Food & Beverage Service-Tutorial Notes

should always include those items in food offering which they are able toserve. Moreover restricting the items in particular time frame is alsoconsidered as a bad manner of service, for example, a guest comes atrestaurant at noon to have food and but the item she or he ordered is notavailable after 10:30 or before 6:00. The menu should always states what therestaurants can offer, not what they cannot.Foods Servings do not Match with their photos in the MenuAdding high contrast photo with the foods make them more appealing andattractive which persuade the guests to order. However if the items serveddo not match with the food picture then guest’s expectation will not be metand it make the guests disappointed, no matter how much tasty the food is.Missing of Dessert Selections in the MenuEvery menu listing should have the dessertsection. Verbal description may not beenough for ordering dessert items sincemost guests may not remember more thantwo or three items.All restaurants should include the dessertsection or have a separate dessert menu.Having separate dessert menu will behelpful for any food service establishment tomarket the dessert items.No Children’s MenusMany guests come to restaurant with their kids. If they do not find any itemsfor their kids then it is very much disappointing for both guests and children.So while planning and developing menu the responsible staffs must includefood offering for children only to ensure excellence of service and to makethe guests repetitive.Not Enough MenusLack of sufficient menus to offer guests and asking guests to share menus atpeak hour always lower your service quality and makes a pitiable firstimpression. All food service organizations must arrange adequate number ofmenus to meet rush hour. Count your menus at least once in a week to ensure 147

that you have required numbers of menus and if needed then organize moreso that you do not need to face any embarrassment from guests.Food Description does not Match with Food OfferingIn most cases the foods that are served for the guests do not match with theexaggerated food description that was written in the menu presentation toattract the guests. The menu planners often use overbroad words to describeany item in the menu, but the wording is often misleading in reality.If the guests do not get the accurate foods what they ordered they becomeannoyed and disappointed. Hence if you are not able to provide the foodsthat you described then just list your food offerings with simple name alongwith standard description.Charging High for Smaller PortionFood portion must be made according to the price of the item. Offering smallportions at high prices may lose your guests. So while developing menu, theportion size must be allocated concerning the charge of the item.Offering Larger Meal only at the LunchMost of the guests prefer to eat larger meal in the evening. Therefore offeringtraditional luncheon-size portions only at lunch hour may not be useful andprofitable. So the menu planner should always include luncheon-sizeportions in both lunch and dinner time.Lack of Signature Items on the MenuSignature item always distinguished a food service establishment from otherfood service organizations. The menu listing must include a signature itemto pull towards the guests to the restaurant and to make them repetitive. If amenu does not offer any signature item then guests will chase for otherrestaurants to have something extra food item rather than having normaldishes which is a loss for organization.A delicious and mouthwatering signature item will help you to generatemoney and to achieve competitive advantage.Menus with Fixed Price charging SurchargesWhen a menu offer fixed price menu then guests come to restaurant with anexpectation that they will have to pay a fixed amount regardless the quantity 148

of the order. However, offering surcharge in fixed price menu will lead theguests to feel cheated and discourage them to visit this hotel or restaurant.Frequent Changes of Menu ItemsAlmost every restaurant runs food operation with a core menu to set thetheme of the restaurant in the market and to target the niche. If the menu ischanged or updated every now and then, it may raise trustworthy issue inguests’ mind and make them confused about what to expect from yourrestaurant. The idea may be useful for some small restaurants but offering aweekly menu would be less risky for any kind of restaurant.Offering few Choices for Non-meat LoversGrowing health consciousness towards rich items prevents the guests tochoose fat and cholesterol and inspire them to go for non-meat menu choice.So, considering this preference on menu listing and offering meatless itemwould be a great idea to ensure more profit and guest satisfaction.Presenting the Same Menu over the YearsIf price increases are the only changes that happened with menu and offeringsame food items over the years rather than focusing on the current popularfood demands then the whole food operation and service will be dull andboring and even might lose its regular customers. Your menu must introducenew items or current sensation in the food market to attract the guests whoalways look for new item. Update your menu at least twice a year to eradicateless popular items and add new items. But remember do not make drasticchanges.Adding too much Restrictions for Guest in the MenuAdding too much restrictions along with the food offerings always make thefirst impression negative. For example, if a guest sees the followingcomments in the menu at his/her first arrival then he may lose his interestto avail the food in that restaurant.  We have the authority to reject any guest for service.  Sales tax will be added to all taxable food items.  We are held responsible for lost, damaged or stolen items.  We only receive cash. 149

If it is necessary to put restrictions then write your situations courteouslyusing polite expressions so that guest would not be dishearten andunderstand your limitations.No Heart-healthy Choices on the MenuApart from regular guests, your menu ought to able to necessities thedemands of guests who sought for particular items concerning their healthcondition. Offering heart healthy choices and low fat options for people withhealth issue such as diabetic, obese people or heart patients you can not onlyshow your concern towards such guests you can but also ensure competitiveadvantage over the other restaurants who do not offer any health food intheir menu.Too many or too few Items in the MenuA well planned menu should neither offers avariety of options nor so much limited choices.It will make them confused apart fromenhancing their dining experience. Guestsshould be offered with standard food offeringsthat appetites them within a reasonable periodof time.Other commonly observed Limitations in the menuplanning are:  Portion size is too large or too small  Use of inferior material while making menu.  Offering food items prepared with limited number of preparations techniques.  Menu listing is not maintained in a chronological order.  Inappropriate balance of carbohydrates and protein on food items offered by the menu.  Poorly stated or extravagant descriptions of preparation on the menu.  No separate wine description.  Lack of nutritional value in menu items. 150

 Offering too much reasonable options or pricy options. Food listing does not match with the food serving. Lack of different cuisine in menu planning. Wine menu only offer two or three range of wines. Violation of menu policy making. Menu costs extra charge for blue cheese dressings. Lack of creativity in describing menu items. Menu listing is prepared only considering the high end market. The uses of classical terms without proper follow-through in the service. The design of the menu is same over the years. Absence if quick meals in menu planning. 151

42. Buffet Service: Meaning, Table Setting & GuidelinesSo far, we have elaborately discussed different types of food servicestyles like French, American, Russian,English, Chinese, Gueridon and so on.Today we will give you an in depth tutorial on Buffet service Style. In thisguide we will cover everything you will need to learn to operate buffet servicesuccessfully in your hotel or restaurant.Buffet MeaningDefinition of the word buffet can begiven in this way like buffet is aspecial type of meal which is madeup with different types of dishesfrom what guests take foods andthen serve themselves without helpof any waiter or server. In hospitalitysector buffet is defined as a meal in which the breakfast or lunch or dinersserve themselves the various served meals, and the food is typically placedon a table in a public area where the foods can access quickly. The diningtable contains the plates for the guests and the serving dishes of food. Thediners are then invited to queue along the length of the dining table whileserving themselves the food that is prepared in advance. The guests thenproceed to other designated sitting places which are set up fully with allappointments except the dinner plate.Types of Buffet ServiceAccording to the nature of service there are basically 3 types of buffetservice provided in different hotels. Such as:  Sit Down Buffet  Standing or Stands Up Buffet or Fork Buffet  Display Buffet or Finger BuffetSit Down Buffet 152

