Learning Outcome # 4 Serve Beverages Orders

CONTENT:

1. Different Food service styles

2. General service principles
3. Sequence of service
4. Handling guests with special needs
5. Wine knowledge and service
6. Banquet service
7. Food safety principles

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

1. Beverage orders are picked up promptly from the bar.

2. Beverage orders are checked for presentation and appropriate garnishes.
3. Beverages are served at appropriate times during meal.
4. Beverages are served efficiently according to established standards of service.
5. Beverages are served at the right temperature.
6. For full bottle wine orders, wine is opened efficiently with minimal disturbance to the other
guests.
7. Wine service is carried out in accordance with establishment procedures.
8. Coffee and/or tea service is carried out in accordance with establishment procedure.

CONDITIONS:

Student/ trainee must be provided with the following:

Beverages Wine service

 Alcoholic beverages  Presenting the wine.
 Non-Alcoholic beverages( e.g. juices,  Opening wine
sodas, coffee, tea)  Pouring wine

METHODOLOGY ASSESSMENT METHOD:

 Modular (self-paced)  Interview (oral/ questionnaire)

 Electronic learning  Observation
 Industry Immersion  Demonstration of Practical Skills
 Film viewing  Written examination
 Demonstration
 Discussion
 Learning Experiences / Activities

Learning Outcome # 4

Serve Beverage Orders

Learning Activities Special Instructions

This Learning Outcome deals with the development

of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.

Go through the learning activities outlined for you on

the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.

The output of this LO is a complete Institutional

Competency Evaluation Package for one
Competency of Food and Beverage Services NCII.
Your output shall serve as one of your portfolio for
your Institutional Competency Evaluation for
Provide food and beverage services to guests.

Feel free to show your outputs to your trainer as you

accomplish them for guidance and evaluation.

This Learning Outcome deals with the development

of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.

Go through the learning activities outlined for you on

the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.

After doing all the activities for this LO4: Serve

Beverage Orders; you are ready to proceed to the
next LO5: Process payments and receipts.
 Information Sheet 4.4-1

Provide table service

1. Receive customer orders
In section 2 of this manual, the steps associated with a common ‘dine in’ service cycle were
explained up to and including the point where the order has been given to the respective person
who will prepare the food or beverage items.
Naturally the processes of preparing food and beverage items are too detailed to include in this
manual as they are responsibilities often performed by specialist chefs or bar staff.
This section will continue to follow the logical steps performed by service staff after the order
has been lodged.

Provide glassware, service ware and cutlery suitable for menu choice
Throughout a meal there can be a need to provide guests with certain items of glassware and
service wear depending on the dishes and drinks they have ordered.
There is also a need to adjust the cutlery that has been set as part of the cover where their
orders necessitate this being done.

Providing glassware
Most table set ups will include standard wine glasses, with many establishments also setting
water glasses.
Where the guests order certain drinks and the correct glassware is not already set this will
require you to:

 Remove the glassware that is not needed

 Replace it with the appropriate glasses.

It is standard industry practice that all glasses be removed
from a table, and carried to a table, on a tray. Glasses
should be removed and set/re-set from the guest’s right-
hand side.
Practical examples of the need to adjust glasses may include:

 Removing all wine glasses where guests elect not to order any bottles of wine

 Removing the white wine glass that was set and replacing it with a (larger) red wine glass if
the guest orders red wine

 Adding a red wine glass if only a white wine glass was set and the table has ordered both
red and white wine
 Removing the set glasses and replacing them with champagne flutes where a sparkling wine
is ordered. Providing service wear
Depending on the dishes ordered and the style of service being used, there can be a need to
provide various items of service wear to individual tables.
Service wear may need to be provided as follows:

 Where the service style presents, for example, the

vegetables to the entire table, as opposed to plating
vegetables onto individual guest plates in the kitchen,
there will be a need to use service platters

 Where customers order sauces/gravy there may be a

need to provide sauce boats

 Where the guest has brought in their own cake or arranged for the venue to supply one,
there may be a need to use a cake stand

 Where guests order snails there will be a need to provide snail forks and tongs

 Where guests order lobster there may be a need to provide lobster picks and crackers

 Where a soup is served to the entire table, a soup tureen may be required.

