Service Sequence

STEP SEQUENCE OF SERVICE 

1. Guest Meeting And Greeting

•   Acknowledge new guests (smile)
•   Approach the guests with appropriate welcome
•   Enquire their reservation. Check reservation list.
•   Table usually have been reserved in the name  of the host

2. Guest Seating

• Guest maybe received by a head waiter/ hostess and proceeded to the table.
• Offer the guests a chair to encourage them to be seated.
• Pulls out the women’s chair to indicate where they may be seated.
• Waiter should be able to address the guests appropriately.

3. Unfold Napkin

• Unfold the napkin on the lap of the guest upon they have seated
• Start from women or the guest honors of that day
• Procedure for napkin unfold:-
  • Start from the guest’s right hand side
  • Move anti-clockwise
  • Continue to unfold napkin to the rest of the guest

4. Serve Water.

• Offered to the guests after the seating procedure.
• Purpose :-
  • Refresh the guest’s
  • Give them some time to select a pre-dinner drink.
• Procedure for serving water:-
  • The water glass is positioned above the table knife
  • Water is poured from the guest’s right hand side
  • Move anti-clockwise
  • Continue to offer water

5. Presenting & describing the menu

• Presenting the menu is the time for suggestive selling.
• Have opportunity to sell items on the menu and the “specialty” and side dishes.
• Must understand all the items in the menu and able to describe how they are cooked and served.
• The technique of presenting a menu:-
  • Should be open before it is presented
  • Carry the menu on the flat of the left arm
  • Present the menu to the guest’s right hand side
  • Suggest items which do not appear in the menu

6. Taking orders & recommending dishes

• Must alert to the signs interring that the guests are ready to order.
• Procedure for order:-

• Ensure the guests are ready to order
• Use captain order to take order
• Take order using anti-clockwise.
• Take the order including main course
• Note any special requirement
• Repeat order
• Transfer the order to the kitchen
• Record the sale for billing purposes
• Keep a copy for the waiter reference.

7. Serving food and beverage

• Serving means bringing food and beverage order to the table.
• Procedure for serving food and beverage:-
  • Ladies first or guest of honor
  • Continue serving around the table counterclockwise
  • Serve all foods from the left of the guest with your left hand.
  • Serve all beverages from the right of your guest with your right hand
  • Place beverages to the right of the cover and refill beverages without lifting the cup from the table

8. Clearing the table

• Plates are cleared after a course when all the guests have finished.
• Guest usually indicates that they have finished eating by placing their cutlery together on their plate.
• Clear all plate by using clearing by two-plate or three plate carrying techniques.

9. Handling bills

• Purposes :-
  • To inform the guest of the amount to be paid
  • To act as a control system for the establishments
  • The bill should be kept ready for presentation as soon as the guest requires.
  • The bill is presented at the table and placed in front of the host
  • Common method payment are cash and credit card.
  • Cheque are usually not accepted without support of a banker’s card.

10. Thanking guest 

• Last impression = first impression
• Assist those departing by moving the guest chair, collecting their personal belongings and offering to call the taxi
• Wish them, thank them and acknowledge with final smile.

11. Resetting table

• Remove coffee cups and centre items, glassware and astray.
• Recloth soiled cloth after service.
• Ensure that all the chairs are returned to the original position
• Reset the setting
• Workstation are restocked with cleaned, polished equipment immediately.