As it’s evident by the name itself, other factors like food display remain thesame, the only difference is that after helping himself the guest sits down tohave his meals. The table setting required in this case is just like any otheroccasion. If there is wine to be served along with the food, glasses are put inadvance on the tables and wine is served by the waiter. A meal of this kindrequires more than the usual number of waiters as they are required to clearthe soiled items in time and to ensure that all the service that is to be givenon the table itself i.e. wines, cigarettes, and toward the end tea/coffee, can beserved. A sit down buffet is as good as any formal meal and it serves a moresuccessful in infusing a certain lightness in the atmosphere and at the sametime remaining ‘formal’ also.Standing Buffet or Stands-up Buffet or Fork BuffetAs the name suggest, there is no provision of elaborate cutlery, hence thename ‘Fork Buffet’ since one can’t use a knife, so they use fork when one iseating while standing. Special care is taken in this kind of food. It must bemade sure that it’s easy to eat and can be eaten with fork. Anything thatwould need a knife is avoided. Curry, casseroles with rice and noodles, fishand meat salads are basically desirable and common items in this buffet.Display Buffet or Finger BuffetThe guests select their food and then eat at a table. Here the guests approachthe buffet at its various service points to select their requirements course bycourse. Most ancillary items may also be collected, if needed, at the buffet.These might include rolls, butter, sauces, napkin, tableware etc. The gueststhen return to their tables to consume the different parts of the meal. Thetable layouts are similar to the standard banquet layouts. The clearing of thetables takes place in the same way as for formal Banquets.Buffet Service StyleThe foods are attractively arranged on the table and classified according tothe proper sequence required for a good set up. Usually, this arrangementranges from the appetizers to the desserts which are final serving. The buffettable also contains dinner plates and saucers which are placed strategically 153

to enable the guests to pick them up quickly then proceed to serve themselvesfoods at their choice.There are many varied ways of presenting the selection of foods for thebuffet; there is limited pass buffet or ‘single pass meal’ where dinners dietaryintake is moderated to each person and is mostly common in boardingschools, military bases, cruise ships, and prisons. Then there are otherpresentation methods which allow the diners first to take small portions ofunfamiliar foods for sampling then return for additional shares until they aresatisfied. Some of these variations of presentation include:-  The first is having several plates on a table containing equal portions of food which the dinners pick as they pass.  A second method is whereby the diners are seated then they get to choose their preferred meals from wheeled carts that are being circulated in the dining room or restaurant by servers.  Another method is whereby the diners can serve themselves as much as they want; this is also called “all-you-can-eat” buffet for one single meal. In many restaurants, this form is paid on a fixed fee.  The Mongolian barbecue buffet permits the diners to choose thinly sliced foods then present to the restaurant chef to prepare the food as they wait.  The supermarkets, delicatessens, and malls utilize the salad bar style in which the customers pick whatever they want then are billed regarding the weight of the foods.  Lastly are the open buffets which are common in ceremonies and celebrations and usually no cost is involved to the diners as they carry their plates and move along the buffet line as they help themselves to the food.Buffet Table Setting 154

The right surface to place a buffet meal should be flat, and it should also beable to carry the tableware and serve ware. The minimum length can beabout five feet but should any more space be required then other smallertables can be added. A separate table should be provided for beverages awayfrom the buffet table. The buffet table is then positioned depending on thesize and dimension of the room. If the room is spacious enough, then placethe table at the center, this will accommodate the service on both sides of thetable and from both ends. It enables the serving to be faster and also reducesthe congestion. But in a smaller room, the buffet table is placed against thewall so that it creates enough space to allow for the flow of traffic.The start of the line should begin with the plates. The stacks of plates shouldbe around ten plates high in around two or three stacks; this will be addeddepending on the number of visitors flowing in but should not be too high sothat they pose a risk of tipping over. Then depending on whether the buffetis a breakfast buffet or lunch or dinner meal, the food is lined up accordingto the temperatures. The cold foods are at the first stop. Then the hot foodswhich are mostly the main dishes are at the end of the table; this is for themain reason that the guests won’t have to eat the cold main dishes when they 155

get seated. At the furthest end are the utensils and napkins as the visitorshead to their seats.The dining table setting follows the ‘outside- in’ rule which states that thepiece of appliance used last is positioned directly next to the plate the guestuses. The dining table arrangement follows this order:  Forks: – Place the forks on the left side of the plate. The furthest fork is the salad fork, and that next to the plate is for the formal meal.  Dinner Plate: – This is placed on the table when serving the main course of the meal. They are laid out an inch from the edge of the table.  Salad Plate: – It is placed further left to the forks about two inches from the edge of the table.  Spoons and Knives: – Are placed to the right of the dinner plate, but the knife is next to the plate.  Bread Plate and Butter Knife: – When you serve bread as part of the buffet, a bread plate is placed above the forks on the left side of the dinner A butter spreader is laid on the bread and butter plate.  Glassware: – Normally, a wine glass is used along with a water glass. If the table does not contain a lot of stuff, then you can arrange the glasses in any way parallel to the table’s edge. Water glass should be about an inch above the tip of the dinner knife and the wine glass to the right side of the water glass.  Dessert Spoon and Fork: – The dessert spoon is laid above the dinner plate horizontally with the handle facing the right. The dessert fork is laid just beneath the dessert spoon/ knife and the handle facing the left side.  Salt and Pepper: – The salt and pepper shaker are placed to the right side next to the right arm with the pepper shaker being at the far end as most people do not use pepper.Buffet GuidelinesBefore the service begins you should ensure that the tables and linencovering are clean, and the tablecloths evenly spread on the tables. The chairsshould be properly arranged and dusted. The dining tables are set up in anappropriate manner allowing enough spacing for the guests to place theirplates or two depending if the service requires extra. The crockery that holds 156

the foods should be spotlessly glittering with any food spilling polished clean.Sugar bowls, flower vases, and cruet sets should be duly filled and placed onthe tables. Water jugs and ice buckets should also be full and ready. The floorshould be clean and dry.The buffet service is either assisted or unassisted. Assisted is when aid isavailable to take your order and present you the food while seated and theunassisted is whereby the guests serve themselves entirely at the buffet. Theservers provide professional assistance while the visitors sit at preset tables.Mostly it’s offered when the meal is a three course namely appetizer, maincourse and desserts. The appetizer is served on the dining tables before theguests arrive, the guests will then help themselves out at the buffet and mayreturn to get more portions as they desire on the buffet line. Then afterward,the desserts are served to them again. The plates are to be cleared two at atime; one should also not crumble the table before the guests leave unless thetable is unusually messy.Assistance may also be offered to the guests as they sit randomly, and theonly assistance is at the buffet table engaging two or more people to assist inserving the main course and salads then the guests proceed to sit at places oftheir choice.One should, however, be very careful when presenting a buffet service asthere are several risks involved. The first and foremost is the risk ofcontamination by the guests in the buffet line. Therefore, one should takeprecaution by meeting following criteria  Handle the food at suitable temperatures by ensuring that hot foods be served at a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius while the cold foods at a maximum at 4 degrees Celsius. Always try to maintain the temperature range during service of the buffet.  The ice used to cool the food should be made from safe drinking water. The food is not to be in direct contact with the ice but placed on top of the serving Ensure always that the melted ice drains away from the food.  The foods presented on the buffet table must be protected against contamination by making sure the entire serving platter have container 157

covers, shields or sneeze guards. Place the food in containers recommended for handling food.  If it is possible, some of the service crew should wash their hands and serve the requested food to the guests using clean and sanitized utensils; this ensures that there is minimal risk of guests contaminating the food. Where it is not possible for the service crew to serve the clients then always provide long-handled Remember to offer a plate beside food for placing the appliance when not in use.  Do not directly add new and fresh food to the containers on display. The old container should be removed and replaced with fresh supplies in new containers.  Always ensure that you have sufficient utensils including plates. Take away the empty plate from the tables and when the guests want to refill their plates should be provided with clean plates.  Always ensure safe food handling in clean containers. When transporting food to the buffet table, cover the containers. If transportation vehicles are used, they should also be cleaned before loading the food for delivery.Tipping System for Buffet ServiceAlthough tipping is not mandatory, most people tip as a way of showingappreciation for the good service and as a way to always ensure that theservice is top notch. A general rule for tipping is to tip by the level, proportionand quality of service offered. A tip at a buffet depends on the degree ofservice. The amount which the client gives out varies from whether it is a fastfood buffet in which no tipping is necessary as every client performs all theservice on his own. Then if a waiter or waitress takes yourorder and checks on you in case you might need anythingadditional, then a dollar or two is appreciated for theservice. For a high-end buffet where the wait staff servesdrinks and even orders directly from the kitchen, then thetip can range anywhere between ten and twenty percentof the total bill.For buffet serving in restaurants, a tip can be provided tothe servers who are clearing the dishes on the tables and 158

