Food and Beverage Service Case Study: Featured Recommendations and Handling Wrong Dishes

Special Recommendations

Captain: Good afternoon,Mr.Dunn.This is today's Menu.

Mr.Dunn:Any special recommendations,Captain?

Captain: We have fresh sole from the market.May I suggest Goujons Sole Prince Murat,Mr.Dunn.

Mr.Dunn:The name sounds rather fascinating.How do you prepare it?

Captain: It is deep-fried finger-shaped,served with tartar sauce,accompanied by hearts of lettuce and artichokes.It is very tasty.

Mr.Dunn:Sounds terrific and just to my taste! All right,I'll have that.

The waiter's familiarity with the products also affects the quality of the restaurant's food.

You can't tell how good the dishes at Goujons Sole Prince Murat taste just from their names. This requires the waiters to be very familiar with all the dishes and food items at the restaurant and to be able to provide detailed introductions and actively promote them.

In this case, the waiter was very familiar with the restaurant's dishes and carefully explained to the guests how to make Goujons Sole Prince Murat.

The purpose of this proactive and knowledgeable sales approach is to make customers understand and interested in the product, and ultimately, to make them willing and satisfied with their purchase.

Case Study Questions

1. How to improve food service skills?

Wrong dish served

Hangzhou Crystal Palace Restaurant is famous for its seafood.

That day, during dinner, a waiter brought the Dungeness crab ordered by a customer to another table. While the customers at this table were enjoying the Dungeness crab with relish, the customers at the other table who had ordered Dungeness crab were anxiously urging the waiter because the crab had not yet arrived.

Both tables of customers are regulars at the restaurant. What should we do?

Restaurant supervisor Ms. Li approached the customers who had ordered Dungeness crab and gently apologized, "We're sorry to have kept you waiting!" Then she said humorously, "We don't know why the Dungeness crabs are so naughty today, they slipped onto the next table! It's made you wait so long, and we didn't keep an eye on them, which has caused you some inconvenience. We apologize to you in person! Please be patient and wait a little longer, we will have the chef catch another one and bring it up as soon as possible."

Hearing her words and seeing the sincerity on her face, the guests all laughed and said humorously, "It's just a crab! We'll keep a closer eye on it next time! Haha." The head waiter immediately said, "Thank you all!" Then she went to another table of guests and congratulated them, saying, "You have become our restaurant's lucky stars! This precious crab will bring you great fortune and make your wishes come true. Congratulations!" The guests were overjoyed and immediately ordered another bottle of Gujing Gongjiu to celebrate, bringing the dining atmosphere to a climax.

In this case, the incident involved two tables of guests, making it very difficult to handle.

Because customers who order food may become anxious and dissatisfied when their dishes are not served for a long time; the customers at the table who are served the wrong dishes may refuse to pay for the food after eating it, on the grounds that "it was served by your waiters, we have no responsibility".

Therefore, when dealing with this situation, the waiter must first take responsibility, sincerely apologize, and then promptly replenish the dishes ordered by the customer.

For guests who have been served the wrong dishes, the waiter should humbly admit the mistake, sincerely criticize himself, apologize to the guests, and gently explain the situation to them in order to gain their understanding.

If a dish is served by mistake, politely ask the guest if they would like to pay for the dish and if there is a discount.

If a customer refuses to pay, do not force them. Instead, the person responsible for the wrong dish should bear the economic loss.

Serving the wrong dish is a common mistake in restaurants, but it can be very serious and can easily lead to disputes between guests and the hotel.

Common reasons for serving the wrong dishes include: first, the waiter writes the wrong table number when taking the order; second, the order taker tells the food runner the wrong table number when the dishes are being served; and third, the food runner delivers the dishes to the wrong table.

To avoid serving the wrong dishes, it is essential to pay close attention to the three steps mentioned above.

When taking orders, the server must carefully check the table number and memorize it accurately; when the server takes the dishes out of the dining area, they must verify the table number written on the menu and accurately announce the table number; the food runner must remember the table number announced by the server and accurately deliver the food to the table.

Alternatively, small number tags can be placed next to the dishes to indicate that each dish should have a table number.

When the food runner delivers the dishes to the designated table, the server takes the dishes, checks the menu again to ensure they are correct, and then serves them on the table.

Case Study Questions

1. How to avoid mistakes in food service?