WAITER TRAINING - CASINOS, CLUBS, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS

Dining Etiquette Workshops

• Tribal Enterprises
• Owner/Operator or
Management Company

• Private & Public Country Clubs
• City & Business Clubs

• Boutique Hotel Restaurants
• Regional Corporate Franchises &
Independent Owner/Operators

• Independent Living &
Assisted Living Facilities

• For schools, businesses, clubs

Is your service as good as your food?
It can be with our Three-Phase
"Table Service Tune-Up"
Certificate Training Program

Phase 1: EVALUATE
A typical “mystery shopper” service gives you a look at how the average consumer perceives your restaurant. It’s important to gain that perspective, but it only helps to identify your strengths and weaknesses. It doesn’t give you solutions, or offer suggestions on how to improve. Our “mystery diner” visit to your restaurant uses a detailed, 100-plus point rating system developed by a veteran restaurateur and a restaurant reviewer that allows us to provide recommendations on techniques and systems that can be implemented to improve efficiency and provide a higher level of guest services and satisfaction. As part of your EATiQuette waitstaff training package, we include a “mystery diner” shop and a detailed report on our findings.

Phase 2: COORDINATE
Following your “mystery shop”, we’ll meet with your management team to review the report and make our recommendations. Any policy changes you decide to make can be incorporated into the training we provide in Phase 3. We’ve helped restaurants to become more time- and cost-efficient while improving their products and services by instituting a variety of practices and policies. Among them: using food runners, adopting team service, establishing seat designation systems and changing/upgrading smallwares, equipment and ingredients. You may be overlooking some very simple and easy-to-implement systems that can make your operation run more smoothly and effectively. We’ll help you identify these items and put them into practice.

Phase 3: EDUCATE
Our three-to-five day training programs are tailored to the experience levels and skills of your staff and can be structured as either a “train-the-trainer” for managers and supervisors, then separate staff training, or combined management/staff presentation. A topic list on the next page details areas of training that can be built into your agenda. We suggest including a pre-training evaluation to determine subjects on which we should focus and a post-training test to determine retention levels. Each session is interactive, includes role-playing and hands-on learning as well as classroom-style teaching. And, because waiting tables isn’t rocket science, we include these fun-with-a-focus activities: Messy Molly’s Hygiene Hijinx, the What’s your ‘tude, dude? Card Game and the Time that Table! Board Game. Our presenter, David Rothschild, has more than 20 years of experience training restaurant staffs ranging from entry-level servers, bussers and hostesses to industry veterans at top resort restaurants.

Certificates are awarded to all participants that successfully complete the course.

Your package also includes five copies of our waitstaff training manual, The Main Course on Table Service, and one CD of the accompanying instructor’s manual.

Optional: Our Super Supervisor workshop helps restaurant managers and supervisors learn how to effectively observe, monitor and correct service and interrelate with staff and guests. As part of our manager/supervisor training, we can also include “on-the-floor” sessions during service shifts to enforce the methods taught in the workshop. This last step is key in ensuring adherence to industry standards and consistently excellent service.

Cost of EATiQuette's “Table Service Tune-Up” Certificate Programs

including
• mystery shop evaluation
• consultation with management team
• 3-5 days of staff training (3 hrs. per day):

from $3000.00 with 3 days training;
from $4500.00 with 5 days training

(plus reimbursement for “mystery diner” meals and applicable travel expenses)

PLEASE NOTE: These prices are total presenter fees for the programs described -- they are not per person or per day rates. We also make every effort to minimize expenses and invite you to share costs with other properties in your area that contract for our services.

What is "Pre-Bussing"?