 Where venues use silver service, semi-silver service or gueridon styles of delivery there will
be an increased need to provide additional service wear.

Adjusting the cover

After the order has been taken and a copy transferred to the kitchen, either manually or
electronically, the service staff will have to make any necessary changes to the cover to reflect
the dishes that diners have ordered.
Always remember that cutlery should be carried to and from the table on a clothed service plate.
Cutlery may only be carried in the hand if it is an establishment requirement.
It is a requirement that all covers are adjusted before any menu items are delivered to the table.
Note however that some establishments require that dessert cutlery is only adjusted after the
guests have completed their main course, and some establishments have a standard
requirement that covers are not adjusted at all. If the guest doesn’t order a certain course, the
cutlery stays on the cover until the table is cleared.
Your copy of the order for the table provides the basis for determining what needs to be
adjusted for each diner.
Adjusting the cover may mean you have to:

 Remove cutlery for courses that have not been ordered

 Exchange cutlery where necessary – such as

swapping the main course knife for a steak knife where
steak has been ordered and swapping the main course
gear for fish gear where fish has been ordered
 Add cutlery for dishes that have been ordered where no suitable cutlery has been set. For
example, if the cover did not include a soup spoon and the guest ordered soup, there would
be a need to adjust the cover by adding a soup spoon.

Process for adjusting covers

The process requires you to:

 Identify what needs to be removed from each cover

 Identify what needs to be added to each cover

 Obtain the necessary cutlery which should be stored in your waiter’s station

 Load them onto a clothed service plate ready for carrying to the table

 Carry the clothed plate with all the required cutlery to the table

 On arrival at the table, begin adjusting the cutlery by starting at the Number One guest,
working clockwise around the table. Change the knife first, then the fork, and don’t forget to
place the cutlery down on the table so that it is parallel with all others

 The knives should be removed or replaced from the right-hand side of the guest, and the
forks from their left-hand side. Never place cutlery by leaning across in front of a guest
 Always handle cutlery by the handles.

2. Check product and/or brand preferences with customer in a courteous

manner

As part of the ordering process, customers will identify

which item they desire, be it a food or beverage item.
Quite often, it may be up to the waiter to help explain or
recommend what is available. This will be explored in
more detail in the next section.
Most food items will be specifically identified on a
menu, however many people will order a drink without
refering to a menu.
Therefore the focus on this section will be based around clarifying beverage orders.
At times customers will indicate a specific drink in a generic manner. For example, they may ask
for a ‘gin and tonic’ without specifying a particular brand.
As can be seen in this picture, there is a wide selection of gin products.
There are many different products and brands available, with more coming on to the market
seemingly everyday.
It makes good sense and excellent customer service, to check with the guest regarding their
preference.
Personal preference
Some people are devoted to a certain brand and simply won’t drink anything else. Examples
may be Jim Beam bourbon, Gordon’s gin and a diverse range of Scotches.
Some people consider the price and are happy to drink a cheaper, domestic brand if one is
available. They will appreciate your pointing this out to them.

Pour and call brands

Behind the bar, most venues stock a ‘pour’ brand, as well as several ‘call’ brands. You must
know what these are in order to answer customer questions, and to provide the drink that
satisfies their identified need and preference.
A ‘pour’ brand, sometimes referred to as a ‘house’
brand, is the brand of beverage that will be poured if
someone doesn’t specify a brand name.
If the customer simply asks for a ‘Scotch’, then they
haven’t indicated a preference for one particular
brand, so it doesn’t matter what brand you pour them just
so long as it is Scotch. In these cases the ‘pour brand’ will
be supplied.
Usually pour brands are cheaper alternatives to recognised national brands, but sometimes they
are the better known, better quality, premium national brands.
A ‘call’ brand is the brand ’called out’ by the customer.
Instead of just asking for a Scotch, the customer would ask for a
specific brand, perhaps a ‘Dewars’ or ‘Chivas Regal’. Most bars will
stock a range of call brands, but no bar can stock them all.
You need to become familiar with the ones you stock so that you can
accept an order straightaway, or inform the customer that you
don’t stock their preferred brand.
Always be alert to the possibility to upsell the customer to a more
expensive brand.
Where you don’t have the call brand that the customer asks for you
should:

