Serving the customers. Introduction As soon as a customer walks into your establishment they become your guest. As a guest there are entitled to your.

Serving the Serving the customerscustomers

IntroductionIntroduction

As soon as a customer walks into your establishment they become your guest. As a guest there are entitled to your attention. As a guest they need to feel comfortable. You need to impress upon them your product knowledge. They need to see your enthusiasm, willingness to help, attentiveness, and sincerity.

This lesson will discuss how we deal with a customer from the time they enter into the door to when they leave. We first start with the basics of customer interaction.

Customer InteractionCustomer Interaction

During this section record the basics of customer interaction with a quick summary of each.


Product Knowledge— A customer needs to be confident

that you know what the restaurant has on offer and any details that they may request are answered accurately. This also means that you can help promote other menu items using the knowledge that you have about them.


Friendliness— A customer should leave an

establishment with the feeling of being well taken care of by the staff. Speaking with guests should be in a friendly manner and this includes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Remember your uniform includes your smile.


Enthusiasm— There is nothing that is more

frustrating to a guest than a uninterested, dull waiter. Speak with enthusiasm. Show interest, ask questions and describe menu items using enthusiastic and colourful language.


Sincerity— Do not mislead a guest. Answer

their questions truthfully, provide information that is factual. The customer has a right to be assured of non-misleading, factual information.


Helpfulness— A guest should never feel that

they are a bother. Be helpful; recommend menu items show them your willingness to satisfy.


Attentiveness— Make sure you know exactly what

the customer wants. Ask questions and listen. Repeat if necessary. Maintain this attentiveness throughout their stay.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Record with brief notes each of Record with brief notes each of

the ten steps that should be the ten steps that should be followed when welcoming and followed when welcoming and seating guests.seating guests.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS The impression that customers will have of

your establishment begins to develop the instant they walk in the door.

It is immediately essential that they be made to feel welcome.

There will be a set procedure that each establishment will have developed that involves seating the guests. It will be your responsibility to learn those procedures.

As an example we use the ten steps in seating guests that would be common for more formal style restaurants.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step One – Greeting the customers and

accompanying guests. If you know their names use them often. Otherwise use terms such as good afternoon or evening Sir or Madame. Be friendly and courteous.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Two – Ask if they have made a reservation.

If they have, then check the details of their reservation and the assigned table. If they have not made a reservation check to see if any tables are available. At all times maintain a friendly and courteous presentation.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Three – If a reservation has been made

confirm the name of the person and use their name from that point on.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Four – Confirm the details of the

reservation – number of persons, special occasion, etc. This is the time to cater to any special needs – away from the window, a quiet spot, away fro an air-conditioning vent, etc.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Five – Offer assistance with any coats,

hats, prams and other items that may be stored away from their table while the guests are dining.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Six – Show the guests to their table.

Walk at a pace that allows the guests to follow behind. There may be slower guests eg: children or the elderly, walking too fast gives the impression of impatience.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Seven – Pull out the chairs from the table

and invite them to be seated. The guests will determine the seating arrangement.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Eight – Help position the chairs as they

are sitting. Hold the back of the chair and slide it forward.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Nine – Provide any special needs such as

high chairs, cushions, etc.

WELCOMING AND SEATING GUESTS Step Ten – Once comfortably seated it is

good to welcome them once again, introduce their waiter and help place their napkins on their lap.

Presenting the MenuPresenting the Menu

Record the different ways a menu Record the different ways a menu can be presented to customers.can be presented to customers.

Indicate which style or styles of Indicate which style or styles of menu presentation would be menu presentation would be appropriate for Lanyon High appropriate for Lanyon High Restaurant.Restaurant.


The guests are now seated. The next step is to present the menu. There are many suggested ways to present a menu.

The first rule is to maintain that comfortable, friendly feeling. The last thing you would want to do is toss the menus on the table and walk away.


When you present the menu, you begin the food presentation process directly with the guest. They continue to build an impression of the establishment and at this stage the food in particular, even though they have not seen or tasted any food yet.

The menu should be presented to the guests. Presenting is more than the throwing down of a menu on the table and walking away.

There are a few techniques that should be considered when presenting a menu.


If the menu is a single sheet of paper, the waiter will present it to each guest from the right hand side.


If the menu is a folded two-part type, the waiter will open the menu and hold open the menu from the middle at the top. The waiter will present the menu from the right hand side, and the guest will grasp it from the side or bottom.


If the menu is a portable board type, bring it to the table and prop it up securely in a position where everyone at the table can see.


