Great little video. Most waiters I train usually have the basic knowledge on how to carry three plates. What I find beneficial is for the rest of the support staff such as the hosts and the buss boys to become adept at acquiring the same skills as it will maximize the efficiency on the restaurant floor not to mention the faster turnover of the tables.
Be Present and Available.
An extremely important concept that should be taught in every waiter training program is presence at the table and availability for all of the customers needs. Woody Allen once said that “95% of success is just showing up.” And, I shall apply this type of logic to improve restaurant customer service.
When a waiter is not readily accessible for the tables at his/her waitstation, then the overall perception will be a lack of restaurant customer care. This, in turn, will have a “domino effect” of pulling down sales, hurting dining room service reputation and unfortunately losing repeat business. Poor restaurant management, low staff morale, lax cell phone policies, allowing waitstaff to take cigarette breaks all contribute to a reduction in restaurant customer service.
Presence is such a simple concept to teach in waiter training programs or to reinforce at pre-shift meetings. A food and beverage server must be present for the customers at all times for proper table maintenance. Presence must occur whether it is very busy and especially when it is very slow. Often times, waiters may not be present during the slow periods because they think there is less monetary incentive–but the opposite holds true.
During the slow period of a shift, a smart waiter will give extra attention to their tables in order to build up the check. Additional food and beverage options can be offered because of the extra time spent at the table resulting in a higher check average.
A waiter can also use this extra time to “wow” the customers offering much greater personal attention than if the restaurant was at full capacity. If top notch techniques and personality are utilized, it will immediately improve the restaurant customer service. It won’t even seem like work for the waiter because of the reciprocal back and forth synergy.
The final result will be repeat business for the restaurant, free word-of-mouth advertising as family and friends are told, not to mention increased revenue because of bigger tips.
And many times, a waiter will not always have to hawk over a table, but just simply be seen by customers to let them know there is presence for anything needed. Anticipation and good judgment must be used in all of these examples to improve restaurant customer service.
The concept of presence also holds true for management as they must be available for customers just like the staff. I have discreetly reviewed many restaurants where managers were either on the telephone unnecessarily or elsewhere unavailable. All kinds of problems sprouted in the restaurant dining room leaving the waitstaff to completely fend for themselves resulting in small issues ballooning into large issues.
An example would be waiters desperately needing to get into the computer system to perform certain functions only allowed by a manager such as adjusting a check for a returned order. The manager was the only person in the restaurant who possessed the keys to the computer to make the adjustment. Since the manager was not readily available at the time, there was a much longer wait for the check. Therefore, the customer’s mood had ballooned from being somewhat impatient to complaining heavily to the owner.
These types of mishaps and lack of communication quickly translate into lost revenue that just flies out the door. It is all unnecessary and can easily be prevented which will immediately improve restaurant customer service.
So, please impress the concept of “presence” in all pre-shift meetings, every waiter training program and every restaurant management training program for your operation’s reputation and bottom line.
Richard Saporito, keynote speaker and consultant has been upgrading restaurants across the world for over 15 years. He helps owners, managers, and dining room staffs achieve that outstanding service reputation which always sets a restaurant apart from its fierce competition. Discover how to improve dining room service and increase your restaurant’s business by visiting: http://www.howtoimprovediningroomservice.com
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What a simple yet very powerful concept. Be present. Make eye contact at every opportunity. These are the fundamental comportment keys to assuring that the customer feels that their waiter is taking care of them and is available to them at any given moment. Most customers look for a feeling of being acknowledged and taken care of. Even if a waiter makes a mistake it will usually be forgiven easily by the customer if the waiter has been available and attentive throughout the service.
It is imperative that all well trained staff understand and implement these easy golden rules of service which will inevitably result in good feelings and great tips.
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Order taking for large groups.
Some great tips on taking orders for groups. These tips can also apply to any size group of two or more because the clockwise method for taking orders is foolproof and what’s more important is that if your establishment works within the framework of team effort then any waiter bringing food to the table can help you out without auctioning off the plates.It is very important not to auction off plates because this loud behavior disturbs the customers experience and can be aggravating to both waiter and customer. You can name the dish upon placing it in front of the customer that way you assure yourself that you have placed the right order in front of the right customer. Another reason for always taking your order clockwise is that if your customer should ask another waiter for a drink, that waiter will know to go ahead an place it on the correct bill. This way when the principle waiter prints the bills and they happen to be separate checks there will be no errors on the distribution of the drinks.
When it comes time for billing the customer and the waiter is ready to print separate checks, if they have taken the order in a clockwise fashion then the checks will be printed in the same order. This way it becomes very easy for the right check to get to the right customer.
I would love to know your thought or comments.