providing drink refills. The servers may not be actively engaged in takingorders nor bringing the food out, but they work in ensuring that the tablesare clean and emptying the plates. Also, they maintain the buffet line withnew food stock in clean crockery; they indulge in coffee or tea brewing. Theaverage amount that guest can offer for a single server is a dollar but notanything less than that. But if the visitor may feel that the service is notsatisfactory enough then may offer to scale down the tip because of the poorcustomer service.Buffet Service EquipmentFood presentation in a buffet is the ultimate goal for a good service. An eye-catching presentation of food entices customers to the meal; this is the firstimpression that the visitors get as they are welcomed into the restaurant. Theequipment should be presentable, stylish and practical in design that wouldbe suited for a variety of buffet servings. The buffet display equipmentincludes chafing dishes, display trays, and display baskets. Buffet utensilswill also be required to enable the clients to fill their plates as they passthrough the buffet presentation. Other equipment needed for buffet serviceare condiment dispensers, tablecloths, coasters and vases for flowers.To successfully serve a meal, you require appropriate lighting and heatingmethods so that the food remains hot and tastes fresh. Several types ofequipment will ensure that the food whether being served hot or cold willalways be at the desired temperatures even if the food will requiretransporting to another location different from where it is prepared.To serve an excellent buffet, you will need these types of equipment:-  Buffet Food Warmer: As the name suggest buffet food warmer is used to keep food warm.  Chafing Dishes and Fuel: – Chafing dishes are an efficient method of keeping food as they can keep the food warm through a heating device burning fuel.  Display Trays: – The shelves offer an ideal way of serving fruits, bread, and other snacks to the guests.  Cake Stands: – These are used to present baked cakes making the cakes prominent. 159

 Buffet Dishes and Platter: – The buffet dishes and plates are used to serve guests the food. The appropriate size in diameter ranges from ten to twelve inches.  Table Skirting and Clips: – The skirting provides an elegant look and comes in different patterns and colors to blend with various themes of buffet occasions.  Buffet Utensils: – The utensils are specially designed for buffet service ensuring that there is minimal contamination of the food.  Deli Dishes: – These containers and bowls are used for the display of foods such as potato salad, pasta, coleslaw and the likes.  Soup Tureens: – The soup tureens and punch bowls main purpose is to serve soup or punch.  Other equipment can vary depending on the venue of the buffet but can include rope barrier systems, ice cream and cone holders, wedding cakes stands, and knives and food labels that display to the guest the range of food types served.Final ThoughtsAn essential feature of the different buffet presentation formats is that all thefood is clearly visible to the diners, and they have the liberty to selectimmediately the kind of foods that they want to eat and the quantity they caneat. The advantages of serving a buffet are that it is a fast service that canhandle a lot of diners within a short period with little effort required fromthe staff as much of the time the patrons will be moving around and gettingwhat they need. The ways the foods are presented in buffets are appealing tothe patrons. The only disadvantage of buffet serving is that a shortage of foodmay result as the early comers might over serve and cause a shortfall for latecomers. Organization Chart of Room Service DepartmentRoom service department of a hotel is generally a sub division of Food& Beverage department. The size of the room service staff depends on thesize of the hotel, room service hours, and the number of guests who usuallyorder room service. The room service manager supervises all room service 160

operations. The employees who deliver the food to guests’ rooms are calledthe room service servers. Members of a Hotel Room Service DepartmentRoom Service ManagerAs the name suggests, room service manager is the highest position in roomservice department. A room service manager is a department head. This isvery challenging positing which needs certain levels of experience andknowledge. The position demands practical working experience in roomservice department and at the same time managerial and administrativeskills and knowledge. Even a good knowledgeable hotel staff who may haveprior experience of working as awaiter but don’t have any experienceto push a room service table or hasnever operated the telephoneswitchboard will certainly have adifficult time managing thisdepartment.A room service manager mustestablish strong discipline and sethigh standards of professionalattitude. Generally, a room service 161

manager has very little chance to meet a guest face to face. Most of his tasksneed to be performed from backend. So a strong administrator is best-suitedfor this position. Good scheduling skills are necessary to adjust the payrollsince a manager has to shift his staffs consistently. Since the departmentoperates all days a week and in many cases around the clock, a number ofskilled assistants are necessary to keep the department operating.Most hotel companies impulse management trainees to spend some time asroom service assistants so that they can work independently and acquiredifferent layer of service experience. Basically, room service is quite differentfrom dining room service since the job as because servers work in guest’sroom and without direct supervision. As soon as the servers leave the roomservice department, they are on their own.Room Service CaptainsBig hotels with many hospitality suites or those that are in the luxury classand hotels whose guests often prefer to entertain in their suites, require roomservice captains. Room service captains sell and serve parties in suites alongwith other responsibilities. In case when no parties are taking place, at thattime they work as supervisors dispatching orders and inspecting tables.Room Service ServersThe way HR managers hire servers or waiter or dining rooms, the exactcriteria can be applied while selecting servers for room service department.Like all servers, room service servers should be hard-working, professionalbut friendly and cheerful. They get enough chances to make a lastingimpression on guests.Room service server should be a mature person and enthusiastic to work onhis or her own. He or she should also be trustworthy. Because of the natureof the job, servers have to enter people’s temporary homes where they mayfind their guest involved in different activities or different situations. Soroom service servers should be professional enough to encounter suchstrange and embracing situations and keep the secrecy of guests within himor herself where some of the guests could be very famous ones.The Trend has been made that room service servers are to be males. But it isadvantageous for a hotel to have also female servers on the staff althoughfemale servers may also welcome problems like sexual harassment.Order TakersEven though it may not sound that much important but in reality ordertakers do hold a significant position in the department. Usually, they performthe same job as captains in dining rooms without getting the opportunity to 162

see the guest and having gratuities. Order takers get fixed salary, and theywork behind the scenes.They are the first contact between the guest and the room servicedepartment. They are sales people and are knowledgeable about theingredients of dishes, the daily chef’s specials, the names of mixed drinks,the wine list, how much time needed to be served, cooking preparation etc.This is not very easy because order takers work in isolated offices and rarelysee the food before it is sent out and most importantly guest may ask tons ofquestions related to the food and service and they should be well-informedand smart enough to answer each question properly. A good hotel shouldtrain an order taker by giving the opportunity to taste every single itemprovided by room service department so that they can take note and fromtheir experience answer guests. This will be helpful for them to sell thoseitems enthusiastically.Order takers should be good listeners. All information taken over thetelephone must be noted down properly. Because when an order is deliveredto the room and an item is missing or wrong, it is very difficult and annoyingfor the guest to have the situation corrected.Order takers should have guest complaint handing competencies since theyare the first persons who have to handle complaints if anything goes wrongrelated to room service. Most complaints are about delays, some of which areunavoidable. The question then occurs that how honest the order takershould be when delays occur. The most popular standard answer is that thefood is on the way, wait for few more minutes. The department does not wantto lose sales, and often the order takers are instructed to promise deliverytimes which cannot be kept.This practice is not justifiable to those guests who have appointments andcan be troubled by delays made by room service department. Sometimesguests call to the room service department numerous times and eventuallycancel the order when they cannot wait any longer. This is the worst situationwhere the hotel loses twice. You may wonder how. Let me explain.First, it makes a guest very annoyed, desolate and unhappy and this personwill most likely never become a repeat guest and may go to a different hotelon his or her next visit. Second, the order was probably being prepared or atleast chef started preparing it or even may be it was on its way. So the hotelthen loses the food and the labor.Time orders are most critical, which is orders placed the day before with aspecific delivery time stipulated. Even with the best planning and staffingdelays can occur when a number of orders exceeds capacity. In suchsituations when a delay occurs, the order taker should be honest and inform 163

the guest lot earlier. Time orders should get preferences over all other orders.When new orders are placed, a realistic, feasible delivery time should bementioned.Complaints about food and service are rare but could be a lot harsher than inthat of in the restaurants. People in the privacy of their rooms are trends tobe more vocal and critical than in a public atmosphere. Sometimes they alsodrink a bit more than they would in a restaurant which triggers them to belurid and vocal. When there is a serious complaint, a member of themanagement team or a room-service captain should go to the guest’s room,investigate the problem and apologize. A normal telephone conversation insuch a situation may not be enough.Room Service CashiersIn most cases, cashier’s used to be from outside of room service department.He works for the Accounting Department and is not part of room service, butthey obviously play an important role. Smaller hotels make a position ofcashier-cum-order taker. These employees are then trained for bothcapacities. Cashiers must be easily accessible to the room service serverssince checks must be posted as quickly as possible.During breakfast which trends to be the busiest time for room servicedepartment, many guests want to check out fast. At that very time, if cashiersare not closely located there buys waiters have the propensity to hold checksfor not to lose time. This is not a good practice since it increases chances thatthose checks may not be stamped on time. So whether guests pay in cash orby check or credit card, the room service waiter should manage time to visitcashiers to complete the transaction. 164

