week 11 - 12 food and beverage service method 3-2552

Food and Beverage Service Method

Week 11


By Aj. Pavit Tansakul

Tourism and Hospitality Management ProgramSchool of Management, Walailak UniversityTel. 2248 email: [email protected]


Objectives

1. State the important of service to the customer2. Describe two ways in which service is important to

guests3. Describe the role of servers in the foodservice

operation4. Distinguish between the various categories an types

of service5. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of

formal and informal methods of service6. Describe the obstacles to good service7. Consider the suggestions form restaurateurs on how

to improve service


Outline

1. Dining room service from the customers’ point of view

2. The importance of service3. The Role of Servers4. Type of Service5. The Obstacles to good service


Introduction

• This week focus on the important of service to the customer’s dining experience

• Server’s responsibilities and tips for servers on how to increase the level of service and enhance the guests’enjoyment


1

Dining room service from the customers’point of view


Dining room service from customers’ POV

• What’s frequent complaint of FS customers?


When Dining Experience is lack of

• Friendly • Competent service• Ignore for period of

time• Refuse to honor their

requests


Even ………

• A meal that is expertly prepared can ruined if it is not served properly.


What’s customers’ want?

1. Friendly servers2. Knowledgeable about the

menu 3. Willing to provide

reasonable variations in the menu

4. Bring things (food) to the table before, rather after, they are needed


2

The importance of service


The importance of service1. Value for the guest2. Impact on dining experience of the guest

Positive VS Negative


Determining Value

• Generally, the greater the level of service provided to a guest, the more the guest is willing to pay for a meal.

• Guest appreciate the increase attention and expect to pay more for it.

• Example for same menu, Hamburger at two type of restaurants-fast food and moderate table service


Determining Value

• When deciding where to dine, customers are aware of the amenities each type of operation offers and approximately what they will be charged for those amenities, and they make their choices accordingly.

• For many people, the value that good service adds is a key point in making this decision.


Ensuring a positive dining experience

• Attentive• Well-organized server• Available when guest

needs• Suggestive not

aggressive• Speeds of service staff


2

What Customers Expect From Servers



The key points in maximizing customers’ enjoyment include the following:

1. Accommodation• In planning a menu for their favorite combination• Servers must be provided w/ a list of items on

the menu that can be switched to better accommodate guests

2. Attitude of servers’• Good attitude is difficult to teach• Good attitude and enjoyment in working are key

characteristics



3. Attentiveness– Guests like to have their needs attended to while

dining out – they prefer to treat themselves by having someone else take care of them.

– Server should also return to the table shortly after delivering the meal to see that the guests are satisfied and whether the guests need anything else to complement their meal.



4. Timeliness– Guest like to be taken care of in a timely fashion. – They expect to be greeted at the table, presented

with the menu, have their order taken and their course delivered.

– If there is going to be delay with any part of the service sequence, the problem should be communicated to the guest as soon as possible

– Timeliness does not mean the guest should be served in RAPID SUCCESSION



5. Anticipation ��ก��ก�� – To anticipate rather than react; to be

alert to guests’ needs and potential problems rather than having to react a problem

– E.g. Guest with infant should assume HIGH Chair and server bring it to the table before the guest has to ask for it.

– E.g. For the Guest who order French Fried, server should bring Ketchup to the table before the food is delivered.



6. Suggestive selling– Some guests arrive at a restaurant with

– Their minds already made up as what they are going to order

– Some make a decision after reviewing the menu

– Some can't decide and need some assistant – Suggesting menu by listen what they like or

dislike– Suggesting selling also encourage guests to

order accompaniments they otherwise may skip, such as wine or perhaps an after-diner cordial or liqueur.


3

The Role of Servers


The Role of Servers

• The tasks of server include guest-contact to ensure a pleasurable a dining experience

• And to provide efficient delivery of menu items, indicates the time it took for the cooks to prepare food versus the time it took for the server to pick up


The Role of Servers

1. Teamwork – “Sorry this is not my station. I’ll

find your server and tell him that you need something”

– Flying food Show – the first server who arrives in the kitchen is responsible for taking it to the table

– Management should unify all employees in the common goal of taking care of the guest.