Let me know by posting here below.
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Focus and calm is whats on the menu.
So You Want To Be A Waiter
The best book on waiting tables that you have never read – yet
Skills A Server Needs – Pt. 1
2 Comments Posted by teleburst on May 17, 2009
Serving isn’t brain surgery.
But what is, really? Other than brain surgery, that is.
There are many traits and skills that come into play when it comes to waiting tables. The more skills that a server masters and the more traits that he or she embodies, the more successful they will be. Most servers have a healthy mix of all of the things that I’ll talk about. And some servers can use a heightened mastery of one skill to overcome a deficiency in another.
This discussion isn’t just for people considering going into the job – it’s also for seasoned veterans who sometimes take things for granted because of the grind of years of waiting tables. For the former, this is both a cautionary tale and a primer on what you will expect to be required to either master or possess. For the latter, I hope it gets you thinking about all of your skills and personality traits and finds you evaluating yourself and doing some recalibration if necessary.
I’m not discussing them in a particular order of importance. First of all, waiting tables is highly situational. What is important during one shift assumes less importance in another. So, without further ado, let’s begin the beguine:
Speaking of the beguine,waiting tables is a dance. So, it’s helpful to be graceful. This is as much a mechanical thing as well as a state of mind. If you are a klutz (like me), you have to pay particular attention to your movements, especially as things get crazy. Servers are fighting for terminals, aisle space and even their personal space at the table. A great server never “seems” out of control or panicked, even as the restaurant is going down in flames. It’s rare to find such a Zen master – a Jedi who can bend time to his or her will, to slow down the rest of the universe like a Zach Braff scene where he’s standing still and all movement around him is a blur. So, the rest of us can only aspire to attempt grace in the middle of chaos. You do this by selectively slowing down. Servers are conditioned for speed. Greets must be made in a minute, drinks must be delivered in 5 minutes, check-backs must happen in 2 minutes, etc. The server life is bound by time standards. And the problem is that a server’s 1 minute is 5 minutes in dog’s tim…I mean guest time. But, paradoxically, one of the ways that you get around this limitation is the deliberate application of calm. You might have to pick up a drink order from the bar, and you’ve just been sat, and you needed to fire table 4 yesterday, and you can see table 3 motioning for you out of the corner of your eye while you’re carrying the appetizer plates back to the kitchen and you can’t see a way that you’re going to make anyone happy. Well, you have to create structure out of madness. There are a number of ways you can do this, and I’m going to outline one of them. Other servers might find a different flow or strategy, but this is an example of one of them. First of all, you have to triage (this is an ability that we’ll mention specifically later and something that every good server does well). On your way to the kitchen with the plates, you swing by your station, plates in hand, and give some eye contact to table 3 to indicate that you see them. Then you hit your new table on the fly and say, “Hi folks, I’ll be with you in just a minute. Welcome to The Grisly Boar“. You turn to the table that needs drinks and tell them, “Your drinks will be up in just a minute folks” and then you hit table 4 and say, “Folks, let me drop these plates off to the kitchen and I’ll be right back to help you. What can I get for you”? If it’s something like, “We need more bread”, you can say, “Right away”. If it’s something that starts getting complex or mission critical like “I’ve changed my mind on the temperature of my steak”, best to stop them politely and say, “Sir, I’ll be right back to help you. Let me get rid of these plates”. Best not to promise something that you can’t immediately deliver. You don’t have time to incur the wrath of the chef at this moment. Use the fact that you have an armful of plates as an excuse. By putting it off for a couple of minutes, you reduce the cause for a guest to complain. After all, you had an armful of plates, right? Anyway, you now drop off the plates, circle back to the bar to get your drinks, stop by table 3 to find out that the guest now wants their steak medium well instead of medium (“Thank goodness it wasn’t the other way around”, you think – “that gives us more time to react”). Now you go to the table that needs drinks, deliver them and point to the new table saying, “I’ll be right back to talk about the menu with you but I need to say hi to our friends over there”. Being the polished server that you are, you don’t let them bully you into giving them the specials but you defer in the nicest way possible. You swing by the new table and do your normal solicitation of bottled water and drinks. Being the polished server that you are, you don’t let them bully you into telling them the specials on the spot. You go to the terminal, but someone is there before you. This is the time to reach for your inner calm. This is where you bend time to your will. This is where you find your center of being. You calmly visualize your station and note where everyone is in your meal. You slow down your breathing and you wait.
And wait.
And wait.
What seems like 5 minutes is actually just 45 seconds. Congratulations, you have just become a guest.
