Food and Beverage Service Case Study: Special Recommendations and Techniques for 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 dishes also impacts the quality of the restaurant's food. The name of a dish like Goujons Sole Prince Murat doesn't tell you what it tastes like, so waiters need to be very familiar with the restaurant's various dishes and be able to provide detailed explanations and actively promote them. In this case, the waiter was very knowledgeable about the restaurant's dishes and carefully explained the preparation method of Goujons Sole Prince Murat to the guests. This kind of knowledgeable and proactive promotion aims to make customers understand and interested in the products, ultimately leading to their willingness and satisfaction to dine.

Case Study Questions

1. How to improve food service skills?

Wrong dish served

The Crystal Palace Restaurant in Hangzhou is famous for its seafood. That day, during dinner, a waiter brought a customer's Dungeness crab to another table. While the first table was enjoying their crab, the other table, which had also ordered Dungeness crab, was impatiently urging the waiter because their crab was taking so long. Both tables were frequent customers of the restaurant. What to 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 added humorously, "We don't know why the Dungeness crabs are so mischievous today; they slipped onto the next table! We've kept you waiting, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused! Please be patient and wait a little longer; we'll 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! Next time, keep a closer eye on it! 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 customers, making it difficult to handle. The customers who ordered the food would be anxious and dissatisfied due to the delay in its arrival; the customers at the table where the wrong dish was served might refuse to pay, claiming, "It was your waiter who served it, we have no responsibility." Therefore, the waiter must first take responsibility, sincerely apologize, and then promptly serve the wrong dish to the customers who ordered it. For the customers whose dish was served incorrectly, the waiter must humbly admit the mistake, sincerely criticize themselves, apologize to the customers, and tactfully explain the situation to gain their understanding. Regarding the wrongly served dish, the waiter should politely ask the customers if they would like to pay for it and if there is a discount. If the customers refuse to pay, do not force them; instead, the parties involved in the incident should bear the economic loss caused by the wrongly served dish.

Serving the wrong dish is a common but serious mistake in restaurants, potentially leading to disputes between guests and the hotel. Common causes include: 1) the server writing the wrong table number when taking the order; 2) the server giving the wrong table number to the server when the dish is being served; and 3) the server delivering the dish to the wrong table. To avoid serving the wrong dish, these three steps must be carefully controlled.

When taking orders, the server should carefully verify the table number and accurately memorize it. When the server prepares the dishes, they should double-check the table number on the menu and accurately announce it. The food runner should remember the table number announced by the server and deliver the food to the table accurately. Alternatively, small number tags can be placed next to the dishes to indicate the corresponding table number. When the food runner delivers the dishes to the correct table, the server takes the dishes, double-checks the menu, and then serves them to the table.

Case Study Questions

1. How to avoid mistakes in food service?