43. How a Waiter should Clear Guest Table at RestaurantA waiter’s or waitress’s job is not very easy. In fact there are some challengingpart associated with their job. Many waiter or servers, who take order andserve guests daily in restaurants, often try to find out what is the best possibleway to clear the guest table after the meal. In this tutorial, we are going toshare some amazing tips for food servers to give an good overview on how toclear and check the guest’s table after service and prepare for billing in politeand timely manner without interrupting the guest’s experience.“What could be the best time to clear a plate after guest finished eating?” –Often this question comes in server’s mind. In fact, there is no solid answerof this question. When a waiter should clear guest table depends on fewthings like: Level of service that the restaurant provide The situation or time Guest’s expectationWhat is the Best Time to Clear a Guest TableIt is very obvious that a waiter or waitress or food server must wait untila guest finishes his or her mealproperly. A waiter should never pusha guest to finishes his meal quickly.Now, there are few signs that mayindicate that a guest has finished hismeal and waiting for your clearance.For example: Guest has finished his meal and there is no food left on the plate Guest has put the knife and fork in the middle of empty plate Customer hasn’t touched the food for more than 15 minutesThese may be some ways to calculate the best time for clearing guest tablebut double check all other facts before approaching a guest. Often in a fine 165

dinning restaurant, if 3 people arehaving food and one has finishedearlier then if a waiter approaches toclear his plate other guests may feeloffended and take it as a sign of rushout.Guest Table ClearingProcedures Be attentive to guest’s sign and respond to tables even it is not your station. Keep your head always upright, look around. Approach the table only when all guests have finished their meal. Keeping the cutlery inside is an indication of completion of meal. Clear plates from the right hand side of the guest, ladies first at all times following by an old guest or guest and the host last. While clearing table, try not to make too much sound. Clear the table quickly but with efficiency without disturbing the guests and clear the table by saying with a smile: “Excuse me Mr. X, may I clear your plates”. Whilst clearing empty glasses from the table, offer the guest another drink by saying courteously: “Would you like to have another drink, Mr. X?” Check satisfaction from the guest at least once during the meal and also while clearing by saying: “How was the food, Mr. X?”1. If the guest is pleased with the food, say: “Thank you”.2. If the guest is not pleased, apologize at once, thank him / her to inform you, exchange the dish and inform the restaurant manager. Do not take more than 5 minutes between clearing one course and serving the next course. Replace ashtrays when required. 166

 Serving and clearing station quantities should be pertinent to the Restaurant volume and capacity. Never keep the trays on the guest table to clear dishes. Though keeping the cutlery on the plate is commonly used as an indication that the customer has finished the meal, however always check with the guest to confirm before clearing the table. All staff members should be knowledgeable about the cutlery positions (indication of completion of meal). For example: horizontally across the plate at 3.00 o’clock or vertically at 6.00 o’clock. Remove bread and butter setting only when the main course has finished. Present the check if the guest requests. Check to ensure the bill or the check is accurate, properly itemized, clean, no stains or marks before presenting it to guest. If there are any promotional materials make sure that they are clean and updated. Bill should properly specify what is included in the charges (ex- tax cover charge, service charge). Give sufficient time to the guest to check and settle the bill without moving around the table, but stay in surrounding area. Recover check and method of payment (if appropriate). Thank the guest and perform accordingly and quickly. Make sure that the cashier deals with the check quickly and returns the change or customer credit immediately (if any). Give a copy of the receipt to the guest with the card (if the method of payment is credit card) in a folder by saying: “Here’s your card and receipt, Mr. X, thank you very much”. If the guest disagrees with the bill, say: “Please give me a moment to look into this” Do not check the bill in front of the guest. Sign discrepancies within a certain limit as set by management. Apologize to the guest for any real perceived errors.Placing Tooth Pics After Clearing the TableThis is not mandatory at all. If your restaurant follow this idea of puttingtooth pics right after the completion of main course and clearing of guesttable the follow this procedure: 167

 Place the tooth picks immediately right after the clearance of main course or when food plates have been finished.  Put the toothpick holder on a tea saucer properly.  Approach the table and keep on the center of the table to make it easily available to the guests who are sitting on the table.  Check to ensure that all toothpicks holder are clean, free of stain and are in correct order.  Clean and wash the tooth pick holder at least twice a week and replace the toothpicks in the holder once in a weak.  Fill the toothpick holder up to a standard level; do not over fill the toothpick holder.  Remember that placing toothpicks are only served after the main course. If the guest opts only for a soup, salad and dessert then placing toothpick could be made upon request. 168

44. How to be a Better Waiter (Part-1): Know the MenuIf you are new in hospitality industry or studying in hotel or restaurantmanagement and want to have a career as waiter or server then you mustwant to know how to be a better or great waiter, right? From today, weare going to start a new series of tutorials where we will share all tips andsuggestions that you should follow in order to be a better waiter or waitress.How to be Better Waiter – Know your Menu A to ZProviding high standard service greatly depends on your knowledge on themenu. In fact menu knowledge is one of the most important factors thatyou will not see in job description of awaiter or waitress but it decides howgood you are as a waiter or server. As we toldearlier, there are differentclassifications of menu. Some are veryshort some are long and complex. Here, menuknowledge doesn’t mean that you need tomemorize everything. What it means that youshould be familiar with what is on your menuso that you can answer each and every guestregardless of their tastes and personality. Therewill be so many items in your menu that youreally don’t like. But your preference will not beexcepted here. What you really hate to have maybe someone’s most favoritedish. Since it is the guests who come to your hotel or restaurant or resort withtheir different choice of food are willing to pay for food, you should alwaysbe right after their as a guide to provide best possible direction andsuggestion.You should work on knowing your menu until you are very comfortable withit. Knowing your menu will give you some amazing advantages so you better 169

try to memorize and understand menu very well. Here we are going to sharesome helpful tips that really work:How a Waiter should Memorize Menu Write down everything that you want to memorize is a good idea for many. You may write down items according to guest’s question. After getting good command over menu you may take a pen and paper and ask yourself question that your guest may have. Say write down all the names of seafood that your restaurant offers. Again you may write down description of a food in detail like how does chef cook it, proper portion sizes, how much time is needed to cook, how does it serve etc. Typing on your computer or writing down in a paper may be a great idea to memorize tricky items of your menu. Your colleague may be your best support for learning menu. If you find someone who is willing to help you or have interest like you to memorize menu then you may play games like ask each other random questions. In this way your learning will be entertaining. You can play role like guest and ask different question about different items. In that way many new questions may come in your mind that you don’t know. You will always have chance to know answers of those questions from your seniors later. Read the whole menu regularly, make it your habit. Don’t let your guest know your menu better than you. Try to make a habit of looking and reading the menu regularly so that you would not forget anything and become updated with new revisions and changes of the menu.Importance of Knowing Menu You can answer guest’s question very easily. While doing suggestive selling, you can comfortably recommend different choices. You can easily estimate food preparation time. You can discuss about various cooking methods, accompaniments, condiments and decoration styles. All in all, it just makes your job easier.What to Know about Menu Items 170

