Steps Of The Sequence Of Service In A Restaurant
The sequence of service standards is normally made by the food & beverage manager and approved by the General Manager of the hotel. The standards have been created making sure that the sequence of service or any other standard operational procedures are implemented and followed all the time by all the restaurant staff. Remember that compiling all the hotel’s SOPs is very important If your standards and expectations keep changing, your employees will just do what they think is best. SOPs give you and your staff the discipline to stay consistent with how things are done!
Before we continue with the full steps of the sequence of service in a restaurant, let’s keep in mind that before the arrival and seating of our guests, we need to have the proper setup for their table.
Sequence Of Service In A Restaurant
Setup
Each restaurant or establishment, depending on the type of service or concept has its own style and standards for the table setup. Anyhow, as you can see in this picture, is a basic table setup standard from a casual dining buffet restaurant and where u can see the main setup items such as:
- Placemat – placed in the center and the edge of the table.
- Cloth napkin – folding style depends on the restaurant’s style.
- Full cutleries – (Left side: starter fork & dinner fork. Right side: Dinner knife & starter knifer. Top middle side: Dessert fork & dessert spoon.
- Water glass – Water goblet on the top right side. Could be added as well wine glass.
- Salt & Pepper shaker.
- Centerpiece for ambience.
- Empty plate or show plate depends as well on the restaurant style.
– Pay attention to details as all the table setups should look the same.
– All the tables and chairs should be aligned with each other
– Tables, chairs, and all the setup items should be neat and clean
– Salt & pepper shakers should be always double checked if needs to be refilled
The Complete Steps Of The Sequence Of Service
| SOP: The Complete Steps Of The Sequence Of Service In a Restaurant |
|---|
| Applicable To: Everyone |
| Department: Food & Beverage |
| 1. Welcome, Greeting & Seating The first and most important step when it comes to the sequence of service, of course, is a warm smile, a friendly greeting, and eye contact. Those are the most important gestures that u need to implement on the arrival of your guests. These 3 simple steps make guests feel welcome at your restaurant. Regardless of where we work, we need to make a positive first impression. Warmly greeting the guests is the key to building trust and making them feel comfortable. Follow the steps below: – Make eye contact – Greet and smile and warmly welcome your guest – Confirm their reservation details – Escort and sit the guest at their table – Help to sit the ladies first and unfold the napkins – Inform the section holder of any guest preferences or other important information Keep in mind to be confident, and check your buddy’s language and your tone of voice. Check the full SOP for welcoming and seating the guests. |
| 2. Water Service Offering guest water after they have been seated at their table is important to make a good impression and generate additional revenue. By offering them water or refilling their glass before they ask you are anticipating their needs and showing them that you care. Follow the steps below for the water service: – Guest should be offered water within 60 seconds of being seated – Pose, ask them if they prefer still or sparkling water by presenting a still bottle – Present it as a bottle of wine by showing the label and mentioning the name – Open the bottle and pour to the guests – Pour children first if there are, ladies second, and gents third – Always serve from the right side of the guest – Proactively, ensure your guest’s glasses are never empty and you are always refilling them |
| 3. Presenting Menu After the water has been served it’s the time for the menu. Before you present the menu or the wine list make sure you have identified who is the host of the table as he is the decision maker. Also, make sure before you present the menu is in good condition and clean. You need to be fully knowledgeable about all the menu items so you can be able to answer any guest question and being able to make recommendations. Follow the steps below to present the menu & wine list: – Make sure the menu is neat and clean – Present the menu according to your restaurant’s standards – Inform the guest of any specials your restaurant has – Offer something from the drinks menu till they are ready for their food order – Give them some time till they are ready and let them know if they have any questions – Check on them from time to time till they are ready to order – Make wine recommendations pairing with their food order (mainly after the food order) |
| 4. Aperitif And Beverages Service An exceptional meal needs an exceptional start. An aperitif means “To open” which opens the meal and sets the tone for the entire dining experience. Follow the steps below for this process: – Present the beverages menu – Suggest if the guest wants to start with an aperitif (Champagne, Aperol, Beer, Wine, etc…) – Serve the beverages within 3 minutes of ordering – Always carry the drinks over a serving tray and never hold drinks/glasses in your hand. |
| 5. Taking The Food Order Remember that you are the messenger between the kitchen and the guest and you are the face of the meal even though the chef cooked it. You always need to make sure you have taken the order correctly and always keep with you notepad (captain order). Follow the steps below to take correctly a food order: – Be informed of all the specials of the day and not available items – Make recommendations – Listen carefully and write down all the orders – Make sure you ask the guest for any dietary or allergens they might have – Confirm the orders if they want course by course or all the dishes at the same time – Repeat the order and confirm it once more with them – Thank them for their order and collect all the menus |
