Western-style à la carte service: Standards for taking orders, serving food, and table service

7. Taking orders for guests

(1) If several guests come together, ask whether they will pay separately or together. If they will pay separately, write down their bills separately and mark them (A, B, C, D) for easy payment.

(2) Examine and guess who the host is, and ask the host if they want to start ordering.

(3) The menu should be served from the guest’s right.

(4) Stand to the left of the guest and wait for the guest to order. If there are female guests, ask them to order first.

(5) Mark the ordering area to facilitate serving.

(6) Explain how to pair certain dishes together, and note the special requests of guests for dishes (such as less salt, no sugar, or more spice) on the menu. For example, if a guest orders a boiled egg, ask how long to boil it; if a guest orders a fried egg, ask whether to fry it on one side or both sides; if a guest orders a steak, ask how well done it should be.

(7) If the guests are in a hurry, introduce quick and easy dishes.

(8) If the dish ordered by the guest is sold out, apologize to the guest and introduce similar dishes.

(9) Offer appropriate suggestions to guests when they order food.

-If the guest has ordered seafood, we suggest they drink dry white wine.

-The guest ordered steak, and we suggested they drink red wine with it;

-If the customer only ordered one meat dish, we suggest adding an appetizer, salad, or soup.

-The guest only ordered a soup and a drink; we suggest adding a sandwich.

-The customer only ordered coffee; we suggest adding some snacks.

(10) When ordering food, stand upright, listen carefully and remember accurately, and repeat it to the guest to confirm that it is correct.

(11) Write the table number, date, name, and order time clearly on the menu.

(12) After ordering, remove any unused tableware or replace any necessary tableware.

(13) Serve the guests who order first. If another group of guests arrives or needs service, greet them warmly or nod and smile to show that they have not been ignored or neglected.

8. Send the menu to the kitchen.

The menu is delivered to the kitchen by waiters or food runners.

9. Food Serving

(1) Use your left hand to reach the guest from the left side to offer bread, butter, and jam.

(2) Use your right hand to hold the tray.

(3) All hot dishes should be covered with a lid.

(4) Serve dishes strictly in order.

Breakfast: Juice, ice water or fruit - milk - dessert/cereal - eggs/toast/bread (main course) - coffee/milk tea.

Main meal: Bread (butter) - Cold dish - Soup - Fish - Meat - Dessert/Fruit - Coffee/Milk tea.

(5) When serving dishes, always use your left hand to serve from the left side of the guest, and when changing or clearing plates, always use your right hand to clear from the right side of the guest. That is, "serve from the left and clear from the right, with dishes on the left and wine on the right", and announce the name of the dish and the accompanying ingredients.

(6) When serving the main course, place the side dishes to the left of the guest first.

(7) When serving the second dish, remove the first dish that has been eaten first.

10. Points to note during and after the meal

(1) The service during the meal was attentive and meticulous, and the food was handled with care.

(2) When changing tableware, always use your right hand to change it from the right side of the guest.

(3) The service of desserts, coffee or drinks after the meal is thoughtful.

(4) Settle accounts promptly and carefully.

(5) Thank you for visiting and see the guests off.

Thinking Questions

1. What is the relationship between the restaurant department and other departments of the hotel?

Practical training questions

1. Analysis of the content and design of the à la carte Chinese meal menu, Western meal menu, and beverage menu at the internship hotel.

2. Analysis of the content and design of the banquet menus for Chinese, Western, and beverage dishes at the internship hotel.

3. Draft a Chinese banquet menu with a price of 1,000 yuan per table.

Case Analysis

Ordering food (Take Order)

Waiter: Are you ready to order, Sir?

Guest:Not yet.Please give me a few more minutes.

Waiter: Please take your time.

Guest: Waiter, I'd like to order a full breakfast, please.

Waiter:Certainly...which kind of juice would you like,Sir?

Guest: Prune.

Waiter:Would you like bacon,sausage or ham?

Guest: Ham, please.

Waiter:And how would you like your eggs?

Guest:Two fried eggs, sunny-side up.

Waiter: Certainly.

Guest:Could I have croissants with my breakfast?

Waiter: Of course you can, Sir.

Guest:I would like to have my coffee now.

Waiter:Certainly,Sir.So,that's prune juice,two eggs-sunnyside up-croissants and coffee.

Guest: That's right.

Waiter: Thank you, Sir.

During the ordering process, several steps are added to inquire about the customer's preferences, in order to understand their tastes and preferences and meet their individual needs. When a customer orders a full American breakfast, although it is a set menu with a fixed combination, the hotel changes the previous fixed combination to allow the customer to choose according to their individual needs. Therefore, the waiter immediately asks: "Certainly...which kind of juice would you like, sir?", "Would you like bacon, sausage, or ham?", "And how would you like your eggs?" This allows the hotel to provide satisfactory service according to the customer's personal preferences. The beverage is plum juice, which the customer prefers; the meat is ham, which the customer chooses; and the eggs are fried according to the customer's usual method, fried to a slightly undercooked state on one side.

Case Study Questions

1. How to improve the quality of catering services?