The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees [Paperback]

Lora Arduser (Author), Douglas R Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

This training handbook was designed for use by all food service serving staff members. The guide covers every aspect of restaurant customer service for the positions of host, waiter or waitress, head waiter, captain, and bus person. The detailed performance of each position is described for different types of establishments, and all types of service including French, American, English, Russian, Family-Style and Banquet. It provides step-by-step instructions on: hosting, seating guests, taking/filling orders, loading/unloading trays, table side service, setting an elegant table, folding napkins, centerpieces, promoting specials, promoting side orders, handling problems, difficult customers, managing tips and taxes, getting customers to order quickly, handling questions, handling the check and money. Plus, learn advanced serving techniques such as flambé and carving meats, fish, and fruits. It also features a chapter devoted exclusively to food safety and sanitation. Whether it's your first day on the job or you are a twenty year veteran you are bound to learn alot. Food service managers will find this book to be an excellent foundation for your organizations training program.

Editorial Reviews

Review

EXCELLENT!!! The training guide covers every aspect of restaurant customer service. --Food Service Professional Magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc. (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910627479
• ISBN-13: 978-0910627474
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Use, June 15, 2006

By 

Jennifer M. Wilson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees (Paperback)

Opening a dining establishment is complex. There are many different things that need to be taken into consideration from food costs to training of employees. For those who have never had a restaurant before, the training of employees could be a little intimidating, especially when it comes to those who interact with the customers and whose service could make or break the business, the wait staff. This book takes the bewilderment out of hiring and training these very important people.

The book is comprehensive and follows a logical pattern which eases the reader into the business almost effortlessly. It is an all inclusive book which details different jobs which make up the wait staff from hosting to bussing. Most of the book is centered on service of the tables though. It explains everything from how to set the table to presenting the check at the end of the meal.

There is a special section on how to deal with the youngest of the customers as well as important issues which the customer does not see such as side work and dealing with customer complaints and the difficult customer. There are even tips on laws that regulate the industry such as alcohol and IRS laws. As with any other job in the restaurant, safety and sanitation is also a very important part. Taking the complexity out of hiring and training of these employees is bound to help everyone out.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Traing Tool, July 21, 2007

By 

Gerald N. Brown (Brookings, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees (Paperback)

This book covers all of the details that are so often left out while training waitstaff and associated restaurant employees. We use it extensively for initial training and reference.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Book for Anyone in the Restaurant/Service Industry, July 25, 2009

By 

Susana Escayola (Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Waiter & Waitress and Waitstaff Training Handbook: A Complete Guide to the Proper Steps in Service for Food & Beverage Employees (Paperback)

This handbook in a must for anyone in the restaurant business - from the restaurateur to the staff. It covers every aspect of restaurant service such as: the basics of waiting on tables; table settings; menu knowledge; customer service troubleshooting; wine and liquors/beverage service; tips, taxes and the IRS; security and sanitation/hygiene and that's just to name a few! It is concise, useful and easy to read. Anyone in restaurant management should implement this manual into their training program as there are chapters devoted to the specific duties of each position in the restaurant service staff.

The strength of this book lies in the idea that each restaurant employee in the service area is a "host" and the customer is their "guest" (as discussed in Chapter 3.) If you provide exceptional customer service and are knowledgeable about what your restaurant has to offer (from food to drinks) you will ensure a happy, loyal customer base that comes back again and again. This handbook teaches how to do just that - going the extra mile to provide the best service possible, even suggesting that you provide cameras for guests celebrating a special occasion and umbrellas should it be raining when they leave. It is this special attention to detail that makes this book excellent!

Throughout the book there are photographs, illustrations/figures and helpful forms as well as Internet links offering additional information on topics discussed. The last chapter is like a bonus section of especially useful forms, posters, information and diagrams for restaurants taken from a book entitled "The Encyclopedia of Restaurant Forms" (Atlantic Publishing) which sounds like a good companion book to this one.

If you are in the restaurant business or would like to learn more about what goes behind running a great restaurant (in terms of service) this book is for you. On an end note, part of the proceeds of the sale of this book go to The Humane Society of America, in memory of Bear, the book publisher's (Atlantic Publishing) beloved dog. It is always nice to know that by purchasing this book, you are also donating to a great cause and getting a noteworthy read in return.