The Role of Servers

2. Finishing food preparationThe sole of server in

some operation includes plating possibly dressing salad, pouring soft drink, plating and garnishing dessert, dishing up soup, and garnishing entrée items


The Role of Servers

3. Menu knowledge– The basics such as how a dish

is prepared (Baked, Broil, sautéed, fresh. Frozen)

– Daily tasting of the menu items, specials of the day, the wine from the wine lists can allow server to better describe and suggest menu items as well as to detect a problem with an items before it is served to a guest


The Role of Servers

4. Merchandising– A serves as “Silent salesperson”

for an operation, providing the guest with its daily offerings

– The server has an opportunity for a much more effective and personal level of selling.

– Merchandising skills are easily taught.

– Many operations offer incentives, such as meal or cash, to encourage servers to suggest high-profit appetizer and dessert items


4

Type of Service


Type of Services

1. Self-service1.1 Buffet service

2. Seated Service or Table Service2.1 French Service2.2 American Service2.3 Banquet Service2.4 English Service2.5 Russian Service


Scope of Service

• Table setting (preparing)• When seating guest, the server

should• When taking the order, the server

should• When delivering the food, the

server should• Toward the end of the main

course, the server should


1. Preparing for Service2. Servicing the guest3. Closing the service


1. Self-Service


1.1 Buffet Service

• With buffet service, guests select their meals from an attractive arrangement of food on long serving tables.

• The guests either help themselves or are served by chefs standing behind the buffet tables.


Buffet Service

• The service usually combinesboth methods – the guestsselect relishes, salads, andvegetables themselves, and themeat is carved and served tothe guests by chefs.

• Silverware and napkins may beconveniently located on thebuffet table for the guests topick up with their meals, or a complete cover.


Buffet Service

• The job of the server varies, depending on thedesign of the buffet. The servers may serve onlybeverages and dessert, or they may serve severalcourses, such as the appetizer and soup, at theguests’ tables.


Advantages and Disadvantages

• One advantage to buffet service is that foodcan be displayed in a very attractive manner.

• However, this can quickly become a disadvantage if care is not taken to keep thefood selection fresh and complete.

• Another advantage is that servers can attendto many guests at one time, but guests receiveless personal attention than with tableservice.


2. Seated or Table Service

1. French Service2. Russian Service3. English Service4. American Service5. Banquet Service


Table Service

• There are many styles of table service: �� French, �� Russian, �� English, �� American

• No one style of service is better than any other. Each form of service meets the specific need and demands of individual circumstances.

• Any combination may be used id consistent with the restaurant’s concept


What is Table Service?

• In the past forty years restaurant service has changed as dramatically, especially in America.

• American fine dining restaurants tired to emulate European manners. French service was considered the most elegant, followed by Russian and English.


What is Table Service?

• American service evolved from there European forms of service, utilizing aspects of all three styles in vary combinations.

• The style of service, a much as the Menu, Décor, Uniforms, Table settings, and Ambience, should be consistent with the type of cuisine that restaurant offers.


Service Styles

• The most common styles for seated dining are French, Russian, Butler, English and Family Service, Room Service. Other Service included Buffet, Cafeteria, Take-out, and Counter Service.


FRENCH SERVICE


FRENCH SERVICE

• Or Service à la française, is the most elaborate and labor intensive of all serving styles.

• Traditionally in French service, a meal was divided into 3 separate services or courses – 1st, 2nd, and dessert

• Much of the food was cooked or finished tableside from a voiture, or cart, or guéridon, or side table, in the dining room.


French Service

• The food is cooked or completed at a side table in front of the guests.

• The food is brought from the kitchen to the dining room on heavy silver platters and placed on a cart called a guéridon.

• The food is completed by cooking, deboning, slicing, and garnishing as necessary and served to the guests on heated plates.


French Service

• Most graceful and formal style of service originated in Europe

• Use of silver serving pieces

• The final cooking and garnishing taking place on a side table (guerdon)

• French service is the most elegant of seated services


French Service

• Foods that can be cooked, assembled, or in a reasonably shot time are prepared in front of the guests.

• Typical specialties that may be served in the French style are La Salade Cesar(Caesar salad), Le Tournedos au Poivre (pepper steak), and Les Crepes Suzettes (crepes in orange sauce).