 Apologize for not having the brand asked for

 Offer an alternative.
This will be explained in more detail in the next section.
 3. Provide clear and helpful recommendations or information to customers on
selection of food or drinks, if required

As has been mentioned earlier, waiting staff may be required to assist guests in making their
selection from either the menu or the drinks list.
Lots of customers or guests come to the room, bar or venue knowing exactly what they want to
eat or drink. Perhaps they have eaten at your dining room before and want to experience the
same dish again that they had last time, or perhaps they have a standard meal or drink that they
always have when they dine out.
This section should be read in conjunction with all other notes regarding the provision of
information to customers or guests.

Recommending Food
As mentioned previously, options include:

 Recommending what it is you like – this may not suit them or be to their liking

 Recommending what is popular – they may not like this style of dish

 Recommending whatever it is that the kitchen have asked you to push – again, this may not
suit them

 Asking some questions first to determine whether they are after a big meal or a snack,
whether they like chicken, meat or pasta or whether they prefer plain food or dishes with
sauces and added flavour and then recommend an appropriate dish.
Keys in making recommendations are:

 Ensuring information is honest and truthful

 Ensuring customers/guests do not get the impression you are

rushing your delivery of this information

 Ensuring guests don’t feel they are imposing on you by asking

these questions

 Giving customers/guests time to make their decision without

appearing to put pressure on them to ‘make up their mind’

 Providing extra information as required. There can be many times when the information you
give to customers in the first instance is insufficient for their needs. For example, you may
have described the ingredients of the dish and described how delicious it is but the guest
may want to know about cooking style, preparation/cooking time or serve size

 Tailoring your information to suit the person you are talking to. The way you present
information to young and old may vary in terms of the speed you deliver the information, the
words you use and the comparisons you make with other products.
Recommending Beverages
In relation to drinks, advice or recommendations may be needed when:

 Customers are unsure about exactly what they would like.

Sometimes regular customers come in and they are just bored
with their normal drink, and want something a bit different
perhaps just for that session

 The drink or brand they have ordered is unavailable. After

apologising you must be able to recommend an intelligent
alternative for them

 It’s a special occasion – maybe they’ve just won a promotion,

had a baby or are celebrating a birthday

 You have a new product in stock. Let the customers know. Tell
them what it’s like, what it goes with, how much it costs, how
strong it is, and so on. Perhaps the boss will let you give away a
few free samples

 The customer is feeling off colour or a bit low. You may want to
suggest some refreshing style of drink, or a non-alcoholic
alternative to their usual

 They are dining. While a detailed knowledge of wine falls outside

this unit, a very basic rule of thumb that continues to apply today
as it did decades ago is “White meat – white wine, red meat –
red wine”. Nonetheless, many, many people drink a nice white (say, a Chardonnay) with a
steak

 They don’t want to drink alcohol, or when they need to limit their alcohol intake. You have
both a moral and very much a legal duty to assist patrons who don’t want alcohol, or want a
little. Be prepared to offer fruit juices, waters, mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails), alcohol-
free wine and aerated waters.
When advising customers, it is useful if you can give them information about:

 Taste, colour and aroma

 Whether it is imported or domestic

 How it may be consumed – describing options

available to enjoy the product

 The alcoholic strength

 Any special points about it – things like the worm in
certain tequilas, a special advertising campaign or
competitions that may be running if people buy it.
Food and Wine Combinations
There may be times when you are asked to recommend a wine to go with a meal.
Some basic suggestions include:

Food Wine

Seafood Semillon, sauvignon Blanc, Riesling

Game Cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay,

Semillon

Red meat Cabernet merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz,

malbec

Poultry Chardonnay, chenin Blanc, Verdelho

Salads Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, chardonnay, Riesling