 Accompaniments of food. Condiments. Portion sizes. Unless you have the clear idea, you can’t deliver proper size to your guest. Even some guest ask the question about portion while placing or delivering the order. Preparation times. Brand name of different beverage items. Garnishes.AccompanimentsAccompaniments are complementary additions to the main ingredient of ameal. Accompaniments are typically things like vegetables and side saladsbut they also include sauces and relishes. Sometimes the accompanimentalso comes with a garnish of its own. Example: French Fries with the “Fish and Chips” Broccoli and wild rice with the “Crabcakes” Cup of soup with the “Grill cheese Sandwich” Brioche Roll with the “Chicken Parm”, “Burger” and “crabcake SandwichThe easiest way to learn about accompaniments is to read the menu!CondimentsAccording to Wikipedia, a condiment is an edible food, such as a sauce, thatis added to some foods to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or insome cultures, to complement the dish. The term originally described pickledor preserved foods, but has shifted meaning over time. Certain foods aretraditionally accompanied by certain items. For instance, fried foods andketchup. It’s your job to learn the right condiments for the items on themenu.Why do you need to know this? If you are a room service waiter and forget the condiment, you’ll need to go back to the kitchen to get it. This will not only kill your valuable time but also guest’s food may turn cold. If you put the wrong condiment on a tray, then it will have no use. And even in some cases, there are few condiments may cost as much as the ordered food. 171

Note: Generally room service waiters have pockets in their aprons. Soputting a couple of small single services jars of condiments in the frontpocket could be a great idea since it will save time.Preparation TimesDo you really know how long does it take to prepare a steak? A grilledsalmon? An omelet? A piece of prime rib? A martini? Knowing foodpreparation times makes your job easier whether estimating room deliverytime or taking and delivering the order.Why is Preparation Time important It helps you to provide a quite accurate delivery time quote to the Guest when they order room service. It enables you to get your items ready at the right time. For example, say you get an order of a steak well done and a cocktail or and soda. So if you don’t know how much time needed to prepare a well done steak, the ice in your cocktail or soda could be melted, and the soda will be flat.The term 86It is very common restaurant term. ‘Eighty-six’something in a restaurant is to indicate you areout of that item. To 86 a menu item generally mean that it is temporarilyunavailable, mostly because a primary ingredient has run out. For example,if the special of the night is sea bass and the kitchen is out of sea bass, theorder taker might be told to “86 the sea bass.” This instructs them to let thecustomers know that the sea bass is no longer available. The term 86 is useas a verb, so the past tense is 86’d. For instance, you may ask “Whathappened to the sea bass?” And you get this reply: “The sea bass was 86’d.”86 doesn’t only mean that the kitchen is out of an ingredient, that why theitem is not available. The term also means to “get rid of something.” So, ifsomething has gone bad so that you can’t sell anymore and a kitchen staff istold to “86 it,” this would mean that to throw the food out. 172

How to Deal with Term 86: Tips for WaitersHere’s a tip to order takers or servers. Never tell your customers that youhave “run out of something”. Let’s say that the kitchen is out of SmokedBrisket. Say, “the Smoked Brisket have “sold out.” If you say “ran out” thenit gives negative impression, not necessarily everyone but few guest mayassume that the restaurant is mismanaged. On the other hand, when youwould say “sold out” then it will give positive impression among guest. Theymay assume that your business is really booming, and that particular itemwhich has been sold out must be very popular and tasty.Ask the “Right” Questions When Taking the OrderNo order taker should call the Guest back and ask “Sir, how did you want thatsteak prepared?” Instead, while taking the order he should ask all relevantquestions:Guest Order Information Needed Breakfast Steak How do you like the steak to be cooked – Rare, mediumBreakfast Meat or well done? Bacon or sausage?Egg Order How would you like them cooked? Over-easy, medium, hard. ScrambledFried Up or over easy, medium or hardScramble Soft or hardBoiled How long do you want? 173

Poached How do you want to be served – in a cup or on toast?Bread type ( if not What type of toast? White? Wheat? biscuit) Salads Lunch/Dinner Type of salad? Choice of dressingHamburger & Steaks Degree of doneness? R, MR, M, MW, W and sides? Choice of bread and Sides? SandwichesMartini CocktailsScotch Olives or twist? Gin or Vodka? “Rocks or straight up?” 174

45. Responsible Alcohol Beverage Service in Restaurant & BarJob of a waiter or waitress or a bartender at a hotel,restaurant, resort or bar is not very easy all the time. As a waiteror waitress or bartender you not only have to deal with difficultsituations but also have to handle few items which involves risk. Servingalcohol is such a vast subject that you have to handle very muchprofessionally and tactfully. Failure to do so may not only impact negativelyin your professional career but may result end of losing your license or evenwhole business. In our today’s guide, we have tried to cover everything thatyou would need to know about how to provide responsible alcoholbeverage servicein restaurantand bar. Why Responsible Alcohol Serving is very ImportantServing alcohol responsibly and act in accordance with the law for servingalcohol is considered as one of the most prime responsibilities for a server orthe restaurant since law does not allow to serve alcohol to underage orintoxicated guests. And violation of this rule will lead servers, bartenders,manager, and owner of any restaurant to be personally accountable for anyunwanted situation or inappropriate behavior occurred by the guests due toexcessive drinking even after the guest leaves the restaurant.Servers should know the possible significances of over serving alcohol, thecommon signs of intoxication, the time limit when to say no to guests andthe impromptu steps to be taken for handling any intoxicated guests. Serversmust be constantly observant toward the guests for changes in attitude, bodylanguage and any other abnormality from normal behavior. 175

That’s why every server and other restaurantstaff have a responsibility to be attentive towardthe law or rules for serving alcohol.There are some common rules or laws areestablished for the servers or bartenders forhandling problems or difficult situation relatedto alcohol beverage and intoxicated guests which are as follows:Check Guest IdentityVerify each guest’s identification who came to drink alcoholic beverage atyour restaurant or bar by taking the following steps: Check any form of identification from guest which is issued by a governmental agency and include the following details: Name Date of birth A physical description A photograph If guest does not have a driver’s license then verify other acceptable form of identification. Check the physical description on the ID to ensure that you are dealing with the correct person. Match the photo of identification and check the age of the Id with guest. Validate date of birth for approving alcoholic beverage. If guest does not look like photograph, ask for other form of identification. Verify the expiry date of the Id. Check the id carefully to see whether it is real or custom made. If guest is unable to provide any identity proof then politely refuse to serve alcohol. Receive only the forms of ID that you are familiar with. If verifying process is satisfactory then return identification and thank the guest for keeping patients. Never let guest in without proper checking if the guest is accountable. Ask for management help for any kind of dispute with the guest regarding verifying and checking guest identity. 176

Determine the Age of the GuestDetermining legal drinking age of guest or judging a guest’s age can be verydifficult. A server should always check if the guest is allow to consumealcoholic beverage since those guests who aged under 30 are not permissibleto order and drink alcohol beverage. And to do so a server must possess thefollowing steps: Ask for any proof ID to verify the age of the guest such as driving license or any photo ID with physical description. If any guest looks younger than 30 then ask for driver’s license, a state- issued identification card or a current passport.Handling Intoxicated GuestsHandling intoxicated guests is the most difficult task for any server tohandle intoxicated guest but if a server serve alcohol responsibly thenimproper guest’s conductas a consequence ofexcessive drinking can beprohibited.By performing followingresponsibility if a serverwill serve alcohol then unwanted situation can be prevented from happening:Slowing down the consumption of alcohol: Since it much easier to slow a customer’s drinking down rather than shutting off over serving so you should first slow down their consumption by doing: Do not ask guests if they will order more or do not take frequent update from the guest while the guest is drinking but always be observant to guest from your pace. If a guest starts over drinking then clearly states him the policy of not over-serving and make him understand the negative consequences of excessive drinking. Offer a complimentary soda, coffee, or water between drinks to slow down guest’s need for over drinking. 177

