ Punctual and has a good attendance record

☐ Was trained in and follows correct procedures for finding subs

☐ Proper way to serve alcohol responsibly

☐ Tipping procedures and laws

☐ Personal hygiene

☐ Safe food-handling

☐ Heimlich Maneuver

☐ Safe workplace procedures

☐ Company policies including scheduling, pay, break times and sexual harassment

Service

☐ The sequence of service

☐ Taking entrée orders

☐ Greeting guests

☐ Serving orders

☐ Taking drink orders

☐ Meal service table clearing

☐ Serving drinks

☐ Dessert suggestion

☐ Serving wine

☐ Serving dessert

☐ Suggestive selling

☐ Presenting check

☐ Taking appetizer orders

☐ Accepting payment

Service (continued)

☐ Properly bussing table when service has concluded

☐ Resetting table

Side Duties

☐ Folding napkins

☐ Setting tables prior to service

☐ Stocking stations

☐ Making coffee/tea

☐ Refilling condiments

☐ Refilling salt and pepper

☐ Refilling sugar shakers

☐ Other_____

Closing Duties

☐ Cleaning side stations

☐ Restocking service areas

☐ Resetting tables for next shift

☐ Cleaning service trays

Handling Guest Checks

☐ Knowledge of computerized cash register

☐ Opening a check

☐ Entering items on a check

☐ Procedures for voiding checks

☐ Deleting items from a check

☐ Proper customer payment procedures

☐ How to operate credit card machine

☐ Giving back change

☐ Running report at end of shift for open guests checks

Menu Knowledge

☐ Description (including taste) of all menu items

☐ Description of wines and how to pair wines with entrées

☐ Knowledge of preparation techniques

☐ Potential food allergies and customer diet concerns and alternatives

Bus Person Job List

Name: _____

Reports to: _____

Hire Date: _____

Employee must be able to:

(When employee has mastered each task, please place a check mark beside the task.)

General

☐ Hospitable to guests

☐ Neat appearance

☐ Punctual and has a good attendance record

☐ Was trained in and follows correct procedures for finding subs

☐ Company policies including scheduling, pay, break times and sexual harassment

☐ Personal hygiene

☐ Safe food-handling

☐ Heimlich Maneuver

☐ Safe workplace procedures

Setup Duties

☐ Set up tables prior to service

☐ Rolling silverware

☐ Preparing water pitchers and water glasses

☐ Preparing bread baskets

☐ Cleaning bus pans and trays

☐ Checking restrooms for cleanliness

Service Duties

☐ Clear dishes from table in a quiet and efficient manner

☐ Set up table place setting correctly

☐ Empty trash from dining room and kitchen

☐ Make and refill coffee and tea

☐ Seat guests

☐ Know how to work the dishwashing machine

☐ Know how to put away clean dishes and kitchenware

☐ Delivering dishes to dishwasher

☐ Proper way to stack and carry dirty dishes from tables

☐ Proper way to deliver and stack clean dishes from dishwasher

Closing Duties

☐ Cleaning back kitchen

☐ Cleaning bus pans and carts

☐ Resetting tables

☐ Sweeping

Providing Great Service

Great service doesn’t just happen by accident. There are many things your servers and you can do to give your customers exceptional service. Consider the following opportunities:

Smile

This is one of the simplest yet most important things your servers (and management) can do. Smiling sets the tone and sets everyone at ease; it makes the server approachable for the customer. If the staff is unsmiling and surly, customers may never return to your establishment.

Servers Stay with Diners

In many restaurants today, managers use multiple employees to wait on a table. While this results in speedy delivery, it can also confuse the guest. Give your servers the opportunity to connect to the guest; let them be the sole liaison between restaurant and guest. Of course, this doesn’t mean that no one should help the server if he or she is behind.

Maintain a Database

Keep a record of your regular customers’ likes, dislikes, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Nothing makes a customer feel more special than having his or her birthday remembered—without even prompting! Use your computer system to develop such a database or simply keep a notebook. Many restaurants have point-of-sale (POS) systems that capture information such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. If you don’t have such a system, create your own. You can capture the information though customer surveys. Give this information to the host or hostess. Include people’s names and what particular guests like to drink. Also, inform servers about forthcoming special occasions.

Guest Book

Make sure your guests fill in the guest book; you need a mailing list of your patrons for sending them promotional material. Try to collect birthdates and anniversaries for your database as well.

Recognition

Recognition is very important, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be elaborate. It can be as simple as addressing the customer by name.

Listen Carefully for Information from Customers

Better to overcommunicate than to drop the ball. Servers may want to repeat information back to customers, especially if the order is detailed. This will let the guest know the

Reviews for The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook

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