TH1806

Liaise Between the Kitchen and the Service Areas

Information from the Service Areas to the Kitchen
The information that may need to be relayed from the waiting staff to the kitchen are the following:
• General food orders provided by guests to servers. These may include:
o Table number
o Number of guests (pax)
o Dishes ordered
o Name of server.
• Specific guest requests for general orders, which can relate to the following:
o Timing requirements for the overall meal, certain courses, and coordination of service (with
other tables in the same group)
o Special requests as they relate to dietary or health needs, cultural requirements, religious
issues, and personal preferences
o Notes relating to certain food items (e.g., more butter and extra vegetables).
• Additional/Side orders (e.g., salads and chips) for a table or individual guests.
• Details of complaints made by guests so the kitchen is aware of the problems relating to certain food
items.

Information from the Kitchen to the Service Areas

The information that may need to be relayed from the kitchen to the service points include the following:
• Advice regarding timing of meals (e.g., delays to service)
• Notifications regarding availability of food (e.g., only two [2] servings of pepper crab left or the beef
has run out)
• Request for action (e.g., push the soup or try to sell the red curry)
• Clarification of orders placed so the kitchen knows exactly what is required
• Notification of requests that cannot be accommodated
• Requests for the return of certain crockery and cutlery.

Appropriate Communication Techniques

The following techniques can be used to ensure that proper and effective communication occurs when
relaying information:
• Using the most appropriate method of communication. This is usually verbal (face to face) or
handwritten (note or food order).
• Writing clearly. When producing written communication, make sure it is clear enough for others to
read and interpret.
• Paying attention and concentrating on what is being said.
• Allowing a person to finish what s/he is saying. Never interrupt.
• Asking questions to clarify unsure information.
• Repeating back what has been said to verify understanding of information.
• Speaking slowly and clearly but naturally.
• Being concise. This means giving the required information only and avoiding unnecessary words and
information.
• Using appropriate language. When talking to guests, this can mean using simple words that they can
understand. When communicating with other staff, this can mean using industry- and venue-specific
terminology and/or abbreviations.

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Making Requests to the Kitchen Staff Based on Identified Needs

Servers may ask the barker to speak with the kitchen and to determine if certain guest requests, preferences,
or needs can be accommodated.

Types of Requests
Some of the common types of requests may relate to the following:
• Speed of service. A guest or table may request to:
o Be served straight away
o Have a break (duration depends on the guests) between the service of courses
o Be served and out of the room by a given time.
• Variations to menu items. This may include the following:
o Adding or excluding certain ingredients in a dish
o Substituting ingredients in a dish
o Accommodating cultural, religious, or health-related requirements.
• Variation of portion sizes. This may include requests such as the following:
o A smaller portion size
o A larger portion size
o Entrée to be served as main course and vice-versa
o Extra serving of nominated items (e.g., vegetables, salads, and sauces).
• Request for information. While most servers will know the answers to commonly asked questions
about menu items, some may need to be answered by the kitchen such as the following:
o Are certain dishes fresh or frozen?
o How long will it take to prepare a certain dish?
o Where does the beef come from?

Making the Request

These are the keys to making requests to the kitchen staff:
• Make sure to know exactly what needs to be found out. Clarify ambiguities with the server before
speaking to the kitchen.
• Talk to the right person. Use common sense to determine who to speak with. It does not have to be
the head chef at all times.
• Make the inquiry as quickly as possible without interrupting what others are doing.
• Get the person’s attention before speaking to him/her.
• Speak directly to the person in a clear voice, explaining exactly what is required.
• Listen to the answers given. Be prepared to take notes where answers may be complex or detailed.
• Be prepared to ask follow-up questions where there is doubt with the answers given.
• Thank the person.

Responding to Requests
It is important to pass on to servers the answers that have been received from the kitchen. To do this, the
following must be done:
• Respond in a timely manner. Get the answer back to the server as soon as possible.
• Provide any necessary detail where there is a need to communicate some specific information, factor,
or element.
• Speak to servers away from the guests or guests' table.
• Get the server's attention before speaking.
• Be prepared to answer follow-up questions.

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Ensuring Prompt Pick Up of Food

Individual venues or kitchens have their own method of calling servers for the collection of food that is ready
for service. Options may include the following:
• Ringing a bell which may simply indicate that something is ready for collection but does not indicate
for whom the food is or what the dishes are.
• Calling out a name (e.g., “Daniel, take away” which means Daniel needs to collect dishes for service).
• Calling out a table number (e.g., “Take away table 11” which means the food for table 11 is ready for
collection).
• Calling out a name and a table number (e.g., “Daniel, take away table 11”).
It is important for servers to pick up food that is ready for service promptly for the following reasons:
• It enables the quick service of food to the guests.
• Removal of food from the pass creates space for the next order to be processed, thereby speeding up
general service across the kitchen.
• It ensures that food will be served as its best. For example:
o Hot food will be served hot and cold food will be served cold.
o Frozen food items will be served in a frozen state.
• It prevents contamination. The longer that food sits at the pass waiting to be collected, the chance
that it will be contaminated gets higher.

Checking Food Before Service

Before food is taken out for service, the following aspects should be checked:
• Correctness of the dish/es. This involves ensuring that the right meal is prepared and any requested
changes has been made.
• Quality of the food items. This includes checking all the food on a plate for quality. For example:
o A whole fish should not have tears in the skin.
o Fresh fruits should not be overripe.
o Salad vegetables must be crisp.
• Appearance of the food on the plate. The factors to look for when checking for the appearance of
food are the following:
o All dishes of the same type must be of the same size.
o Same dishes must look the same in terms of layout of vegetables, accompaniments, and
garnishes.
• Size of the meals. It refers to the right volume or quantity of food provided.
• Placement of items on a plate. Some venues require that dishes are centrally located on the plate,
while some require that the main component are primarily featured.
• Use of stipulated serviceware for given items. Some dishes may require the use of a bowl or
underliners.
• Service of sauces. Some establishments may directly add sauces to a food, while others may provide
a small jug of sauce and a sauce boat.

Transferring Food to Appropriate Service Points

Hygiene Rules
These are the following basic hygiene rules that must be followed when transferring food to service areas:
• Keep bare hands and fingers away from the food to avoid contamination.
• Avoid scratching body parts when handling food or carrying plates.
• Keep long hair tied back.

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• Wash hands before handling plates or cutlery when engaged in duties such as removing rubbish,
handling dirty dishes, or using chemicals.
• Do not sneeze or cough on to plates, cutlery, or food directly or indirectly (i.e., coughing or sneezing
into one’s hands and then handling food or plates without washing).

Placing Food
Upon arrival at the service point (the pass or server station in a dining area), the barker will need to place the
plates in the correct position. This may mean either of the following:
• Physically handling the plates to the server who will then serve them
• Placing the plates on the server station for the server to pick up and serve
• Putting hot food inside the heating area or hot box of a server station.
When handing plates directly to a server, the name of the dish should be stated, including any special requests
which have been included in the preparation of the dish.

Reference:
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (2013). Toolbox Development for Front Office, Food and
Beverage Services and Food Production Divisions: Provide a link between kitchen and service area.
Melbourne, Australia: William Angliss Institute of TAFE.
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