Antipasto Chardonnay, rosé

Pasta Chardonnay, Riesling, shiraz

Cheese platters Cabernet merlot

Desserts Dessert wines

You should also be sufficiently familiar with the wines on the drink list to make intelligent
recommendations to compliment the food.
It is very useful to have winery representatives do a tasting of all wines on the wine list with
staff, and to develop a written list (kept on display for staff behind the bar) of what wines to
recommend with what menu items.
When complementing food with wine, try to select wines that will
harmonise well with the dishes and their ingredients. General
guidelines are:

 Whites with fish, chicken, veal and pork

 Reds with dark meat

 Reds with cheese

 Delicate wines with delicate food

 Full-bodied wines with full-bodied food

 Sweet wines with sweet food

 Sparkling wine can generally go with anything and with any course.
 4. Serve food and drink according to enterprise requirements and personal
hygiene standards

When food and beverage items have been prepared they must be delivered to the customer.
This section will focus on the steps associated with collecting and delivering items to the table,
ensuring the customer is happy with the selection.

Collecting food and beverage selections

The need to collect ordered items from the kitchen or bar as soon as they are ready for service
cannot be stressed too strongly.
Prompt collection of food and drinks enhances customer service in two primary ways:

 It reduces guest waiting time. Most customers prefer to receive their food and beverages as
soon as possible consistent with not being rushed or pressured

 It gets the product to the guest in the best possible condition – neither menu items nor drinks
improve while they stand waiting to be served.

Beverages
Traditionally a drink is the first thing to be served to the guests.
Your standard practice must be to get the first drink in front of the guests as soon as possible.
This helps them settle in, and lets them know they are actually being served.
Do not simply give the order to the bar and then wander off to do something else for 10 minutes.
By all means go and do something else, but only do something that will take 1 or 2 minutes at
most.
When picking up the drinks to put on the tray to take to the table, make sure:

 They are what was ordered – check correct wines (vintage, brand, grape varieties), no ice
where requested, long glass where ordered etc.

 Correct number have been supplied in terms of actual

drinks, and empty glasses for wine

 They are suitably presented

 The correct glassware is used

 Garnishes are appropriate

 Glasses aren’t overflowing such that they will drip down the
front of guests’ clothes when being consumed
 Where the drinks are not as required, you should politely point this out to the bar person who
prepared the drinks and make sure the issues are rectified before taking the drinks to the
table.
Food
The two service areas – cold larder and hot section – must be attended and monitored at all
times to ensure prompt pick up of food.
If food is not picked up promptly the following may apply:

 Hot food could go cold and spoil

 Cold food could lose its chill factor

 Risk of food contamination increases

 Customers have an unnecessary wait

 Room to place down newly prepared items becomes

restricted.
Before any food is taken out to the table it must be checked in the same way that drinks are
checked prior to be taken and served.
Checks should include:

 Checking that the right meal has been prepared and any requested preferences have been
accommodated. Dishes must reflect the order that was taken at table and given to the
kitchen

 Checking the plate to make sure there are no marks, spills or drips. Advise the chef and ask
for the plate to be cleaned where these are identified

 Checking the quality of the item

 Checking with the chef to identify how a particular item

has been cooked. Which is the medium steak and
which is the medium rare?

 Checking if special condiments need to go with the

order

 Checking to make sure there is uniformity between dishes. If three people on a table are
having the same menu item then all three plates should look the same

 Ensuring correct temperature of the dish. Hot dishes should be hot, and cold dishes must be
cold.

Delivering items to the table

Loading a drinks tray
Regardless of whether you are left or right-handed, trays should be carried in the left hand, and
the drinks served from it with the right hand.
Some premises allow left-handed people to reverse this but many do not because when left-
handed people pour a bottle using their left-hand, the left-hand will cover the label of the bottle.
Trays should not be held by their rim and they should not be held with two hands; your left hand
should be held under the tray.
When loading the tray, secure the tray on your left hand. Your hand should be flat and your
fingers should be spread out with only the tips of your fingers raised to support the base of the
tray.
Load the tray so that:

 The tallest glasses are nearest to your body

 The heaviest glasses are in the centre of the tray

 The smaller, lighter glasses are around the tray’s edge

 The placement of the drinks on the tray facilitates their service at the table. In practice some
of the above rules may not apply because it would make it too hard for you to take the drinks
off the tray.