 The guest usually slows the rate of alcohol consumption when dinner is served. So even if a guest does not order dinner, you should offer him dinner by using suggestive selling skill. If the guest become too drunk to serve then refuse the guest directly from serving more.Shutting off serving alcohol: Here are some common methods for terminating the service to intoxicatedor drunken guests in order to serve beverage responsibly: Deal with a drunken guest politely but with a firm voice. Decide what you will say to your guest before shutting off the consumption. Do not hesitate or step back once you have made the decision to terminate service even if the guest constantly trying to tipping you. Never allow an intoxicated guest to cross his limits even if he is from your friends or family. Do not make it public so that your guest feel insulted. Try to talk in low voice. Ask your bouncers stay away unless situation goes beyond control. Try not to use any negative statement at first approach (ex-“You’ve had enough” or, “You need to go home”) with guests. First make him understand the situation and the management policy politely.Managing difficult situation: If a drunken customer enters your bar then do not serve him. First greet the guest with a smile and then clearly tell him that you are unable to serve him. If your customer is continuously demanding and giving you trouble, call management, handover him to the bouncers or call the local police. Arrange taxi or alternative transportation for intoxicated customers. If needed help the drunken guests in reaching his home. But do not let the intoxicated guests to drive. Always Remember You have the right to guard your guests, yourself, and your restaurant’s liquor license so never step back to take right step in the right time and to serve alcohol beverage responsively.Additional Responsibilities Management can Add in theirpolicies 178

 Make a responsible alcohol-serving mission statement pertaining todrinking and safety and act accordingly. Restaurant and bar owners should include a designated-driver programwhich will offer free or less costly nonalcoholic drinks to a driver in theirbar operating system. Attach taxi numbers next to the pay phone and also give the taxi numbersto servers to use for helping intoxicated guests in reaching their home. Provide specialized and comprehensive training program in alcoholservice to the servers so that they can be familiar with the significant signincluding changes in attitude and body language of a drunken person andthe policies and laws for serving alcohol responsibly. Less publicity of marketing ideas and promotions that are related withalcoholic beverage. Include main course or dinner items in the bar menu to reduce the risk ofexcessive drinking. Offer guest nonalcoholic beverage more rather than alcoholic beverage. Record all unwanted instances in a log book. Constantly review and be updated local and state liquor laws andmaintain healthyrelationship with lawenforcement officials. Conduct audits forensuring practice of policyregarding serving beverageresponsibly. 179

46. How to Welcome or Greet and Seat GuestJust imagine, you are a guest in a restaurant and you have entered into a finedining restaurant butno one is approachedto you and leading toseat as well. How doyou feel about thehotel or restaurantand its staff!Horrible, isn’t it?And you may neverlike to come again,right? That’s whygreeting and seatingguest properly is very important in hospitality business. It is said that firstimpression is the last impression. If you, as an hotelier or restaurateur, reallywant to make a very positive impression on guest’s mind, you should reallyhandle greeting and seating of a guest very professionally. In our today’stutorial we will cover every single details on how to provide proper guestwelcome and seating.Acknowledge and Welcome GuestTo make guest feel welcome and important, whenever any guest arrives, it isthe responsibility of the service staff to approach and meet the guest with asmile, maintain eye contact and with proper body posture greet the guestaccordingly at the door. As discussed before, the first employee who getscontact with customer, has the opportunity to make a positive impression onguest. In fine dining, guests are generally welcomed by hosts or hostess ormay be even by the owner but in normal cases, a server or waiter or waitressmay be the first person who acknowledge and welcome guest. 180

Each and every employee should have the training to greet guest. Theemployee who greets the guest should use very brief but welcoming phraseto greet guest like “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, Sir/Madam ….Welcome to XYZ (Name of Your Restaurant”). Must remember ladies shouldbe greeted first. In some restaurants, guests can leave their belongings likeumbrella or overcoat in the reception. If you have such arrangement thenpolitely ask guest about it.Check Guest Reservation and Ask about Special Need To be ensured whether guests have any reservation or booking very politely ask “Do you have any reservation?” If the answer is yes which means guests have reservation, then ask for guests’ name by saying “May I have your name please”. Check your reservation book and repeat the reservation back to guest by saying “Certainly Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. XYZ (Name of the Guest). You have booked for XYZ (Number of persons) persons” or “Certainly Mr. John (Name of the guest). Your table for 4 persons is ready.” If there is one guest who comes without reservation (which is known as walk in guest. then instead of saying “Are you alone, Sir/Madam” you could ask “Table for one person?” If you have enough free table then ask (if appropriate): “Do you have any preference sir like sitting in a smoking or non-smoking area or near the window etc.” Ask about special need. For example there is a child in the group then ask guest whether the baby needs any high chair or not.Handle Difficult Situations Special Situation-1: A guest or group of guests may come without any reservation. In that case, greeter or host could say “Please allow me few seconds sir. Let me check if there is any table available or not.” Now if there is free table then the host could easily make guest seated there but what does happen if every tables are occupied? If none available then you have to handle the situation tactfully. If you have bar facilities or if your restaurant is in a hotel then you may say “Sir, I am very sorry. All the tables are occupied. Would you mind wait in our bar or in the lobby so 181

that I can call you as soon as any of the table is free”. In such way, you just prevent your restaurant from losing a very potential guest and also promoting the revenue of bar or any other business. Special Situation-2: This is very difficult situation to handle – a guest has booked a table but the table is not ready or free. It happens because you are running a very busy restaurant and the guest comes earlier or later than the promised time. Even if it is not your fault fully, you should apologize first for the embarrassment and offer your guest to wait in the way we mentioned in situation 1. Special Situation-3: It may happen that guest doesn’t like your table. For example, guest comes with his or her partner and may prefer a corner but you book a table in the middle since guest doesn’t mention such. In that case apologize first for the inconvenience and offer him or her a solution in this way “Sir/Madam, please take your sit in this table. I would move you to your desire table as soon as it is available.” How to Seat Guests at RestaurantHow to arrange seating capacities Common sense is the best tool to determine where to seat guests. Allocate table according to the number of guests or size of the party. For a group or large family, seat guests in a large round table or if appropriate join 2 tables together and for couple, seat 182

in a deuce. Deuce is a hotel or restaurant term which means a table with 2 sitting space. Smoking is a very big issue. In many countries or states, smoking in public areas or establishments like hotel or restaurant is strongly prohibited. So according to the guest’s preference, allow seat in smoking or non-smoking areas. Young couples trend to choose corner or near window to have romantic moment. Elderly or disabled guests should be seated near entrance so that he or she would not need to walk much. Loud, noisy parties could be arranged in private rooms or at least in the back so that other guest don’t feel discomfort. Above all, if guests wish to get seated in particular areas and if situation permits then try your best to offer that.Lead Guest to the Table Maintain eye contact throughout, keep smiling and escort the guest to the table by saying “This way please Mr./Mrs./Ms… or Sir/Madam Show the way by walking in front of the guest Do not walk too fast. Maintain very small distant, not more than one meter away from guest and look back at the guest rapidly. While you would reach the table, say: “Will this table be all right for you, Mr./Mrs./Ms.…. or Sir/Madam”Help the Guest while Seating In a courteous manner pull the chair out so that there would be just enough space for the guest to enter. Lady guest should be seated first with best view of the restaurant, then the gentleman. While helping lady guest to be seated (if applicable) stand behind the chair, push with two hands on the chair shoulder and keep the right toe at the base of the chair so that guest can seat comfortably. Help the kid to get into pull high chairs.Before Leaving the Table 183

 At this stage the hostess or host or greeter should leave the table at this stage and return to the reception desk to welcome and continue seating procedure for other guests. Server may be busy in other table. Before leaving the table, host or greeter should let the guest know that server has been informed and will come very shortly. A very good gesture from a server should be come to the table and say “I am very sorry Sir/Madam, We are very busy at the moment. I will be with you in XYZ (required waiting time) minutes” Prior to leaving the table, wish the guest (by name) and say “Have a pleasant meal Mr. /Mrs. / Ms.” Or Sir/Madam.” At this stage, a service staff like waiter or server will take over the table to complete next steps.Final Remarks Be friendly but very polite and courteous all the time. Always speak with a clear and confident tone. Keep smiling throughout so that guest feel comfortable. Instead of keep saying Sir or Madam all the time, address guest by their name at least twice in the whole conversation. You can learn guest’s name from various sources like: reservation book/record or by introducing yourself and asking the guest directly like “Good Morning Sir. I am John, your host and you are ….?” Guest with reservation should always be given more preference than walk-in guests. 184