If the menu is a board on the wall, point it out to the guests attention.


At this point, you should describe any specials or deletions from the menu. It is likely the guests would have questions about the specials and it is at this time you would answer those questions.


It is a common practise with many restaurants to suggest taking a drink order while they are considering the menu. After taking it, you would leave them to review the menu.

Order recordingOrder recording

The next step in serving the customer is taking their meal order.

This is a critical part of customer service where accuracy is paramount. The slightest mistake in recording the order information can cost money, cause customer dissatisfaction and loss, and damage the reputation of the establishment.

A customers order serves three main purposes. It tells the kitchen and bar staff the items the guests

have ordered. It assists the waiter to remember the items each guest

has ordered. It also provides the information needed to prepare the

bill for the guest payment.

Order recordingOrder recording

There are three common methods of recording orders.

♦ Manually♦ Pre-printed forms♦ Electronically

TAKING AN ORDER

The steps up to this point have been:

♦ Greet and seat the guests♦ Provide them with menus♦ Explain any specials♦ Take their drink order♦ Deliver their drink order

TAKING AN ORDER

Up to this point you may have also answered any queries about the menu items, suggested some menu combinations and have left the table to allow the guests to make their decisions.

Time has come to take their order. It is important not to rush the guests. Make sure they are ready.

There are some tips in knowing when the guests are ready to order.

The most obvious one is they call or wave the waiter/waitress over.

Other ways to know that the guest is ready is through their body language; they may be looking in the direction of the waiting staff; the menus are closed and placed on the table.

TAKING AN ORDER

Following is a procedure commonly used by waiter/waitress serving tables with three or more guests.

Orders are taken down on a blank paper and later transferred to a proper docket. This procedure has been developed to assist the waiter/waitress in getting the right meal to the correct person.

TAKING AN ORDER

To begin taking the order you need to decide on a ‘host’ of the table. This is the person you will use as a reference point on the table. The host could be the person:

♦ That made the reservation♦ Who is placing the order for others♦ That is the father of the familyIf a host of the table is not readily

apparent pick the person sitting the closest to the entrance door.

TAKING AN ORDER

Start by taking the order from the person to the right of the host.

Work in an anti-clockwise direction around the table ending with the host.

Make a note on your order which meal goes to the host. This is to assist in remembering which meals are served to whom.

TAKING AN ORDER

Draw a line between the courses. Once all the orders have been

taken, it is suggested to repeat them back to each guest.

Count the number of orders you have and compare this number to the number of guests.

TAKING AN ORDER

After you are confident that all orders have been taken and that they are accurate, you would transfer that information on a proper docket that would be issued to the kitchen.

TAKING AN ORDER

Fill in table number

People

Server

Time

Place orders

Line between courses.

3 2 C6:45

Bread and Dips x 2

Soup – vegMeatballs

Chicken sun driedFettuccini - veg

NY CheesecakeFondant

Taking an OrderTaking an Order

On your practice sheet try taking this order:On your practice sheet try taking this order: Here is a table of four persons. It is table 9. Seated in chair 1 is a teenager Seated in chair 2 is the teenager’s mother.

She is wearing a blue v-neck dress. Seated in chair 3 is the father. He is wearing

a brown sweater Seated in chair 4 is what looks like the

grandmother. She is wearing a red dress with a white sweater.

Choose the host.

Taking an OrderTaking an Order

The mother has ordered pumpkin soup and a small serve of spinach ravioli with cream sauce.

The grandmother has also ordered the pumpkin soup as a main and a small green salad as a starter. She has asked for brown bread with the soup.

The teenager has ordered no starter, just the special hamburger with no onions and a side order of French fries.

The father has ordered chicken wings with barbeque sauce dip and the steak sandwich with French fries. The steak he likes rare.

TAKING AN ORDER

Fill in table number

People

Server

Time

Line between courses.

Place orders

Grandmother

Teenager

Mother

Father

9 4 C6:45

-Green salad---Pumpkin soup-Chicken wings BBQ sauce

- Pumpkin soup /br bread- Hamb – no onions/ fries-Ravioli w/ cr sauce - sm-Steak sand w/ fries - rare

Waiter’s introductionWaiter’s introduction

You are a waiter/waitress at a restaurant and have just been introduced by the Maitre d as the waiter for a table of customers. Take the time and prepare a written script that a waiter/waitress could use when welcoming a customer to the restaurant including what you would say and do.

Serving the customers. Introduction As soon as a customer walks into your establishment they become your guest. As a guest there are entitled to your.

Documents