Carrying the drinks tray

The right hand can assist in balancing the tray, especially when walking to the table, or when
waiting for someone to move past you where there is the potential for them to knock either you
or the tray.
Try to keep the tray at waist level and close to your body. This will
help to avoid knocking into passing traffic and optimises your
control over the tray.
Even though carrying the drinks tray high above the head with one
hand looks quite spectacular, this method is not
recommended as the risk of disaster is quite high.
When carrying a tray, always look where you are going, not at the
tray.

Carrying plates to a table

Commonly, plates may be carried in the hands using various plate carrying techniques – see
next section.
Alternatively, plates may be loaded onto rectangular food trays which are carried to the waiter’s
station where they are either unloaded into the hot box or delivered straight to the table.
All items should be carried in such as way that prevents
contamination by making sure:

 You don’t put your fingers on to food

 You don’t place your fingers around the top of glasses

 Long hair is appropriately tied back or controlled.
Serving food and beverage
The actual food and beverages that the guests consume is only part of the total dining
experience.
The service of those items is another vital part of the experience.
It is often the service provided to guests that separates one venue
from another and is the determining factor about whether or not
those people will return and tell their friends about us.
Two keys when serving food and beverage are:

 Do it quickly without giving the guest the impression they are

being rushed or you are in a hurry

 Do it professionally. Serve the correct items to the correct

diners, be polite, identify items as they are served,
communicate and interact with guests, smile, answer any
questions that are asked and check that the items presented are
acceptable to the guests.

Placing the food on to the guest’s table

Always serve the meal from the guest’s right (the same side that beverages are served from)
and announce the meal as it is being placed down. Consistency in service is important.
Make sure the dish is placed down so the main item on the dish – the steak, the slices of meat,
the piece of fish, the chicken breast – is closest to the guest (at the 4 o’clock – 8 o’clock
position).
Where a steak is being served, the kitchen should have
presented the steak on the plate with the fat toward the centre
of the plate, and not facing the guest so they have to cut
through the fat to get to the meat.
It is professional to place the right meal down in front of the right
person, without having to ask, “Who’s having the chicken?” The
guest numbering system comes into play when identifying which
meal is to be placed in front of a particular guest. It is usual
practice to announce each guest to confirm that each diner is
receiving what they ordered. For example, “The Grand T- Bone,
rare with extra chips. Enjoy!”
Place the dishes on to the table in such as way that the noise made
by contact with the table is minimised.

Serving Food
One of the most important skills a waiter can master is the art of carrying plates.
There are two methods to choose from and proficiency in using either method can only be
gained in the same way as gaining competency in carrying a drinks tray – practice, practice,
practice.
Plate carrying techniques

Two Plate Carrying

Hold the first plate between your thumb, index finger

and the middle finger.

Place the second plate above the first plate,

supporting it by your fourth finger, your little finger
and the base of your thumb and forearm. A third
plate can be carried in the right hand.

Three Plate Carrying

Hold the first plate between your thumb, index finger

and the middle finger.

Place the second plate into the crease of the palm

of your left hand under the edge of the first plate,
supporting it by your ring and little fingers.
 Carry the third plate on the flat of your forearm and
rim of the second plate. A fourth plate can be carried
in the right hand.

Serving beverages
There are a number of points to note when serving drinks.
Always serve to the right of the seated customer, unless this is
obviously impossible.
It may be impossible to serve from the guest’s right-hand side if
two people are talking intimately head to head, or if there is
something such as a pillar or plant in the way to the guest’s right.
Other points include:

 Trays are carried on the palm of the left hand with the tips of
the fingers slightly raised – do not hold the tray by its edges

 Drink trays are usually held on the left hand so that the right
hand is free to serve the drinks

 If the tray does not have a non-slip surface, then a tray liner or mat should be used to
prevent glassware from slipping. The tray mat may be kept in place by smearing a few drops
of water on the tray’s surface

 Service staff should handle glassware by the base or the stem. Never handle glasses by
their rims, never put fingers in the glasses

 Trays are usually loaded with the heaviest glass in the centre, and the lighter glasses placed
around the outside. In most cases, the last drink on the tray should be the first drink off

 Trays should be carried at waist level through the room walking with a straight back and
shoulders. Don’t carry the tray above your head!

