How To Take Food And Beverage Orders

Giving and Collecting Orders:

Every establishment has a specific protocol for taking orders from the table and giving them to the kitchen
and assembly areas. A new server needs to learn this protocol as quickly as possible in order to be an
efficient team member. Asking for your order to be a "rush" order is not a good idea, unless there is a
really good reason for it. Servers who are always "rush" orders will find themselves placed at the back of
the queue, more often than not.

Orders can be written on checks, the duplicate of which is given to the kitchen. If handwriting orders, your
handwriting must be legible and easy to understand. Always use the appropriate abbreviations; do not
make up your own -- the kitchen will not understand them. Keep your original check or ticket as this is
your record of the food that you have ordered from the kitchen, and from which the final bill will be
prepared. Never throw these away. If a mistake has been made, run a line through the mistake, and, if
necessary, have the manager initial it.

More and more restaurants are using a Point of Service computer where you will enter the order from
your table and it is automatically delivered via the computer to the kitchen.

Your biggest job will be the timing of your orders. Make a point of learning how long it takes to prepare
any given dish, then put in the order for the one that takes the longest to prepare first. That way, all
dinners for a given table should come out at the same time. Nothing is more uncomfortable for your
guests than to serve three guests at a table, only to find out that the fourth guest's meal has not yet been
started.

The next point that requires your attention is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Not only is this
necessary for food safety, it also helps to preserve the beauty of the prepared food.There is nothing more
unappetizing than to have a cold pat of butter melting on the bread and butter plate because it was served
hot. It is your job to ensure that the food arrives at the table in the condition in which it was served from
the kitchen.

As a server, this is your job.

Approaching the Table:

Usually the table is already setup and ready before you approach the guests--they should be seated and
ready to greet you. The rule to follow when approaching your guests is to pleasantly greet them at table
within one minute of them being seated. First impressions are exactly that. You never get a second
chance at a first impression. Make sure that yours is pleasant, welcoming, helpful, and neat. Smile, make
eye contact, and give them your name. Water should be brought to the table at this time, whether by you,
the busser, or the hostess. Teamwork will make your first impression a good one.

All parts of the process must be present in order to make a good impression. It is never enough to give
your table fast and efficient service if you do so without a smile and a pleasant demeanor. Your customer
needs to feel important and that their patronage is appreciated.

Whether you know it or not, you are in the business of selling a product; you are the salesperson, and
how you approach your customer will determine the price of the final product. Restaurants sell food,
service, atmosphere, and entertainment. If your customers feel they are unimportant in your eyes, they
will find an establishment that does appreciate their presence and patronage. Most of the time, you will

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never know when you have permanently lost a customer; they will quietly leave, and never return. They
will also tell their friends and family about their experience, and business for your establishment can drop
off.

Understanding your position as a sales person, as well as being a server, is vital to your success and the
success of your restaurant. Behave accordingly.

Drink Orders:

The first order to fill is the drink order. In today's increasingly aware environment regarding the economy,
water is not always served in every restaurant. Be sure to ask your guests if they would like water,
because many of them still do not realize that serving water is no longer the norm.

After checking about water needs, share the soft drink and beer menu with your guests, as well as any
varieties of ice tea that you offer. This order needs to be taken and served very quickly. Once the drinks
are served, you may ask if your guests are ready to order. Your clue will be that all your guests will have
closed their menus, or placed them back on the table.

When serving drinks, handle the glasses by the bottom. Never put your finger near the lip of the glass,
where your customer will be putting his or her lips. As many times as you may wash your hands, you can
still pick up bacteria that can be harmful to your guests, so always handle glassware by stems, handles,
or the bottom of the container.
Explaining the Menu:

Often there will be one guest who is still perusing the menu when you approach the table to take the
order. This is a good time to ask if there are any questions about the menu. Be helpful. If you have new
guests who have never been to your establishment before, be knowledgeable about the menu, where
specific items are, and offer to help your guest to find such items. Answer any questions about the menu;
give your guest a list of the items included in a dish, if they ask, and be familiar with how each menu item
is prepared.
KNOW YOUR MENU.

Taking the Food Order:

Proper etiquette requires that you start with the women of the table, then the children, and finally move on
to the men. If, however, the woman is undecided, it is absolutely fine to move on to the next guest so that
you do not make her feel uncomfortable.

In taking the order, have your list of questions memorized. If ordering a salad, what kind of dressing? If
ordering baked potato, what garnish? If ordering steak, how does it need to be cooked?

By creating a list of questions for every menu item, you will be prepared when you are taking the order,
and will not have to return to the table when the kitchen asks you for the missing detail, because you
forgot to ask. It makes for better and much more efficient service, if you ask all your questions while you
are taking the initial order.

If a customer is unsure, make a suggestion or two and what is particularly appealing about those dishes.
This is where you can shine as a salesperson.

