The staffs or the employee who works in the restaurant or hotel assigned to serve food and beverage to the guests is known as waiter, waitress, waitstaff, waiting staff, wait staff or server . Besides serving meal some waiters are also assigned to observe the operational activity of production department to make the hotel operation smooth.
However, waitstaffs are responsible for performing the following functions:
Every server is basically assigned with a particular service area or table to perform his/her duties. Moreover the waiters have to be well educated about the duties and responsibilities that are included in side work (do not directly associated with guest services) or “mise en place” (put into place). For example opening (dining room preparation, menu study) and closing duties (hand over the duty).
Waitsstaffs have to go through some procedures and perform certain responsibilities before guest arrives to ensure smooth guest service, which are as follows:
The assigned areas for servers are called as station which is the section of hotel dining room. Generally experienced and senior servers are assigned to sought-after and larger station whereas the new waiters are assigned to smaller and less popular station. Each station should occupy a seating arrangement for 12 or more guests at tables, booths, or counters. Though it is very difficult to manage equal distribution of the dining room for station but it is considered as the standard procedure in every hotel.
To maintain the efficiency of hotel service, the F & B servers sometimes have to perform service on a rotational basis. Station assignment is processed according to the total number of table in the dining room and number of table which are assigned to the servers to ensure proper order given to right party.
Table reservation is very important concept in restaurants. Guests often come with prior reservation in large restaurants to confirm their table. Through the reservation list, the waiters will be able to know the schedule of their station assignment and possible number of guests on a particular day. Table reservation (book a table in advance) is generally executed or handled by one member of the restaurant staff, a receptionist or reservation agent.
To precede the reservation process, the reservation staff has to record guest’s name, phone number, or credit card number including any special requests (for example: server-of-choice, table-of-choice, high chair, birthday cake etc.) through computerized reservation system.
Before guest arrival, the reservation staff should confirm the reservation over the telephone prior to the reservation date. The guests with reservation should be seated instantly after arrival. Even some small and fine-dining restaurants also require reservation where guests tend to remain for the evening.
Prepare the dining table, before guest arrival is one of the prime duties of restaurants waitstaffs. A well organized and presentable dining table increase the eye appeal of the restaurants as well as works as a tool to makes the guest as repetitive client.
To prepare the dining table or to set the table, a server has to accomplish the following steps:
To make the cover more presentable and to provide a complete table setting, stylish and attractive napkin folding are essential. Though a formal napkin fold is highly required in restaurants but napkin also could be presented in both simple and complex folding. For example: you can simply make a pocket with the napkin for silverware or you also can create a flower fold and use it in formal occasion.
It was just an example. There numerous attractive and elegant designs and uses are available to fold the napkin. Such as:
However it is very important to balance the number of folded napkin in each station in dining room. Always try to fold extra napkin that it can be used in rush hour.
You may wonder what is sidestand in restaurant. Generally a sidestand is an essential part of the restaurant, positioned near the service area or dining room to store service items. Basically it works as a storage and service unit.
A waitstaff always should be capable of instantly providing all necessary service items that are required by the guests which could be possible by arranging a well stocked sidestand. Therefore, it is the duty of a server to maintain its cleanliness, appearance and to ensure proper stock of sidestand.
Basically sidestand are stored with serviceware, supplies beverages and garnishes. The number and nature of service items that are stored in the sidestand is usually based on the size and form of the restaurant.
However in most of the restaurants sidestands are stored with the following items:
| Supplies | |
| Clean and folded napkins | Tip wallets or trays |
| Order pads | Extra pencils |
| Sponges | Clean placemats |
| Towels | Children’s bibs and favors |
| Guest checks | Pens |
| ServiceWare | |
| China | Silver |
| Glasses | Iced tea spoons |
| Seafood forks | |
| Beverage | |
| Coffee warmers with fresh coffee | Carafes |
| Lemon squeezers | Water pitchers |
| Jugs | Straws |
| Drink coasters | |
| Condiments | |
| Salt | Steak sauce |
| Mustard | Pepper |
| Ketchup | Horseradish in containers |
| Garnishes | |
| Lemon wedges | Tortilla chips |
| Coffee cream | Preserves |
| Fortune cookies | Jelly |
Menus
Menu is the printed list of food and beverage that are offered by the restaurants. There are several types of menus which are as follows:
Different restaurants could have different styles of menu. For example, printed on the hard paper, printed on the placemat or attested on the wall above the counter.
As a server you should be well knowledgeable and aware with every details of menu of your restaurant including menu changes, price changes, special dishes etc. Good command over menu will help you to qualify your service by suggesting dishes, suggestive selling or answering question that are derived from the guests.
Here are few key points that will help you to understand why you should study the menu in details:
You can also help the guests through having particular information about food and beverage items of the menu in the followings cases:
A server or waistaff has to perform the most crucial and significant duties when a guest arrives. Ranges of services and procedures of serving a guest could differ in restaurants. However the typical preparations and procedures that a waiter has to execute after guest arrival are given below:
A guest always comes in the restaurant with an expectation to be cordially welcomed by the restaurant staffs. All the hotel or restaurants staffs should be well trained in welcoming the guests with proper etiquette and manner. In some properties host or hostess generally welcome the guest, but sometimes the servers are also responsible to greet the guests. A waiter could precede the greeting procedures in the following ways:
After welcoming the guests the server should make guest seated. Though some restaurants do not demand waiters to seat guests, but in most cases especially in some fine-dining restaurants require the waiters for guest seating. The server always must take certain actions for seating a guest. For example:
After proper guest seating, introduce yourself (unless it is prohibited by your properties) to become familiarize with the guests. For example, say “My name is X (your name). I will serve you today.” If you are busy with another task then apologize and ask for some time to become free.