This is the time where you break one of the basic laws of a restaurant – multi-tasking and consolidation. Most of the time, you are like a shark – if you stop moving, YOU WILL DIE. However, you just have to wait. You need to get those drinks in and you need to fire the food to another table. Even though it seems like it might be more efficient to blow it off and go script the table that you just brought drinks for, it’s not a good idea. When you come back, you might still have to wait because someone else beat you to the terminal yet again, and you still haven’t fired your food or rung in your drinks.
So you use this time to gain clarity. Clear out the clutter a little. It’s a micro version of the power nap.
As you hit the terminal, you now know what you have to do – first, ring in the drinks. Then you fire the other table. You will have to bypass the station if possible to tell the chef about the change in temp (you almost forgot about that, didn’t you?). You can’t have your new table stopping you to order apps or have the other table demand that you tell them the specials. This is triage at its finest.
You swing through the kitchen and take the chef’s wrath. Then you grab bread for your new table and you glance at the line to see if your fired food is up. Good, it isn’t quite yet. You hit your new table with bread and tell them that their drinks are working. You tell them that you’ll be talking about the specials in a moment. Then you go to the table where you delivered drinks and STOP.
Even though your heart is pounding and you’re a bit out of breath, you have to just forget about everything else for a moment – this is triage at its finest. You can’t set this broken leg if you’re worried about the fellow over there with the cut on his head. You have to employ tunnel vision (which normally kills a server because you really have to have your head on a swivel, noting everything in your section – in this case, you can’t be distracted by the needs of your other tables). Now you use the line reading skills that you’ve perfected in your server acting career and you go through the specials, deliberately pausing for dramatic effect. It’s too easy to rush this because you’re short on time. The guest is like a predator – it senses blood in the water – it feels a wounded prey cowering behind a bush. If your rushing through your presentation because you are under the gun, you lose the advantage and power over the guest. You’ve ceded the high ground. You’ve blown the 4th and inches call. Sure, you trim your spiel, but you do it without rushing it. After you’re finished, you solicit an appetizer order. They just want to look at the menu (the thought balloon over your head has a single word – WHEW!). Now you can swing by the table waiting for drinks and tell them that their drinks will be up in just a minute. “I’ll be telling you about the specials in a moment, but would you like to order an appetizer?” “But Waiter, we want to know about the specials”. You really have to avoid this at all costs for several reasons. First of all, the guest is setting the agenda at the beginning. You can’t give up control. Second, have you forgotten about your fired food? What if they have a lot of questions? You have to diplomatically beg off. But if you can get an appetizer order, you’ve at least shown them some positive movement. By the time you’re ready to script them, their appetizer will probably already be ready and you’ve just compressed time for them.
So now, your main tasks are delivering the food for table 4 and getting their drinks.
And the cycle continues. You have to take the order for the other table, script your drinks table and do a quality check on table 4, because you’ve probably spent a couple of minutes on the spiel and the order taking. You do all of this by simply turning around in your section and taking a couple of steps. While you’ve done this, your inner waiter has prompted you to do your table maintenance by removing the empty Splenda packets, and you’ve almost unconsciously noted that the camel on table 4 needs water yet again but the server assistant hasn’t been able to get back to them so you’re going to have to do it on your next pass through the station.
This sort of thing happens during the rush and it can last for hours.
So, there’s a lot to talk about in terms of skills and traits and we’ll be doing this in following posts. But let’s review:
We need to multi-task, but we also need to know when not to multi-task. We need to consolidate but we also need to know when not to consolidate. We need to be a diplomat, as well as an entertainer – an actor. We need to be fluid and smooth, a veritable Rico Suave. We need to be able to triage. and we need to have the power to maintain control over the table. You’re running this show, not them.
In the future, we’ll be talking about the importance of menu knowledge, drink knowledge, the computer system, the ability to create order out of chaos. We’ll talk about being a camp counselor, psychologist and best friend, all rolled into one. and we’ll talk about the importance of responsibility. So bear with me as we pull back the curtain to see the wizard behind the giant, flame-spewing Oz.
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Awesome article!!
I concur and highly recommend calm and the inner knowing that the Universe does not deliver anything that we cannot handle.
Prioritizing is an absolute must as well as eye contact with the customer and an exuding of control with a sense of purpose.
Thinking ahead and pre-planning loosely all the inevitability’s will sustain your focus and keep you grounded.
And so what happens to that all important manager that is supposed to be available to support his/her staff???
WELL……. This is the time to see that person and ask for help. This is part of their responsibility.They must support their wait staff. WHATEVER it takes.
Work intelligently,organized and focused and it will translate into a rewarding experience for both you and your customers.
Looking forward to reading more.
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Befriending the customer makes for better tips.