Pre-bussing is another term for table maintenance -- keeping the table clean and clear of extraneous items throughout the meal service. All empty glasses, silverware and plateware from previous courses, straw wrappers, used beverage or other napkins and the like should be cleared before any additional food or beverages are delivered. This will keep the diners' table tidy and free of any materials they don't need to enjoy their subsequent courses. It's helpful to keep a beverage (bar) tray handy to collect these items. Keep in mind that if you're clearing used silverware, you'll need to replace it with appropriate utensils for the next course. And be sure to remove the breadbasket, butter dish, bread and butter plates and butter spreaders before dessert is served. Some restaurants will pull the salt and pepper shakers, too. But don't forget to replace them when you reset the table.

These "Tip Pool" service tips will change regularly so be sure to check back often. Also be sure to check out David's regular articles in Native American Casino magazine. (see previously published articles)

Our most popular waitstaff training program
for both new restaurants and existing operations . . .
The Main Course on Table Service
Basic Training Bootcamp

Length: two days with three hours per day of classroom and hands-on training -- typically added as a supplement to our basic training at fine dining properties

Appropriate for: giving staff additional skills and refining service with industry-standard upscale techniques

Group size: maximum of 20 participants per session - a second, same-agenda session can be added each day to accommodate larger groups

Agenda: This “service savvy” workshop concentrates on skill development to promote consistency, efficiency and increase guest satisfaction. Topics covered include:
     • Service from Both Sides of the Table (see more information below)
     • Fostering a Positive Relationship Between Front-and-Back-of-House
     • The Vital Role of Host/Hostess/Maitre d'
     • Industry Ethics
     • Beyond The Basics of Table Service (hands-on )
     • "Reading" the Table
     • Serving Special-Needs Guests
     • Handling Guest Problems and Problem Guests
     • The Server as Salesperson
     • Developing Your Personal Service Style.
     • Optional: Wine Presentation & Service
     • Optional: Tableside Preparation & Service

Certificates are issued for course completion.

Cost: $2000 presentation fee when added to our 3-day bootcamp training (that's $225 per participant for a 5-day training program, based on 20 trainees); from $2500 for a two-day, stand-alone workshop ($75 to $125 per trainee for a two day program). Please contact us for two-session-per-day rates and other combinations. Includes handouts, five copies of The Main Course on Table Service, one instructor’s manual CD. Additional books are $20 each.

Equip your restaurant management team with
the skills to monitor, correct and reward . . .
Super Supervisor Workshop

Within several months of our bootcamp training program, our clients often ask us to come back to present a two-day "refresher" course program.
We've structured our Super Server Refresher Training to give front-of-house staff an opportunity to review the basics taught in our bootcamp and, most importantly, to demonstrate to us and their managers/supervisors that they're comfortable and confident in performing the techniques they've learned. To do this, we've developed a Super Server Competition in which the staff, divided into teams, exhibits their knowledge and skills in five events:

The Super Server Quiz Show - Answering questions on terminology, techniques and methods of service
Tray-Carrying Relay - Loading, carrying and serving from beverage trays

Team Table Setting - Judged for accuracy, speed and sanitation

Don't Auction the Food! - Accurate order taking and delivery
So You Think You Can Sell? - Staff suggests a menu item to panel and is judged on verbiage, body language, product knowledge and salesmanship

Prizes are awarded to the top-scoring teams. The second day of this program concentrates on advanced guest service skills and creating repeat business.

Cost: from $1800 when presented in conjunction with a new-hire bootcamp; $2500 as a stand-alone program. Please contact us for two-session-per-day rates and other combinations.

This segment is unique to EATiQuette and is not taught by any other service trainer!

Presenter David Rothschild firmly believes that to know how to serve well, you need to know how to dine properly. To borrow a phrase from the Ritz-Carlton, it’s about “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.”

This is part dining etiquette lesson, part table service training and helps servers understand how the principles of correct dining apply to both diner and server.

Watch those light bulbs click on as servers grasp why some service is done from the left, some from the right; why you do some things clockwise and others counterclockwise. You’re guaranteed to learn things you never knew about dining and service.

Ask about adding this extremely popular piece to your staff training agenda. You'll want to be sure the chefs sit in on this one, too!