| 6. Wine Service Another very important step to the sequence of service is wine service because when a perfect wine is paired with a meal, the good experience can become a truly memorable one. Before we go to the steps of the wine service you need to have a basic understanding of the wine list your restaurant has, the taste of aroma, and other details. U need to know the pairing and combinations and if you haven’t tried u can’t make this step. Also make sure u have the right tool to open the wine bottle, how to open it, present and pour it to the guests on the same steps as the water. – Present, while holding it begin to pronounce the producer of the wine, vintage & grape, and the wine name. The label should always face the guest – Open it in front of them while holding it as quietly as possible, and holding a napkin in your hand – Let the host taste the wine – Ask for approval – Pour for all the guests in the same quantity and always from the right side of the guests – Use your napkin to wipe away any drips from the bottle while pouring to avoid spills – Keep the cork removed from the bottle and let the bottle “breathe” on the table – Always refill once their glass is about to finish – Upsell by recommending one more bottle once the first one is finished |
| 7. The Meal While service can make or break a guest’s experience, the food is why the guests are there that’s why is so important to serve the meal correctly. Let’s have a look at 4 basic steps to follow during the meal: – Keep the table tidy. Clear and clean from time to time and keep in mind if you have more than one guest do not remove a guest plate if the others are still eating unless you have a group of guests. – Mise en place – stemware, silverware, condiments, and all the other items guests need for their meal should be on their table before the guest needs it. – Check back after each course is delivered to the guest table without interrupting them – Control the flow of service. Ensure courses are going to the guest table at a speed that makes them feel relaxed and without being rushed. Keep communicating with the kitchen and inform them what and when they need to start preparing. |
| 8. Dessert Is almost the last step of sequence of service so make sure it leaves a lasting impression. Let’s have a look into this step: – Clear and crumble the table before serving the desserts. Never use your hand, use a napkin and a plate to clear from the table and remove unnecessary condiments such as salt & pepper – Deliver desserts silverware & stemware – Suggest dessert-time beverages such as digestive drinks (sweet wine, port) – Serve the desserts and beverages |
| 9. Digestif And After Dinner Beverages A digestif is an alcoholic beverage served after a meal to aid with digestion. Digestif drinks such as bitter or sweet liquors, aged or distilled liquors such as whiskey, brandy, and rum. There are no such rules about which digestif should be served after which meal but you can be creative and make suggestions based on the guest’s preferences or yours. |
| 10. Coffee And Tea Coffee and tea are some of the most popular beverages in the world, and drinking those at the end of a meal can aid digestors. The best time to recommend coffee and tea to your guests is the time you are taking the dessert order as some guests prefer to enjoy their coffee and tea with the desserts. Anyhow, is your job to guide them into making decisions through all the stages of the meal which will leave them with the favorable impression of being cared for. Follow these 3 steps for serving coffee and tea: – Ensure the guests have on their table all the necessary condiments such as milk, sugar, and sweetener. – Serve their beverages on their right-hand side, with the teaspoon and handle directed into the 4 the clock time position. – Continue your water service throughout the meal, while engaging with the guests. |
| 11. Check And Farewell The way you handle the last elements of your guest’s time with you can make or break their experience. Delivering the check and saying farewell are the final steps in any service. If you don’t pay attention to this step, you risk undoing all the good work you have already put in. Follow the below to give the check successfully to the guest: – Wait for guests to ask for the check, never deliver it without the guest asking for it – Make sure to double check all the items the guests have consumed are matching with the prices and the total check – Use a bill folder/check presenter – Deliver it within 1-3 minutes after guest request – Give the guest a moment to look into the check and decide how are they going to pay. Don’t stay too far and pay attention to how they decide to go forward with their payment. – Collect the bill folder/check presenter and process payment – If payment is cash, make sure to count and return the change to the guest’s table, and never assume a tip without the guest confirming it. If payment has been made by card, make sure you make it on the guest table and double-check the numbers on the screen. – Thank them for coming to your restaurant by using their name or any other information you learned about them. Invite them back for any other special occasion they might enjoy. |
You have learned how to achieve excellent service by following the steps of the sequence of service in a restaurant. All the mentioned steps of the sequence of service have one thing in common, guest engagement. Don’t forget to always pay attention to your guest and engage with them, how they are doing, and how their meal is progressing. By being warm, friendly, and genuine you will affect the guest’s emotions.
When you respect their personal space, anticipate their needs, and pay attention to details, they will feel cared for. Another important thing to remember is that constant and genuine service is key for encouraging returned guests. Keep in mind that the sequence of service in restaurants might not be the same for all establishments, but the overall sequence and steps remain the same.
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