Service
Standards

Your menu might contain ingredients, cooking techniques, or other words that your average customer might not be familiar with.

You should know how to pronounce them and be able to explain in simple terms what they are/mean.

Most restaurants have a set of cocktails that are unique to them.

You should know what they are called, what the base spirit is, the main ingredients, and what the flavor profile is (sweet, spicy, spirit forward, tart, well balanced, etc).

In most restaurants you are not expected to know the whole spirits list or wine bottles list.

However, that does not mean that you don’t need to know any.

A good rule of thumb is to know three of each spirit, three red wines by the bottle, and three white wines by the bottle that you are familiar with and can recommend to your guests.

Having these ready to go makes for a better guest experience and can easily raise check averages.

Not everyone who comes in is looking for the same kind of experience.

Some might be in for a romantic evening with their partner wanting to linger with few interruptions, some may want to engage more and ask questions about you, and some may have somewhere to be and want to get in and out as quickly as possible.

Your job is to identify what kind of experience they want as early as possible and create that experience.

If a guest is looking around they probably need help with something.

Maybe they are ready to order, maybe their food just came out and something is wrong, maybe they are ready for the check.

Whatever the reason, it is a good indication that you should check in with them right away.

When someone pushes their plate away, this is usually a clear indication that they are done with their food and are ready for it to be cleared.

If food remains they may want it boxed.

Either way, once a guest pushes their plate to the middle or edge of a table you should clear it for them even if others are still eating.

This is when a server performs as many steps of service as possible without interrupting the guest to ask for permission.

This is a good indication of how seasoned or confident a server someone is.

The more you can do for your tables without interrupting them the better.

Serving events (BEOs/REOs) is a great way to hone this skill because guests are generally there more for the event than interactive service.

We never want guests to feel rushed and we never want them to feel ignored.

Keep an eye on your tables and look for visual cues that tell you whether or not they are ready to move to the next step.

If they have been sitting for a few minutes and none of the menus have moved, they are probably catching up and not ready to order yet.

If one person has finished their meal and the other still has plenty of food but isn’t actively eating, they may be ready for a box.

If you see a credit card placed on the table, regardless of where they are in the meal, they are most likely ready to close out.

We want to avoid asking the same question to a guest more than twice in a row.

Asking if you can get some food started is good service.

Asking guests if you can get some food started three times in five minutes when they still aren’t ready can be annoying and make them feel pressured.

Determining the kind of service they want, knowing when they’re finished, and reading the pace will help you figure out when it is appropriate to ask and when it is better to let them be.

We never want guests to be sitting at a table unacknowledged no matter how busy it is.

Greet new tables within the first minute of them being sat.

Even if you are super busy we still want them to know who their server is and that they aren’t being ignored.

Introduce yourself and let them know you will be right with them.