 Trays should be carried close to, and ‘within’, the body to avoid knocking into someone or
something

 When unloading trays, you may have to slightly twist your

body with the tray positioned slightly away from your side.
This is to enable the right arm and hand to reach in towards
the table and safely position the customer’s drink

 All drinks should be announced when being placed on the

table. This provides an element of customer service as well
as providing the guest with an opportunity to check that they
 are being served the drink they ordered. “Excuse me sir, your Whisky and Coke. Thank
you.”

 Remember to bend your knees when serving from a tray

 Work anti-clockwise around the table, repeating the above procedures until the last drink is
served

 Drink waiters should work anti-clockwise around the table, and food waiters should work in a
clockwise direction. This means that they will only cross paths once at the table, saving
service time and reducing the potential for accidents between staff

 Use coasters or napkins under drinks when and where required.

Checking customer satisfaction

Checking satisfaction with food
All service staff must monitor patrons during service for signs of dissatisfaction. This means
keeping alert for non-verbal cues that indicate displeasure, and listening for negative comments
that can be overheard.
Checking customer satisfaction must apply to both food and beverages.

The 3-minute check

When a meal has been served to the customer, it is important for
service staff to revisit the table a few minutes later to check that the
meals are to the customer’s satisfaction.
This is commonly known as the ‘three-minute check’.
It involves approaching the table approximately 3 minutes after the last
meal was placed on the table and making an enquiry along the lines of
“Is everything to your satisfaction?” or “How are your meals?”
Individual venues may have standard statements for you to use when
making this 3-minute check so check with your supervisor and adhere
to specific enterprise requirements.
It is assumed that after three minutes, a customer will know if they are
satisfied with their food.
If they are dissatisfied, then they can tell waiting staff and a course of action can be set in place
to rectify the problem.
Remember, if you are going to ask guests whether or not they are satisfied, you have to be
prepared for those who tell you they aren’t!
Don’t treat these guests as ‘complainers’, but view the situation as an opportunity to turn a
problem into a positive service experience: listen to their complaint, apologise and act quickly to
fix the problem.
Problems may include:
 The steak is tough

 The meal is cold

 The steak is not cooked as ordered

 Special requests have not been met.

When you replace the ‘problem’ meal, apologise again and implement another three-minute
check to ensure that the replacement meal is to the guest’s satisfaction.
Speed is very important, especially where the guest is part of a group, as we do not want one
diner eating their meal long after their fellow guests have finished. This can be embarrassing for
them, and is a very public indication that we have got something very wrong.
It is commonplace for guests to respond positively to your enquiries about their meal at the 3-
minute check and this is great.
Where you get such feedback, you should feed it back to the kitchen:

 “Table 7 say the roast is superb”

 “Everyone loves the lasagne”

 “Lady with the big party wants the recipe for the duck sauce!”
Your three-minute check also presents guests with an opportunity to order or re-order.
This may not fit in with the plans or the timing you have predetermined for your station, but
these orders must be taken, or dealt with, politely and promptly.
You may be the food waiter, but the three-minute check may well result in a drink order being
given. It is totally unacceptable for you to say “I’m sorry; I’m the food waiter, not the drink
waiter”.
You should take the order and pass it on to the appropriate person. If there is some confusion
on your part about exactly what the order is, let them know this and they can follow it up.

Checking satisfaction with beverages

Commonly there are fewer complaints about drinks than there are with
meals.
Nonetheless, there can be occasions when drinks are less than
acceptable so you need to be alert to the need to keep an eye on
customers to identify when they have a problem with their drinks.
Common problems may relate to:

 The beer or white wine is warm

 The wrong mixed drink has been served – the ‘rum and coke’ is
actually ‘brandy and coke’

 The wine tastes ‘off’.