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Delivering the Food;

If your establishment does not have a set rule for how to serve plates of food, then serve and remove
dishes from the patron's right-hand side. Keep your fingers out of the food, and handle the dishes by the
edges only. Bring all food for the table out at the same time. Never leave a guest without food. If the
plates are hot, be sure to warn your customers not to burn themselves.

Checking Back:

If there is a problem with the meal, it will be discovered within the first few minutes of eating. Check back
with your guests to ensure that they are satisfied with their meal. If there has been a mistake and you
delay your return to the table, your customer will merely sit and fume, with your tip diminishing rapidly.

Presenting the Check:

The check should be presented either with the last course, or just as the last course is being completed.
Your guests should never have to look around the restaurant to catch your eye to let you know they wish
to pay. Ensure the accuracy of the check and lay it face down to the right of the host's cover, on a small
tray, or in a check folder. If you are unable to determine who the host may be, place the check near the
center of the table. If two people are dining, it is appropriate to place the check between the two guests.

It is always wise to ask prior to totaling the check if there is anything else they wish to order. When you
are sure the table is complete, place the check and be sure to thank them for their patronage. When you
pick up the payment, and the payment is in cash, be sure to mention that you will bring their change back
to the table for the denomination of the bill that is presented. When a credit card is used, give clear
instructions as to which copy is yours and which copy they are to keep. Usually this is clearly marked, but
it is a sign of a good server to make this point clear.

Your reaction to the amount of the tip must be kept to yourself. Gratuity is exactly that. While there is a
certain expectation that at least 15 percent of the bill should be paid to you, not all countries follow this
custom, and you may very well have a table full of Europeans who are accustomed to having the gratuity
included in the price of their meals.

Making Suggestions to the Customer:

You will often encounter a customer who has either never been to your establishment, or really is unsure
of what they would like to eat that day. Your job, as the server, is make it easier for them to make such a
choice.

You will need to determine if they are looking for a "lighter" meal, in which case you can suggest a soup,
or salad and sandwich. Perhaps your customer will ask about a dish and what makes it special. By
knowing exactly how it is prepared, and perhaps something specific about it that makes it unusual, you
will often intrigue your guests and they will order based on your suggestion. For a dinner guest who
simply cannot make up his or her mind, select two or three of your most often-ordered entrées and
suggest those. Typically, narrowing the choice down from an entire menu selection to only two or three is
enough to simplify the process for your guests.

As for making a suggestion about other parts of the meal, always try to suggest a salad or vegetable plate
for added nutritional value. When your table has had a very heavy meal and asks for a suggestion for
dessert, it makes more sense to suggest a lighter dessert, rather than your 65-layer chocolate cake.

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By combining tact with good salesmanship, you will be able to help your guest feel you are being helpful,
rather than pushy and trying to pad the bill for your own benefit. It never pays off to always suggest the
most expensive item on the menu. We will discuss more about this later.

You can also influence your guest who has simply ordered water to drink, by taking their lunch order and
then asking whether they would like milk, tea, or soda to drink. This way you will offer your guest an
additional choice, and they will frequently take you up on the offer.

When your table orders something that will take some time to prepare, it is very appropriate to offer an
appetizer or soup, so that they are not left waiting for a long time before their food is ready. In this way,
you have made the offer, and they have accepted it and ordered additional food, something they likely will
not have done on their own. By making suggestions, you are ensuring your guests are comfortable and
are having all their needs met.

Substitutions:

Each establishment has its own policy about substitutions. Know the policies of your restaurant prior to
promising something to your customer. If you do not know, find out prior to making the promise. Your
customer will only feel uncomfortable and upset if you agree to make a substitution, then find out that it is
impossible to make.

Value-added service:
This is another term for customer service. Good customer service will bring your patrons back time and
time again. The very best time to make an impression is on your customers' first visit to your
establishment. Make every effort possible for their experience to be positive. Be versatile, willing, and
capable of doing the following:

 Make recommendations based on your intuition. Look for clues as to why they are dining with
you. Make celebratory suggestions, if appropriate, or appetizing lower-priced suggestions if they
appear to be on a budget.
 When guests become regulars, remember their name, and try to remember some of their likes
and dislikes. According to Dale Carnegie, a person's name is the most important sound to them.
Using it will be very powerful.
 Give extra service that is not exactly in your job description. Offer to package something in a
special way if you can. On the night my husband proposed to me, my leftovers were wrapped in
foil in the shape of a beautiful swan. I never forgot that, and have told literally hundreds of people
about it.
 Make a guest feel good about a choice made, whether an entrée or a wine that they have
selected.
 Talk to your single diners. Often they are business people traveling alone and are on an expense
account. Taking time with them can often be rewarding.
 Anticipate needs and keep drinks filled.
 Be aware that older guests have different needs. Anticipate them, and be ready to answer any
questions they may have about the menu, and what other offerings you have.
 Do NOT focus on the tip. If you do your job right, your average tip will reflect this.
 Share any success with the chefs. They usually only hear about the mistakes.

Reference:
https://www.universalclass.com/articles/business/how-to-take-orders-in-waiter-and-waitress-training.htm

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