French Service

• Need for highly trained service staff

• Great expense of the equipment needed

• Waiters more likely to be MALE than FEMALE


THE GUÉIDON Service

• Generally required two servers to deliver and prepare the food.


French Service

• Commis de rang (�� )• �� !

– Must serve an apprenticeship under a chef de rang

• Chef de rang (� " �� )• �� !

– Or professional waiter


French Service

• They work as a team to take are of the guest’s needs.

• The chef de rang always remains in the dining room, whereas the commisde rang is to go to the kitchen to pick up the food or to return soiled items

• The chef de rang adds the final touches to the items in the dining room and may finish with flaming the items with brandy to catch everyone’s attention.


Chef de rang

• Seat the guests if there is no host for dining room

• Take the guests’ orders• Serve the beverages• Finish the preparation of food at the table in

view of the guests• Plate and garnish the food on a heated plate• Present the check to the guests and collect

the payment


Commis de rang

• Receive the order from the chef de rang and deliver it to the kitchen

• Pick up the food in the kitchen on a silver tray and place it on the side table

• Serve the plated food to the guests• Assist the chef de rang as needed


Special Techniques done by Chef de Rang

• Tossing and Mixing• Plate Presentation

and Sauces• Deboning and Carving• Flambéing• Fire Plan • Serving Hot Items


French Service

** Advantages **☺ Very stylish and formal ☺ Guest can enjoy food prepared at side table

** Disadvantages **☺ required a highly skilled staff ☺ Expensive on labor and equipment needs☺ necessitates wide aisles, which means fewer tables

in the dining room


French Service


Guéridon / Carving Trolley


Rechaud


French Service Table Setting


Table Setting


RUSSIAN SERVICE


Russian Service

• Russian service is similar to French service in many respects.

• It employs the use of heavy silver serviceware, and the table setting is identical to the French setup.

• The two major differences one server isneeded and that food is fully prepared andattractively arranged on silver platters in thekitchen.


Russian Service

• Server places a heated plate from the right side, going around the table clockwise.

• Then the server brings the plattersof food to the dining room from thekitchen and presents them to theguests at the table.

• Standing to the left of each guestand holding the platter of food inthe left hand, the server show eachguest the food and then, using a large spoon and fork in the righthand, dishes up the desired portionon the guest’s plate


RUSSIAN or PLATTER SERVICE

• Russian service, currently considered platter service in America, is used mostly for banquets.

• It is less showy then French service, but it is quicker and no less elegant.

• In platter service, the food is fully cooked and arranged and garnished on large platters of food to the dining room and present them on Table

• The server moves around the table counterclockwise, beginning with the first woman seated at the host’s right


RUSSIAN or PLATTER SERVICE


Advantages and Disadvantages of Russian Service

• The advantages of Russian service are that only oneserver is need and this service is as elegant as Frenchservice, yet faster and less expensive. No extra spaceis needed for special equipment, such as the gueridon.

• The disadvantages of Russian service are the largeinvestment is silver serviceware and the number ofplatters needed, Russian service is particularly usefulat banquets where every guest receives the samefood selection.


Russian Service


ENGLISH SERVICE


English Service

• Used occasionally for a special dinner servedin a private dining room of a restaurant, but itis more typical of a meal served by servants ina private home.


English Service

• The food on platters and the heated plates are brought from the kitchen and placed before the host at the head of the table.

• Host or one of the servers carves the meat, if necessary, dishes up the entrée and vegetable on individual plates.


English Service

• She hands the plates to theserver standing to the left, whoserver the guest of honor andall other guests. Dessert mayalso be served in this manner.

• All sauces and side dishes and,

in some cases, the vegetablesare on the table to be passedby the guests.



• The advantage of English service is that itinvolves a great deal of showmanship for a special occasion.

• The disadvantages are that the host may berequired to do a lot of the work by dishing upsome of the food, and with only one personserving the entrée, the service can be verytime-consuming.


English Service

• Or Family service • The food is prepared in the kitchen and taken

to the dining room in serving platters and bowls by the dining room staff

** Advantages **☺ Service is quicker and easier ☺ each guest are allowed to choose the portion they

wants


English Service


ENGLISH service and Family Service

• In restaurant, usually reserved for private rooms or special group dinners.

• All food fully cooked in the kitchen.