In practice, the 3-minute check provides an opportunity for diners to complain about beverages
as well as the food but the monitoring of drinks needs to be more frequent than just this one
check.
Tips on checking customer satisfaction with drinks include:

 Monitoring the non-verbal language of drinkers – being alert to facial expressions that
indicate something is wrong and being tuned in to
customers who beckon you to their table

 Making eye contact with people when at or passing their

tables to encourage them to speak to you if there is a
problem

 Making verbal statements. In some ways this is like the 3-

minute check concept, about their beverages, especially
wine, such as “How’s the Chardonnay?”

Offering additional food and beverage

Throughout the meal the opportunity arises to offer additional
food and beverages.
Selling additional items is what the employer expects you to do,
and providing these items can also meet customer expectations
in terms of service needs.
Offering and providing additional items that are not being sold is
part of the service provision that creates customer satisfaction
and meets expectations in terms of high levels of service
delivery.
Additional items should be offered at appropriate times such as:

 The three-minute check

 When glasses are nearly empty

 When bottles are nearly empty

 When most bread or rolls on the table have all been consumed.
The service of additional items should be in accord with normal service practices. There should
not be a lesser standard of service simply because the items are ‘additional’.
Items may include the service of condiments and side dishes such as:

 Tomato sauce
 Tabasco sauce

 Fish sauce

 Soya sauce

 Chilli

 Mustards

 Tartare sauce

 More butter

 More bread or rolls

 Side salad

 Bowl of fries

 Onion rings

 Rice.

Some additional equipment items that may need to be provided can include:

 Extra cutlery – to replace items that guests may have dropped on the floor

 Extra crockery

 Extra glassware

 More serviettes

 A finger bowl

 A scrap bowl – depending on the menu item being served.

Clearing tables
Used and unwanted items should be removed from tables throughout the meal.
It is never acceptable to allow used or unwanted items to build up on the table and clear
the table only at the end of the meal.
Removing items progressively throughout the meal provides expected customer
service, and maintain a clear ‘work surface’ to allow food and beverages to be more
easily placed on the table.
When guests place their knife and fork together in the centre of the plate this is the
usual sign that they have finished their meal.
Of course, not all customers will do this, so you must be aware of other signs. The most
obvious being an empty plate.
Before clearing any plates away, ask the customer if they
have finished to ensure the plate can actually be cleared
away. A simple question such as “May I take your plate,
madam?” or “Have you finished, sir?” is all that is required.
Traditionally, with tables of up to eight people, all guests
should have finished their meal before the table is cleared.
This is to avoid some guests feeling they have to rush to
finish their meals just because others around them may
have already finished.
With tables of eight people or more, plates are traditionally cleared randomly as the
guests finish their meal.
Naturally all clearing of plates must be done in accordance with establishment
standards and practices, with minimal disruption to customers. If you are unsure about
what applies at your workplace, then ask your supervisor.

Steps to clearing a table

The following protocols commonly apply when clearing a table:
 Try to start with the guest who has the most scraps left on their plate. This will act as
the base plate for clearing
 Always clear from the right of the guest - the same side that you should have served
from
 Pick up the first plate, complete with cutlery, with your right hand and transfer and
secure it in your left hand
 Secure the end of the fork handle under your thumb
 Slide the knife, cutting end first, under the fork to secure it and stop it from sliding
away
 Moving clockwise around the table, clear the next guest’s plate. Make sure the left
hand is held back to avoid being too close to the customer, especially their head and
shoulders
 Secure the second plate into position over the wrist, and scrape any food scraps
onto the base plate (plate positioning will be as previously described in the Two-
plate serving method)
 Secure the knife by sliding it under the securing fork
 Place the second fork parallel to the securing fork
 Continue this procedure until all the plates and cutlery are cleared for that course.

Remember
 Clearing must be done at the appropriate time (see above for
guidelines) and with minimal disruption to the customers.
Clearing should be ‘part of the process’ and not an
interruption to it
 Clear away all unwanted or unused cutlery when removing
matching course plates. If a guest has not used their main
course knife for instance, it must be cleared when the main
course plate is cleared
 Clear away the side plate and the side knife when clearing
away the main meal plate. This is cleared from the guest’s
left-hand side so as not to reach across in front of the guest
 Clear away anything that is unwanted or unused on the table at that stage
 Clear away any condiments associated with the course that is being cleared. The
salt and pepper shakers, butter dish and breadbasket should be cleared when the
main course items are being cleared. You may however, elect to clear away
breadboards or baskets as soon as bread has been consumed. Check house
practice and adhere to that
 Clear away unused or dirty glassware as and when no longer required. Don’t let
them build up
 Clear away all items in accordance with the establishment’s standards and policies.
This may include directions regarding whether a tray should be used to carry these
items to the waiter’s stations, or whether a clothed service plate is to be used, and
whether items should be cleared to the waiter’s station or directly to the kitchen or
bar.