However before approaching and seating guests you must make your stations free and ready to serve new guests. Center items should be properly placed and condiments items should not be placed before guest’s order.
Though some small properties often allow the presence of condiments items in the guest table.
If guest seating procedures are completed then menus should be provided instantly following the standard method. In some establishments menu is presented after taking order of pre-meal beverage. Server always may not be assigned in presenting menu. The manager or host might be responsible for handing out menus.
Sometimes the wine list is presented by the waiter or a sommelier.
It is very much essential for the server to take order effectively. Proper order taking is the prime task of the waiter as the sole purpose of the guests is to have meal according to their choice. After presenting the menu or serving the pre-meal beverages, the waitsatffs should have to give some time that the guests could make selection. Sometimes it may happen that guests are confused in choosing meal or they may seek for waiter’s suggestion or they find the menu complicated to select any item. A waitstaff should always be prepared to take care of guests’ needs and help them in making their selection.
You must take the order carefully, note down every single detail that a guest dictates during giving order. There some common abbreviations (for food items) are used in hotel or restaurants, use those abbreviations to save time.
Examples of some common abbreviations are:
After taking guest order properly , repeat the order back to the guests to avoid any mistake and get back the menu from each guest. While taking order you must consider certain things. For example:
A waiter has to take the order in an organized manner that nothing could go wrong. To take the order effectively some methods are basically followed in formal establishments. Among them four widely used methods are as follows:
The waitstaffs also have to be skilled in suggestive selling (suggesting food and beverage items from the menu to guests) to improve their restaurant experience and to increase the size of the guest check.
They can play role in generating revenue through suggestive selling. Sometimes guest may become confused in choosing food or they may not be aware of the quality and taste of all the food items in the menu. In such situation waiter’s suggestion often work greatly to make the guest satisfied about service. The server can also attract the guest to have special dish of any property through suggestive selling.
Don’t forget these points of information in order to make better suggestive selling to your guest:
To effectively place the order in front of guests the waiters should be careful about certain things as follows:
If the order is taken by computerized process then the server don’t have to worry about the order. But when it is done manually, then servers must place their orders in the kitchen.
Some restaurants may have particular staffs for placing the order rather than waitstaffs. For example, some fine dining restaurants assign a separate checker to place the order after checking the order in the kitchen or in formal dining establishments, an expediter may be responsible for placing the order.
The order could be communicated to the kitchen through various methods. However the methods for placing order could differ according to the size of the property, type and nature of the kitchen, type of service, availability of a computer system and so on. Basically the following three methods are adopted worldwide:
Here are some commonly used ways to inform the waiter in order to pick the order from the kitchen:
While picking the order you must maintain the following things:
To make the serving procedure appropriate and to acquire guest satisfaction, the server must ensure certain things before serving the food and beverage to guests. For example: the table has properly set and ready for serving meal, all mise en place has done, all complementary serviceware are accurately placed at the server station etc.
Basically there are no strict rules for table setting procedure or to place the foods in the table. Standard table settings procedures are followed in restaurants or hotels to make it easily handy to the guests which are as follows:
Most of the establishments set some general rules for serving the meal perfectly that a server has to follow. For instance:
Serving at booths is quite different and difficult from serving at table. For example:
However whatever the approach you will follow always consider the guest’s ease.
The waitstaff should go forward for clearing table when guests set their eating utensils down on the plate or may ask them whether they have finished or not. To clean the table after serving and finishing meal a server usually performs the following tasks:
There are some signals by which you can understand that the guest has finished his/her meal and waiting for bill such as: reaching for coats, purses, or packages, or the guest may ask for the bill or the check. For better & clear understanding on how to handle guest check we would request you to read these 2 tutorials:
After paying bill the guest usually leaves a tip (an incentive for effective service) for the waiter. Providing tips is customary rather than mandatory for guests. Guest generally provides tips to the server on the basis of certain factors. For example:
A lower amount of tip also can indicate that the guest is not satisfied with the service. A waiter always should provide his/her best service to make guest satisfied and to get a smart tip. It would be a wise idea to bring guest’s change in some single dollar bills rather than in larger bills.
Guest could provide tips to server either directly or leave it on the table. Even in some operations, the tips automatically added to the check by the restaurant which is received by the waiter from the cashier or included in his/her paycheck.
However the server should not expect that the guests will always provide pleasing tips. Some guests may not be aware of the tipping system due to difference in tipping system in different culture. Such as:
Sometimes the waiters have to equally share the tips if they are assigned in one table. Some establishments also set a rule for the waiter to share a percentage of tips with the bussers, drink runners, expeditors, and other assistants.
You must thank to the guest for coming and providing tips and genially invite them to return. Say goodbye to the guest with a pleasant smile and give a warm feeling to the guest to make it long term relationship.
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