47. Restaurant Hostess – Ultimate Guide you Must ReadRestaurant Hostess or host is a very important front desk position at hotel orrestaurant that plays a very vital part on each guest’s experience. Hostess isthe person who very first greet the guest and make him or her feelcomfortable. In this guide, at hospitality-school, we will cover every singledetails that you should know about how to be a great host at any hotel andrestaurant. In next few minutes you should read about definition andmeaning of hostess or host, complete Job Description of hostess, Dress Codefor restaurant host or hostess. We will also answer your queries like what ishostess stands, do hostess get tips, how much hostess make and many more.Restaurant Hostess – Definition, Job Description, Dress Code, Hostess Stand, TippingHostess meaningFew people don’t have any ideaabout hostess meaning or they don’tknow the definition of hostess orhost. Basically hostess is the femaleversion of the word host i.e.restaurant host is a male greeter andhostess is the female greeter.. Host or hostess can be defined as a restaurantstaff, who first welcomes guest as they enter the restaurant and then escortthem to the table and seat them.In reality, each and every staff of the hotel or restaurant works as host. Evenwhen for any reason, host cannot attend any guest then even a manager canperform as host and greet and seat guests. In some restaurants there is nohostess or host, waiters work there as host or greeter.Why the Position of Hostess or Host is Important for Hotel orRestaurant 185

1. Offering super tasty food or investing on decoration is not the only deciding factors to gain guest satisfaction. Day by day, restaurant business is getting more and more competitive. Every single staff of the restaurant is more or less responsible equally to ensure successful business and keep guests come back again and again and spread goodies about your restaurant. Restaurant hostess is a vital person in the business who can ensure all these in positive or negative way.2. As a guest enters a restaurant, it is the hostess or host, the very first member of the restaurant who get in touch of the guest. A hostess or host gets the first chance to greet and facilities the guest experience with his work, manner, dress up and overall appearance.3. In some restaurant there may be no designated person to record reservations. So scheduling guest reservations is another task performed by some restaurant hostess.4. In busy restaurant, maintaining guest flow is one of the most crucial jobs. Restaurant hostess are that staff whose primary duty is to maintain the guest flow smooth. There are some times when some guests will come without reservation, some will come before or after the scheduled time, some unexpected situations may occur, some guests need to be waited, some guests may take longer time that may keep other guests waiter. So, in all such cases, restaurant hostess is the person who look after these things professionally.5. Restaurant hostess or host is not only responsible to attend the guest but they escort guest to the appropriate table and make guest feel important and comfortable at the same time.6. Some guests may come with disabilities. Restaurant hostess is the first person who can handle them professionally and fulfill all their special needs.Restaurant Hostess UniformRestaurant hostess uniform or dress code is very important since “firstimpression is last impression” and the hostess is the person who will first getin touch with guest when he arrives the dining area. Don’t forget that your 186

image as a hostess or host is the image of your establishment. A hostess orhost can create distinct impression on every guests. Always remember: As a professional a restaurant hostess or host is the one who is responsible for keeping his or her cloth neat and clean all the time. There should never be any excuse to wear dirty or messy uniform. A restaurant host is not allowed to wear any dress beside uniform unless there is any special event organized or authority permits. A restaurant hostess cannot report to work out of dress code. A restaurant hostess should not report to his supervisor with untidy, un- pressed, dirty and wrinkled uniform. Do not use fragrant hand lotion on your hands, as it adheres to glassware. Hostess or host of the restaurant should be alert and look professional all the time. Therefore doing unprofessional activities like chewing gum, biting nails, eat in open public areas are strongly prohibited. Last but not least, always remember your smile is part of your dress code so don’t forget to smile while attending guests. When you smile, your guest will feel relaxed and comfortable for taking decision to coming to your restaurant.As you can understand easily, different restaurants have different dresscodes for their employers so we cannot provide any standard guideline.Generally a hostess or host has to wear following items all the time duringhis or her shift: Name tag with logo of your restaurant, printed with your name on your cloth. Pant Shirt Shoe Socks or Nylons. Jewellery must be kept to a minimum level for hostess. 187

 Pen Lighter (if allowed), etc.Hostess Job DescriptionNow we are going to briefly discuss hostess job description. Please note thatlist of duties and responsibilities that a restaurant hostess or host has toperform will vary from restaurant to restaurant or types of business but herewe have listed most common hostess job descriptions.1. Greet guest friendly but professionally according to the timing andrestaurant policy.2. Answer telephone and make reservations.3. Organizing andchecking guestreservation.4. Make sure that diningarea is OK to runoperation.5. Seating guests properly inaccord to the seatingchart.6. Escorting guest to theappropriate table.7. Introduce guest with theserver or waiter of thetable.8. When situations requires, make guests waited for some time. Maintainwaiting list and give them accurate estimated wait time.9. If there is facilities then take coat or umbrella from guest at the entranceand keep them safely and deliver them at the end of the meal.10. Maintaining communication with all concerned person like manager,chef, cook, head waiter, server and other kitchen and service staffs.11. Attend guest complaints, handle them professionally.12. If something happen beyond host’s control then bring supervisor ormanager’s attention. 188

13. Recognize repeat guests.14. If required work as cashier and front desk agent.15. Inform guests about anything special like special menu, party or event.16. Use suggestive and upselling techniques to promote different food and services.17. Attend special needs and handle disabled guests with utmost care.18. Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned or requested by management.19. Must join in end shift duties to help your colleagues.20. Smile while talking to guest directly or over telephone. Smile will bring friendliness that will be apparent in your voice.Hostess StandHold on a second. You may wonder why we are discussing about hostessstand or host stand for restaurant or hostess station here. Here isyour answer, since this is the ultimate guide for restaurant hostess or host sowe have decided to give you some information about that furniture in backof which most restaurant hostess or hosts has to stand throughout his shift.Anyway, as the name suggests, hostess stand is the most importantrestaurant furniture for a hostess where a restaurant hostess stand, takephone calls, make reservations, take notes and most importantly greet guest.The appearance or look of the hostess stand is also important. It cancontribute both positive or negative ways to guest’s impression about yourrestaurant. A stylish, gorgeous looking restaurant hostess stand easilyendorse restaurant’s brand.Restaurant Hostess SalaryAt this point, you may have a question in your mind, how much doesrestaurant hostess make or how much does restaurant hostess getpaid in countries like USA. So now we will discuss about salary of a hostessor a host at a standard restaurant.According to the very latest report of Bureau of Labor Statistics, USA, aboutthe salary of hostess or hosts in USA, hostess or host working atdifferent restaurant, lounge, and coffee Shop earn around $8.03 to $13.07per hour. So average salary of a hostess or host is $ 9.87 per hour in USA. 189

So per year, hostess or host of a restaurant or other food service businessmake around $16,710 to $27,180. Average per annul salary of a hostess orhost is $19,180which is not bad all and this will help a hostess to have notso luxurious but quite a decent life. Don’t forget the fact that hostesses do gettips from guests in some restaurant which is good supplement beside theirwage. In USA around 391,150 people are working as hostess or host, where349,440 hostess or host are working in restaurants and other eating places.Where other hostess and hosts are working in other sectors like traveleraccommodation, drinking places (Alcoholic Beverages), Differentamusement and recreations industries, special food services and so on.Highest number of hostess or hosts are working in different states in USAlike California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania etc. Top paying areafor Hostesses or hosts in USA is New York Where they get paid highestamount like $11.26 per hour and $23,420 per annum, on average.Do hostesses get tipsThere is no doubt that working as hostess or host is really a hard work,therefore in many restaurant tipping is allowed for hostesses thatsupplement their salary. If you choose your career as hostess or host thenplease be very clear that hostesses or hosts are not regularly get tips fromtheir guests like waiters. Yes hosts do get tips but it rarely happens. In somerestaurants there is tips splitting system. There a certain percentage oftotal server tips is given to hosts and bus person. But anyway, don’t give extraeffort only to earn tips but give your best as part of your daily job. Eventuallyyou hard work will be paid off.That’s all for today. We are confident enough that through this ultimaterestaurant guest hosting guide we teach you almost everything you shouldknow about the professional life of a restaurant hostess or host. In ourupcoming tutorial we will publish another through guide on what does ahostess do where we will discover hostess’s professional activities more indetail. Till then, take care. 190