• Family style is similar to English style, except that the food are placed on the table in large serving and guests help themselves.


AMERICAN SERVICE


American Service

• American service isless formal thenFrench, Russian, orEnglish service. It isthe most prevalentstyle of service inrestaurants in theUnited States.


American Service

• In American service, food isdished up on plates in thekitchen.

• Only one waitperson servesthe meal. Food is servedfrom the left of the guest,beverages are served fromthe right, and soiled dishesare cleared from the right.


American Service

• The American breakfast and lunchtable setting differs from theAmerican dinner setting. Breakfastand lunch are simple meals andrequire only a limited amount ofservice ware. Dinner involves morecourses and more service ware.


American Service• It can be used to serve the guest who wants a

quick, filling meal at a casual restaurant withsimple service. American service can also be usedto serve the guest who intends to be entertainedfor evening at a five-star establishment.


American Service

• The food is prepared and plated in kitchen• The food brought to the dining room and

served by server.

• ** Advantages **☺ Service is efficient, fast, requires minimum of equipment.☺ Servers are able to serve many guests with minimal training


American Service

• ** Disadvantage **☺ not very formal or elegant


American Service

Basic Rules of American Service

1. All solid food is served from the guest’sLEFT with the LEFT HAND

2. All beverages are served from the guest’s RIGTH with the RIGHT HAND

3. Dishes are cleared from the guest’s RIGHT


American Service


American Service Table setting


When Seating guests, the server should:

• Seat guests as soon as they enter the dining room, or at leastacknowledge them, and then seat them as soon as possible.

• Greet the guests when he or she arrives at the table, welcomethem to the restaurant, introduce him- or herself, present themwith the menu, tell the guests about any specials for the day orany dishes on the menu that are not available, and ask them ifthey would like anything to drink or anything from the bar (ifavailable at the operation).

• Fill their water glasses and remove extra place setting.

• Leave the table to pick up the customer’s cocktails and to givethe guests an opportunity to look over the menu.


When taking the order, the server should:• Deliver the cocktails (if any have

been ordered) from each guest’sright.

• Take the guest’s order. Mostoperations have a standardizedsystem for numbering the customersat the table based on a geographicalportion of the dining room, such asthe front door or fireplace, so thatany employee can deliver food to theproper guest.

• After the guests have ordered, offeraccompaniments, such as appetizersor wine, to increase the guests’ diningenjoyment and, it is hoped, theserver’s gratuity.


When taking the order, the server should:

• Remember that the goal of the operation is to satisfy theguests. Try to accommodate guest’s needs and desires. Beaware of the policies of the operation so that “special orders”can be offered or accepted.

• Serve the bread and butter. A general policy is to deliver thebread and butter after the order is taken to prevent guestsfrom filling up on bread instead of ordering appetizers.

• Deliver the order to the kitchen. Double-check with the kitchenthat all items ordered are available. While the food is beingprepared, anticipate the food items and tableware the guestswill need for their meal and take them to the table before thefood is served. Items such as catsup for French fries, mustardfor a hamburger, and a steak knife for steak are examples ofthings that guests are likely to need.


When delivering the food, the server should:

• Deliver the appetizer, soup, or salad. This courseserves two purposes—it stimulates the guest’sappetites, and it occupies their time while the maincourse is being prepared. Soups and salads aresometimes made available for the server to plate up,thus freeing the kitchen staff. Depending on theprocedures of the operation, the kitchen may benotified when the soup or salad is delivered. Thekitchen staff then knows how to time the preparationof the main course so that it is ready when the guestsfinish the first course.


When delivering the food, the server should:• Clear the first-course dishes and tableware, from the

right, to make room on the table for the main course.• When in the kitchen to pick up the main course, collect

all of the items needed to serve it—butter, sour creamfor a baked potato, serving utensils—prior to picking upthe food.

• The main course is plated by the kitchen, but the servermay need to garnish the plates before delivering them.

The server makes the last check of the food prior tothe guests’ receiving it.

• It is important to see that the correct order is served(not another server’s), that the order is complete, andthat the quality of the food meets the standards of theoperation.


When delivering the food, the server should:

• The food is usually carried to the dining room on a tray, so the server needs to pick up a tray stand toset the food on while serving the main courses to theguests.