So how do I do the seemingly impossible? Well I have figured out that people are people are people. By this I mean that when I approach a customer at the table I look at them directly in the eyes and give them a heart felt greeting. All that people want is acknowledgment and to know that they are valued. I then inform them that I am at their disposal to help them navigate the menu as well as make any changes to their meal so that they enjoy their experience. I make them feel very comfortable to ask for changes or modifications as well as continuously informing them of their options. This tactic makes them think that I am looking out for their interest as well as their enjoyment. As a waiter I get great pleasure when my customers ask me what I think they should have because this means that I have gained their trust and gratitude. What more to ask for than to be considered an authority as well as a caretaker?
Waiters must not hesitate to be as hospitable and genuine in character as humanly possible. Always treat customers as if they were coming to dinner at your home. When I train wait staff I always say “be your best you with the customer no matter what”. This always translates to the best tips and when they come back they will ask to be served by you. Being genuine in this day and age is such a breath of fresh air that you will stand out and customers will notice an open and inviting spirit in you.
I would love to hear what you think bout this. Please post your thoughts now here below.
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Some Very Useful Information.
The waiter (and waitress as well, but for convenience we are lumping everyone into one term) are the face of any food and beverage establishment. These men and women are on the front line any restaurant and the services they offer. One could argue that the services of a waiter are even more important (or at least as important) as the food that is served. As such, it the success of any food and beverage establishment is dependent on the quality services that its waiters provide.
Because waiters are an integral facet of the business operation of a food and beverage establishment, there duties in regards to guest service should be thoroughly detailed in a restaurant SOP (service operating policy). The restaurant SOP should cover the following points and much more.
A Successful Waiter Will…
* Be confident and friendly. Smile at guests and engage in useful conversation. Avoid personal talk, as guests are there to enjoy themselves and not help you through personal problems.
* Be accurate. Make sure you repeat everyone’s order back to them to ensure that you have it right. Nothing frustrates a guest more than to have their order messed up and the delays that result.
* Ensure guest satisfaction. After you deliver food to guests, take a few moments before leaving to make sure that everything is to the guest’s satisfaction. If drinks need to be refilled this is a good opportunity to do so. Also, check back in periodically to make sure that the guests have everything that they need.
* Not hover. While you want to make yourself available if the guest requires your services, once you have checked on them and they have everything they need, allow them to enjoy their meal.
* Keep an eye on guests. In connection with the last point, while you don’t want to hover over guests, you do want to be within eye contact so that if they signal you or otherwise want to get your attention, you will be able to respond quickly.
* Rush guests. Do not give the impression that you are rushing guests by asking if they are ready of their check or asking if they are finished eating. Instead, allow guests to signal when they are done and ready to pay for their meal.
* In addition to following the above duties, waiters should have a few common characteristics that allow for consistent success:
Attributes of a Good Waiter
* A good waiter is tactful.
* A good waiter is responsible.
* A good waiter possesses round knowledge of an establishment’s services and products.
* A good waiter pays attention to details.
* A good waiter is well dressed.
This is only a small sample of what the attributes and traits that comprise a good waiter or waitress that should be found in a restaurant SOP. For a restaurant manager, having personnel with these skills and characteristics is paramount for success. Much of this can be instilled with proper training. In addition to a restaurant SOP, every establishment should have a restaurant training guide that outlines procedures that allows food and beverage management to impart needed skills to personnel. Our ebooks, are terrific resources for establishing your own restaurant SOP and training procedures.
A major key for success in the food and beverage industry is knowledge. Don’t find yourself behind the eight ball! With our informative eBooks (most of which are free!), you will have all the informative resources you need to not only manage your business, but enhance it. Visit http://www.restaurant-data.com to learn more about how to make your food and beverage operation a booming success.
Ehab Rashwan
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Awesome and useful information. Wish I had this info when I was starting out.
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Tips When Hiring Waiters & Waitresses
Managers and owners of restaurants are often faced with the difficult task of staffing their establishment under less than desirable conditions. Maybe you’re losing a valuable member of the team or just had to let someone go, but have a shift that absolutely needs filling. Remember this: Don’t rush a new waiter or waitress into the mix.
The hiring of a new member to the team should be done with particular guidelines and a checklist of skills and experience in mind. Taking family and friends to fill a position can cause a rift between both the management and the new employee and their team members. This should be avoided at all costs. Business is exactly that, just business.
Use the menu, the chef’s culinary experience and the motif of your restaurant guide your selection process of a new server. If you’re serving a selected ethnic-based menu, for example Italian or Indian food, be sure to hire someone already familiar with the pronunciations, styles of cooking and ingredients used in dishes of this style.
Hope you enjoyed theses tips.
For further info go to the link below.
http://www.wheresmy20percent.com/how-to-train-waiters-waitresses/
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