The three fingers hold the plate whilst the little finger and thumb keep the plate steady. Properly serving food in a formal setting requires the waiter to follow several rules, including serving plates of food from the right, carrying plates properly and removing food from the left. The last two terms are gender neutral but rarely used, and the terms waiter and server are increasingly used for women too. Take your second plate and rest the … Hi there. The next point that requires your attention is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This is a very useful skill in high volume restaurants where the use of trays is discouraged. This customer is actually very easy to please. Keep your fingers out of the food, and handle the dishes by the edges only. If you are not able to carry a tray effectively, then bring out the courses/plates as you can easily carry them, and assure your customers that you will return with the rest. You should also practice multitasking so you're ready to take orders, communicate with the kitchen staff, and act as the face of the restaurant, all within a fast-paced environment. Many times they will order the special because it is on sale. In taking the order, have your list of questions memorized. Most of the time, you will never know when you have permanently lost a customer; they will quietly leave, and never return. Share any success with the chefs. 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. You should have seen the waiter struggle to carry this. Online. 657k. 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. Chefs will also usually serve their meals on the center of the plate. The first order to fill is the drink order. He has waited on over 100,000 guests and trained hundreds of servers. While serving food in a restaurant may not seem difficult, it can be frustrating to meet the demands of hungry customers without complaining. By utilizing these two factors, you can successfully carry three plates in one hand. Rotate the plate away from your body. Carrying trays can be a risky business, and the best recommendation is to practice at home as much as possible. 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. We will discuss more about this later. Use your remaining three fingers to support the plate while the top edge of the second plate rests on the bottom of the first. 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. Unfortunately, the waitress can burn her hands and arms from carrying excessively hot plates, and one small misstep can cause a steaming hot beverage to splash onto her body. Knowing in advance that you will likely be asked such questions, you will be prepared to answer them with poise and self-assurance. This trick will save you steps and decrease the time your guests spend waiting for their food. Take one plate and place it on your right hand, your three middle fingers should be together, and your thumb and little finger should be raised up. By making suggestions, you are ensuring your guests are comfortable and are having all their needs met. If the plates are hot, be sure to warn your customers not to burn themselves. With this concept in mind, we can carry additional plates on the base we already have. This is a good time to ask if there are any questions about the menu. If a mistake has been made, run a line through the mistake, and, if necessary, have the manager initial it. He has been named "Best Server in Kansas City" the last three years by the local weekly paper. Smile, make eye contact, and give them your name. In continuing the “how to” series on this blog, we are turning from glasses to how to carry three plates. If you have a particularly popular after-dinner drink, mention that as well, especially if your guests show signs of wishing to linger. If you do your job right, your average tip will reflect this. For this reason most restaurants use plates that have large outer lips. Website Design by Hospitality Formula Consulting SEO. It is not the ideal way to carry plates, but it is far superior to making three trips to the kitchen because you carry only one plate in each hand. About Tips²: Tips For Improving Your Tips, The Greatest Customer Complaint Response Ever, My Response: 25 Things Chefs Never Tell You. For this reason most restaurants use plates that have large outer lips. 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. You can always spot a new server as they carefully walk through the dining room with two wobbling plates in their left hand. Make recommendations based on your intuition. To add a fourth plate, I move the third plate back. Place the next plate under the first. Posted by just now. Impressive moment waiter carrying four meals manages to not drop a single plate after falling over. Customers like products that are made from local produce or from seasonal items. Your biggest job will be the timing of your orders. If you are a waiter or a server then at the beginning of your career you should gain expertise on carrying trays properly. No part of your hand or another plate should ever touch the food on another plate. He has held both hourly and salaried positions at independent and corporate restaurants. This waiter takes a massive tumble carrying four plates of food but somehow manages to save them all (Video via SWNS) © 2021 Tips For Improving Your Tips. Since that time, he has worked for over a dozen different restaurant companies. One common practice is for an establishment to have a nightly special that may or may not show up on the menu. Usually the table is already setup and ready before you approach the guests--they should be seated and ready to greet you. Your job, as the server, is make it easier for them to make such a choice. I was at a Gordan Ramsey place last week, they carry plates across the entire restaurant one at a time. A side view demonstrates that the height added by the stacking will allow greater clearance between the food on one plate and the bottom of the next. One of your jobs as a server is to be a salesperson. If handwriting orders, your handwriting must be legible and easy to understand. Server – Waiter or waitress.This individual is responsible for taking orders from the customer and serving the customer with high quality service that start with a friendly greeting and query for immediate needs. Your customer will only feel uncomfortable and upset if you agree to make a substitution, then find out that it is impossible to make. 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. 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. If you are doing Turkish get ups to get the weights up, you can add in a 25 meter walk between the get up and the get down. © Copyright 1999-2021 Universal Class™ All rights reserved. Make sure that yours is pleasant, welcoming, helpful, and neat. This uses my arm as two of the balance points and my body as the third. 