• Serve the food to the guests using the numberingsystem noted when taking the order. Women areusually served first, then men. The main course isserved from the left with the left hand.

• Replenish water glasses and ask the guests whetherthey would like a refill of their other drinks.

• Return to the table within 3 to 5 minutes afterdelivering the food to ensure that everything issatisfactory and that the guests have everythingthey need to enjoy their meal.


The end of the main course

• Keep an eye on the guests while they are eating to see if theyneed anything else. When they have finished eating, remove themain course dishes from the right with the right hand.

• Remove items from the table that are not needed for dessert,such as salt and pepper, extra silverware, etc.

• Use a folded napkin to remove crumbs and food scraps from thetable.

• Ask the guests if they would like a refill of their beverage,coffee or tea, or an after-dinner drink.

• Suggest some desserts, offer the dessert menu, or present thedessert cart or tray (if used). The visual presentation ofdesserts is usually very effective.


BANQUET SERVICE


Banquet Service

• Banquet service involvesserving a meal to a group ofpeople who are celebrating,gathering for a specialoccasion, or honoring specialguests. The menu, number ofguests, and time of serviceare predetermined, and thebanquet is well organized inadvance.


Banquet Service

• The server generally sets the table withAmerican setting modified according to theparticular menu.


Banquet Service

• The food is put on plates in the kitchen and served tothe guests in the usual American serving style or inFrench, Russian, or buffet style, as predetermined.

• The head table is served first, then the rest of thetables. Water and coffee are replenished periodically.


Banquet Service

• If the guests will remain seated for entertainment ora speaker after dinner, be sure the tables are clearedand tidy at the completion of the meal. Because thebanquet is paid for in advance, the server does notneed to present a check or collect payment.



• The advantage of banquet service is that themenu and serving time are predetermined,

which makes service a simple routine,accomplished by fewer servers than neededfor other types of serving.

• A disadvantage of banquet service is thatguests receive very little personal attention.They are usually seated in close quarters,which makes proper service difficult.


BUTLER SERVICE


BUTLER Service

• Butler service procedures are basically the same as for Russian service, except that the guests serve themselves with utensils provided from the platter which is held by the waiter with BOTH HANDS


ROOM SERVICE


ROOM service


Room Service


Formality and EleganceEfficiency

English Service

Russian Service


5

The Obstacles to good service



• The problem of poor servicein American restaurants is a complex one. Customers wantand even demand better service;restaurateurs understand theimportance of providing goodservice to their guests. Thequestion then is, what are theobstacles facing restaurants intheir pursuit of providing goodservice to their guests?



• The position of server in Europeis held mostly by men and ishighly respected. The position ofserver in this country, for themost part, is looked down on, andis filled by people who are waitingtables while waiting for somethingelse—college students, fledglingactors, and so on. The lack ofdedication to a career of waitingtables can have an effect on thequality of service.



• To further complicate the matter,American employers are allowed topay restaurant servers a wagebelow the federal minimum. Theemployee who spends the mosttime with the guest and who hasthe most dramatic effect on theguest’s dining enjoyment isrewarded by a below-minimum wage.Such an employee does receivetips, but management cannotexpect to attract people who areserious about service if they areoffered such a low wage.



• Training is very important to a server’s ability to provide good service to guests. Today’s poor service has been blamed on the method of training, or lack of it, that is given in most foodservice operations. Managers cannot expect servers to be competent and efficient at their jobs if their training is limited to the location of their station and how to fill out a ticket for food. Servers are frequently trained by shadowing or trailing an experienced server or server-trainer.



• The new server is given anopportunity to pick up the good habitsand methods of the trainer; theproblem is that he or she also has anopportunity to pick up the bad habits.The success of shadowing is limitedto the learning the mechanics ofserving—how to fill out a ticket, howto set a table properly, and how to dothe side work. The key componentsof the server’s job are not usuallyaddressed, such as suggestive selling,anticipation, and accommodating theguests’ needs.


Obstacles to good service

• Is complex from the customer want and demand better service.

• Understand the importance of providing good service to the guests

• Pay the wage at reasonable level on their jobs

• Training for a better service

week 11 - 12 food and beverage service method 3-2552

Education

beverage service method

good service food

importance of service

theimportant of service

service sequence

dining room service

moderate table service

valuethat good service