48. What is Continental Breakfast – Ultimate GuideBreakfast is the first meal of the day which is in fact the most importanteating occasion for a person that gives immense energy to him for the rest ofthe day and fill his stomach. There are mainly 3 types of breakfast serviceprovided round the world in different hotels and restaurants which areEnglish Breakfast,Continental Breakfastand American Breakfast.Many travelers don’treally understand “whatis a continental breakfast”or “why is it calledcontinental breakfast”.We hope after readingthis amazing guide youwill have no confusionabout continental breakfast service, served by hotel, motel, cruise ship orrestaurant.What is a Continental BreakfastThe simplest meaning of Continental Breakfast is that it is a simplemini morning meal. In broader way,continental breakfastdefinition can be given in this way, a very light institutional meal planwhich is typically consists of a light food selection like bread items, hotbeverage items like tea or coffee, rolls, fruit, butter, jam and egg served inhotel, motel or restaurant. Continental breakfast is so much popular inhospitality industry that’s why often few people refer it as “HotelBreakfast”. Generally in large hotels, continental breakfast is served in theform of buffet style food and beverage service which means continentalbreakfast is a self-service where foods are displayed on the table and guestcan pick their desire food from the table rather being served by restaurantwaiters or room service waiters.History of Continental Breakfast 191

If you have interest on history then you may wonder what is the origin of theterm continental breakfast, right. According to our research, the termcontinental breakfast got popularity in France first from way back 1155. Itwas then called “Petit déjeuner” which means “To have light breakfast”.This was the origin part. Then, during the later phase of 19th century, the ideabehind continental breakfast is started getting immense popularity inAmerica. Then North American hotel authorities were trying to get middleclass Americans who have different professions like accountant orbusinessman or dentist and they didn’t need heavy traditional Americanbreakfast. At the same time European travelers were travelling in Americaand their light breakfast having habit (they preferred to have heavy mealduring lunch) which consisted of hot beverages, pastries and few fruit itemsappeals general Americans as well as hotel authorities. Since the demands offlexible budget friendly hotel services was growing hotel owners got the ideaof serving breakfast as free which means guests could enjoy no other mealbut breakfast along with room tariff with no extra expense. In this way hotelowners were adopting the idea behind continental breakfast and thus itbecome the most popular breakfast type served in all over the world in hotelor motel or restaurants.Continental Breakfast MenuThere are Different Types of menu. Menu of a continental breakfast willvary from hotel to hotel. More or less here are few food items that aregenerally served by the name of continental breakfast. Here is a sample of aperfect continental breakfast menu.1. Bread Items: Bread items are very much common in continental breakfast. White bread or brown bread toast in sliced format, English muffins, donuts, croissants or Danish pastry served with or without topping like jam, butter, jelly, honey and marmalade.2. Beverages: There must be at least of one beverage items served in continental breakfast. Hot beverages are most common such as tea or coffee or hot chocolate. Milk is also presented sometimes. There must be fruit juice like Mango, orange, pineapple or grapefruit juice. In large 192

hotels most of the items are served or displayed or in mid-range to low budget hotel, there may be 2 or 3 beverage items to choose.3. Fresh Fruits: Besides juice, there may be fresh fruits like bananas, apple, orange, grapefruits etc. Some hotel authorities prefer to serve fruit as fruit cocktail where some serve as whole. Few countries of Europe for example the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia prefers to have fruits in continental breakfast.4. Miscellaneous Food Items: There are few items which are quite rate and you may only find in some places. Portion items like Boiled eggs and yogurt are quite rate in continental breakfast. Hot or cold cereal, sliced cheese and meats like ham, cereal are few other food items that may be included in continental breakfast in few hotel, motel or restaurant.Serving Procedure of Continental BreakfastContinental breakfast is provided in the lobby area of a hotel, motel or cruiseship or a large hall room near the lobby. It is normally served for 2-4 hoursin the morning. As mentioned earlier, buffet style food and beverage serviceis followed to serve continental breakfast so foods are generally displayed ona large table or counter and also necessary amenities like forks, spoons,knives and plates are put aside. In some hotels, special food coupon is givento guests that they need to show while entering the room. There are tablesand chairs for guests where they can sit or even if they prefer they can takethe food to their room.Continental Breakfast LayoutAlthough most of the hotels trend toprovide buffet style continentalbreakfast service, even though, thereare few hotel or restaurant who mayprovide in traditional way or someguests may prefer to have thebreakfast in their home. Here are thecover or setup or layout of a perfectcontinental breakfast: A Side Plate 193

 A side Knife Fork Spoon Bread and Cake Basket Tea Cup Dessert Plate Dessert Knife Jam or Jelly or honey pots Sugar Pot Milk Pot Butter Bowl Butter Spoon Butter Knife, etc.Why do hotels offer Continental BreakfastThe concept of continental breakfast is highly popular in hotel industry. Aswe discussed earlier, the concept was adopted to attract busy mid-rangetravelers. Also from hotel’s point of view, these food items don’t cost themmuch but inclusion of “Free Continental Breakfast’ in their brochure reallyappeal guests to rent their room. Hotel authorities don’t need to pay muchattention and manpower and it is very easy to manage since waiters need tocarry few trays of bread items, juice and fruits.Is Continental Breakfast FreeIn many hotel’s brochure or web site there is a term mentioned as“complimentary breakfast” which means Free to avail. Here Continentalbreakfast is the style of that complimentary breakfast. Nowadays most midto luxury hotels prefer the model of serving breakfast as free of charge. Sincethe model got immense popularity all over the world so it has become thestandard in hotel industry.Real life Tips for Guests – How to avail Continental BreakfastMany guests have complaint that they can’t make best use of complementarybreakfast which is in fact continental breakfast. So here are few suggestionsor real life tips that you as a guest should follow: 194

1. In most hotels, the continental or complimentary breakfast will be served only for few hours. As a guest you should try to visit the allocated area during the time.2. It is very common that some items may not be available anymore if you come close to the available time. So if you have time just go early.3. If buffet style service is offered you should not take large portions and waste most of it. This is sign of a very poor etiquette.4. The basic idea of continental breakfast is to have light meal. Even though, if you want to avail heavy meal no one will forbid you but you may get sleepy and tired after having heavy meal. So don’t eat extra.5. If you find anything not OK then politely report to the head waiter or restaurant manager. Your complaint will eventually help the authorities to provide better service.That’s all for today. In our upcoming tutorial we will discuss about otherbreakfast types like English breakfast or American Breakfast. If you still haveany confusion please don’t hesitate to email us. 195

49. Job Description of a Busser or BusboyWhat happens when a guest leaves arestaurant? Duties and responsibilitiesof busser or buss person or busboy orbusgirl begins then. A busser is theperson who is mainly responsibleto clear the table after guestsfinishes his meal and leaves therestaurant. A busser performs widevariety of tasks to help the waiters andother service staffs in order toprovide best possible service toguests.Good restaurants run like a well oiledmachine, and each individual position must do their part to ensure that.Bussers (or busboys for the gendered version) are an integral part of therestaurant machine. The service industry is fast paced, and the best way fora restaurant to make more money, and a waiter to get more tips, to then passalong to a busser, is to get tables cleared and reset as fast as possible, to getmore people sat and on to their dining experience.And nothing is more dissatisfying as a customer to be waiting for a table at arestaurant, when you can see an abundance of open tables that just need tobe cleared off and reset. Its an important job. Now, no one is going to say itsglamorous. Often, people in the industry say that bussers do all the thingsthat servers don’t want to do. And that may be partially true. But waiterstip bussers for their services.Busser or Busboy DefinitionWe can define the term busser in this way, a busser is a service staff workingin a restaurant or hotel or motel or cruise ship or club, who clears the tablewhen guest finishes his meal and then reset the table with fresh linen,silverware and glassware, refill water glasses, helps waiter or waitress to 196