Presenting and processing accounts

Naturally at the end of the dining experience customers will be
required to pay for their food and beverage items.
This will be explained in more detail in Section 6 of this manual.

Thank and farewell customers courteously

All food and beverage guests should be thanked and farewelled courteously.
This applies to regulars and visitors, big-spenders and the customer who just drinks a pot of
beer or squash and eats an entrée.
We must give all drinkers and diners the respect they and their patronage deserves: without
these customers you don’t have a job!

The importance of the farewell

The farewelling of customers is an important part
of the service cycle and one that is arguably
more important than the greeting the customer
receives because the farewell is often the last
thing they have to remember us by.
You should also bear in mind that many
customers who leave a hospitality venue, leave
with nothing but have paid money for that
privilege!
To illustrate this, it means that most people leave a property after having slept there,
eaten there, drank there or after attending a function or entertainment event. This is
totally different to most retail situations where customers leave having paid for an item
they take with them and can use at home.
The point being then that the customers may have just spent a substantial amount of
money, and then leave with nothing to show for it, except perhaps a full stomach. These
facts underline the importance of a good farewell.

Farewelling guests
All guests should be farewelled in accordance with establishment standards and
policies.
Some establishments may require their staff to walk the customers to the entrance and
hold the door open, before thanking them and bidding them farewell.
Other establishments may require a more casual approach such as a smile, a wave and
a simple “Thanks very much” to the guests as they are departing.
It may be standard practice to wish them “Good day” or “Good night” and “We look
forward to seeing you again”, or some similar phrase.
Where appropriate you could also offer to call a taxi.
If it is raining, escorting guests to their car with an umbrella may be part of the service
offered. An alternative may be to offer a complimentary coffee while the weather clears.
Whatever the standard or policy, guests should be acknowledged when they leave.
Their final experience with you must be a positive one.
 Task Sheet 4.4-1
It is a requirement of this Unit that you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You
must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the
project to your Trainer by the agreed date.

4.1 To fulfil the requirements of this Work Project you are asked to research how to receive
customer orders including:

 Types of glassware, service ware and cutlery suitable for menu choice

 Steps associated with adjusting the cover.

4.2. Research how to check product and/or brand preferences with customer in a courteous
manner, including:

 How to identify personal preferences

 Types of pour and call brands commonly used for a range of alcoholic products.

4.3. Research how to provide clear and helpful recommendations or information to customers
on selection of food or drinks including:

 Identify a range of food items and how to recommend them

 Identify a range of beverage items and how to recommend them

 Food and Wine Combinations, based on an establishment’s food and wine menu.

4.4. Research how to serve food and drink according to enterprise requirements and personal
hygiene standards, including:

 Collecting food and beverage selections

 Delivering items to the table

 Serving food and beverage

 Checking customer satisfaction

 Offering additional food and beverage

 Clearing tables

 Presenting and processing accounts

 Thank and farewell customers courteously.

 Performance checklist for

Task Sheet 4.4-1

Receive customer orders:

 Provide glassware, serviceware and cutlery suitable for menu choice
 Adjusting the cover.
Check product and/or brand preferences with customer in a courteous manner:
 Personal preference
 Pour and call brands.
Provide clear and helpful recommendations or information to customers on
selection of food or drinks, if required:
 Recommending Food
 Recommending Beverages
 Food and Wine Combinations.
Serve food and drink according to enterprise requirements and personal hygiene
standards:
 Collecting food and beverage selections
 Delivering items to the table
 Serving food and beverage
 Checking customer satisfaction
 Offering additional food and beverage
 Clearing tables
 Presenting and processing accounts
Thank and farewell customers courteously.