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. Know everything on it, know what is in each dish, and know how each dish is prepared and served. Generally trays are carried on the left hand slightly on the above of the left shoulder. 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. While your tastes may not be the same as your customer's taste, it is appropriate to mention two or three menu items that you do enjoy and you can even say why you like them. Continue to be courteous as your guests are leaving. Imagine each of the circles above as a plate. Members. report. Talk to your single diners. That is fine. Your remaining three fingers should be free and exposed. 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. This usually meets with a negative reply and the business transaction is concluding. According to Dale Carnegie, a person's name is the most important sound to them. By discovering why your customer is uncertain about what they wish to order, you can then make appropriate suggestions. An impressive waiter managed to keep hold of all four plates he was carrying after he slipped and fell to the floor in astonishing footage. When a credit card is used, give clear instructions as to which copy is yours and which copy they are to keep. David Hayden was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Place the first plate between your thumb and first finger by the edge. Specials can also be something the chef is trying out and has never made before. If when you deliver the plates any of them have food from another plate on the bottom, you have failed to deliver them intact. Make sure your fingernails are clean, your hair is out of your face and your uniform is free of wrinkles or kitchen odors from the last shift you worked. In this case, it is appropriate to suggest soup, salad, or an appetizer, rather than ordering an entire meal. You should never be expected to carry more than 4 plates. Your clue will be that all your guests will have closed their menus, or placed them back on the table. If when you deliver the plates any of them have food from another plate on the bottom, you have failed to deliver them intact. Since your right hand is free, you may carry a fourth plate with it. Balance the third plate against the edge of the second plate and your wrist. Rotate the plate away from your body. Now that your have learned how to carry three plates, additional plates can be carried from this base by utilizing balance points. Often they are business people traveling alone and are on an expense account. 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. Restaurants sell food, service, atmosphere, and entertainment. The small circles in the pictures represent a spot where that plate is supported. By exercising some curiosity, as well as some tact, you will usually be able to make suggestions that make your customers feel special and important, rather than inadequate and unwelcome. If ordering a salad, what kind of dressing? The small circles in the pictures represent a spot where that plate is supported. 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. I can balanc Once you understand how to carry three plates, the only limits to the number of plates you can carry is your ability to locate balance points. It is your job to ensure that the food arrives at the table in the condition in which it was served from the kitchen. Dessert menus are presented at this time, or a dessert tray is brought to the table. The Waiter and Waitress Guide to Properly Taking Food Orders from Restaurant Guests, How to Take Customer Orders in a Restaurant. There are many pans of different sizes and shapes that relate in volume to the hotel pan: three ⅓ pans can fit into a hotel, six ⅙ pans make up one hotel, eight ⅛ pans, etc. If you're right-handed, place the heaviest plate in your left hand with your thumb on the outside edge of the plate and your index finger on the bottom rim of the plate. 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. Some customers are unfamiliar with your restaurant, and your menu offerings. As you work in a restaurant you will discover that you have some customers who know exactly what they want to eat, and despite every attempt you make, they will order only what they want and will not be persuaded to order anything else. Terminology. By utilizing these two factors, you can successfully carry three plates in one hand. Anticipate them, and be ready to answer any questions they may have about the menu, and what other offerings you have. Using it will be very powerful. Water should be brought to the table at this time, whether by you, the busser, or the hostess. Saving steps can often be the key in high volume restaurants to guest satisfaction on improved income. Working from serving stations, she also replenishes diners' coffee and other hot beverages. This means more money for your restaurant. Plate one would likely fall in any direction because it is only balanced on one point. Place the first plate between your thumb and first finger by the edge. Saving steps can often be the key in high volume restaurants to guest satisfaction on improved income. Any foreign names must be pronounced properly, and it is your job, as the server, to learn that pronunciation. Be helpful. It is always wise to ask prior to totaling the check if there is anything else they wish to order. Plate two has a better chance, but would tip to either sire. The edge of the second plate should be supported against the bottom rim of the plate you positioned initially. However everyone I work with carries 4. To add a fourth plate, I move the third plate back. In today's increasingly aware environment regarding the economy, water is not always served in every restaurant. Taking time with them can often be rewarding. Position the second plate on you… Should your customer be ordering from the a la carte menu, you can still sell additional food by asking if they would like a beverage with the sandwich, or if they would like a sandwich with the soup. hide. This is the impressive moment a waiter fell to the floor carrying four meals - but didn't drop a single plate. 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. Use trays to carry hot plates. A server who has learned the specials and is able to present them to the table well, is effectively marketing for the restaurant. This book shows how you can provide better customer service and dramatically improve your tips. Always use the appropriate abbreviations; do not make up your own -- the kitchen will not understand them. 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