Taking Orders

A waiter’s tasks is literally not only to take down food and beverage orders and serve
it to a guest. A waiter’s job is proactive. He is the virtual sales person in the restaurant. He
must possess good communication skills, sufficient menu knowledge, and excellent service
skills.

Menu Presentation
As the waiter presents the menu to the guest, this is the best opportunity for
suggestive selling. The waiter can actively offer items in the menu for as long as he has
sufficient menu knowledge. This would include cooking time, method of preparation and
even presentation.

The waiter must ensure that the menu being presented is in excellent condition – no
rips, no smudges and no stains. Tradition menus are presented with a cover, but for less
formal establishments, menus are presented on a board, on a blackboard, on a placemat or
on a card.

Menu Presentation Techniques

1. Carry the menu with your left hand.
2. Open the menu from the top using the right hand.
3. Present the menu on the right side of the guests.
4. Suggest items that do not appear on the menu like chefs specials and mention any
variations in the menu is necessary.

Order Taking
The method and taking and delivering food orders is by the use of the pivot system.
1. It is a chair numbering system that helps the food server remember which a
customer ordered a specific item.
2. The chair will be used as the pivot point throughout the restaurant. It is determining
the chair closest to the restaurant entrance.
3. The chairs around the table are then numbered clockwise.

3 4

2 1

DOOR
 4. Server now assigns corresponding numbers once the pivot point has been identified
in the order pad. Orders can now be taken in any sequence.

Order Pad

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. Orders can now be served using the order pad as reference without having to ask
customers what they ordered.

Docket System
Restaurant dockets are used in all kinds of restaurant: cafes, take away shops, hotels,
pubs coffee shops and bistros. They are used to:
1. Record all food and beverage items sold or used.
2. Give the cashier information to the guest bills.
3. Sore information on cost of each menu item prior to calculation.
4. Provide a sales breakdown to each item.
Before a restaurant decides which restaurant dockets to buy, they should take into account
the following factors:
1. Nature of the restaurant
2. Operating hours
3. Restaurant lay out
4. Personal style

Duplicate Docket System

The system utilizes two copies of a docket. It is used by establishments offering a
limited number of menu items.
The docket must contain the following information:
1. Serial number of the docket pad
2. Service staff identification – Name or number
3. Table number
4. Time food or beverage order is olaced
5. Date

Triplicate Docket System

This docket would have three copies: first copy for the kitchen, second copy for the
cashier and third copy for the waiter
The docket must contain the following information:
1. Table number
2. Number of covers
3. Date
4. Service staff signature
Quadruplicate Docket System
This docket would have four copies: first copy for the kitchen, second copy for the
cashier and third copy for the bar and fourth copy for the waiter.

Up-Selling Food and Beverage

Up-selling is suggesting to a guest either a larger size or adding on of an item that
they did not ask for but would complement their selections nicely. Some refer to this as
Suggestive Selling.
By suggesting larger sizes, you will add revenue for your establishment without
spending any extra time or money.

Up-selling tips:
1. Not everyone is natural sales person.
2. Not everyone takes the time to be accurate.
3. Do not be pushy
4. Train your team and learn in detail.
5. Validate your teams knowledge
6. Hold pre-shift meetings to inform your team of specials and the items that
compliments them.
Taking Reservations
1. You must know the type of cuisine you serve, even the menu items offered, and the
type of service whether a la carte of buffet.
2. Does your restaurant allow credit cards?
3. Do you charge corkage? For what items?
4. What are your operational hours and are children welcome?
5. Do you have ample table for the handicapped guests? Does your restaurant have a
ramp for wheel chairs?
6. Is your restaurant air-conditioned and do you have areas for smoking patrons?
7. Do you have parking spaces? And do you charge for it?
8. Do you have provisions for catering and big functions? Do you have private rooms?

Reservations are usually through phone calls. A friendly, warm voice intonation will
create an easy access for successful telephone conversations.
1. Answer the telephone within three rings.
2. Have a pen and paper available.
3. Greet the customer warmly and clearly state the name of establishment based on
your standard phraseology and offer assistance.
4. If you do not know the answer, get someone who does or offer to call the person
back. This must be done politely and the return call done promptly.

Information needed in getting the reservation:

1. Date and time of the reservation
2. Name of host the reservation is being made for
3. Contact details telephone and mobile numbers
4. Any special requirement or preferences.
Plate Service
Plate service is commonly used in restaurant and is basic form of service. The service
staff has to have skills in carrying and handling plates without distorting or destroying the
food presentation.

As a rule in plate service, no more than four plates must be carried by a service staff
at one time. The methods used in service are the two-plate carry and the three plate carry,
respectively. These involve carrying either two or three plates in the left hand, leaving the
right hand available. The right hand can be used to carry another plate, thus allowing four
plates to be carried at once.

Traditional plate service requires food served from the left side of the guest, and
soiled plates cleared from the right. In modern plate service, plates are both placed and
cleared from the right side of the guest.

Two-Plate carry Technique

1. Hold the first plate with your right hand and transfer it to your left hand. Firmly
handle the plate by its edge. The base of the thumb is on top of the plate’s rim while
the point finger supports the base.
2. The second plate is placed and held by the third, fourth and fifth fingers as they
protrude under the base of the second plate.
3. Place used fork protected by the thumb, prongs upwards and the knife put at the
right angle under the bridge of the fork. Remove second soiled plate.
4. Place and balance second plate on the thumb, third and fourth fingers and based of
hand. Use knife or fork of the second plate to drop any leftover food into first plate,
discreetly away from guest’s view then transfer the knife and the fork to the first
plate, placing them along with original knife and fork.
5. Plates are cleared without transferring of leftover from one plate to another. Waiter
precedes the same to clear other soiled plates. Waiter thanks the guest and leaves
the table by saying, “thank you very much”
6. Waiter carries the soiled plates to the side station.

Three-Plate carry Technique

In four plates are to be taken to the table at the same time, three plates are carried
in the left hand using three-plate carry technique.
1. Hold the first plate between your thumb , index and middle fingers of the left hand.
2. Place the second plate into the crease of a palm of your left hand under the edge of
the first plate supporting it by your ring and little fingers.
3. Place the third plate so that it sits on the flat of tour forearm and the rim of the
second plate.
4. Carry the fourth plate with your right hand.
 Discussion and Learning Activity

I. Discussion Activity

1. Identify the techniques in taking down reservations.

2. Identify the techniques in presenting the menu to the customer.

3. Identify the techniques in up-selling food and beverage.

4. What is up-selling?
5. What are some upselling techniques for different situations?

II. Multiple Choice. Select the letter corresponding to the correct answer.

1. It is a chair numbering system that helps the food server remember which
customer ordered a specific item.
a. POS system c. Chair system
b. Operational system d. Pivot system

2. In the pivot system, the chairs are numbered

a. Clockwise c. counter clockwise
b. From left to right d. according to size

3. In taking down food orders service staff needs

a. his supervisor c. a pen and paper
b. presence of mind d. service station

4. In taking down reservations you need

a. date and time c. contact numbers
b. name of the person d. all of the above

5. In plate service staff has to have skills in carrying and handling plates without
distorting or destroying or the food presentation.
a. Agree c. Maybe
b. Sometimes d. Disagree

Learning Activity
Video Presentation
1. Demonstrate the two-plate carry technique.
2. Demonstrate the three-plate carry technique.

Date of submission: May 12, 2020