Does the right selection and training of waiters affect the restaurant's operations?

The success of a restaurant is all about teamwork. The head of the team is the owner or manager and it is up to them to manage the entire team. The cooks prepare delicious food that meets the tastes of guests, but it is the waiters who have the most contact with the customer and their work mainly determines the satisfaction of the restaurant guest. Despite appearances, the work of a waiter is difficult and stressful, so unfortunately not everyone is suitable for such tasks. It should also be remembered that a well-trained employee can significantly increase the profits of a restaurant. In the first place, the restaurant owner should therefore determine the requirements for the employees, train them and monitor their work on an ongoing basis.

What should the ideal waiter in a restaurant be like?

Before hiring restaurant room service, a restaurant owner should first clarify his requirements. Once you have a resume, you should obviously pay attention to experience. Before the interview, it is also a good idea to check the Facebook of the potential employee. It may not be talked about, but it is worth finding out who we will be talking to. A profile of a student who drinks every day and doesn't go to classes should at least make us wonder... So what should we pay attention to during the verification interview?

• The first step is to figure out what kind of restaurant we run and what kind of service our guests expect. Judging by appearance is of course frowned upon in society, but in the case of selecting a waiter or waitress it is unfortunately necessary. It's not about finding Miss or Mister, but the employees in the restaurant hall should have a pleasant appearance and look neat, clean and elegant.
• Persons who will be working with customers should also have a pleasant disposition and be friendly. There is nothing worse than being served a dish in a restaurant by an unsympathetic waiter, for whom our every request is a problem.
• Resilience to stress is also an important issue, because in catering work we often have to deal with time pressure or impatient or dissatisfied customers. A waiter should be able to keep a cool head even in unpleasant situations.
• We should also look for a person who is open-minded, full of energy and feisty and able to work in a group. A shy waitress, embarrassed by every word, may do her job, but will not make the customer fully satisfied with the service.
• The room service staff should also have high personal culture. If someone is already using curse words or overly colloquial language at a vetting interview, you may be concerned that they will talk that way at work. Guests should also not listen to uncensored conversations between waitresses or waiters.
• At the interview, it's a good idea to verify the potential employee's future plans and current living situation. A 5th year student is probably looking for a job only for a while before finding something in the profession and an 18 year old may only be looking for a summer job. When building a team it is worth betting on people who will want to find a permanent job and develop in it.

• Employees should be thoroughly familiar with the entire menu, know what ingredients are in the dish and what allergens are present. If there is such a possibility, it is worth that the waiters had the opportunity to taste the prepared dishes, drinks or drinks. This will allow them to properly advise the customer on the choice of dish or dessert.
• Particular attention should be paid to maintaining cleanliness in the workplace and on the tables for guests. Customers want to come to a clean and tidy place. Not cleaning a dirty table for half an hour or a splashed bar is a very big mistake. Disinfection is an additional issue.
• Waiters and waitresses should have specific attire - employees must keep it clean and neat. A creased shirt from the previous day splashed with ketchup looks unsightly. Employees should look neat, so too much makeup, too much jewelry, torn pants, long false nails are not welcome in the catering industry.
• Hygiene in the workplace is important, so people with long hair should have it tied up and they need to be sensitized to this. It is unacceptable to lead a customer to find hair in their dish. Customers also do not like the smell of tobacco, alcohol or strong perfume in service.
• The service staff should know how to behave towards customers. It is necessary to maintain high personal culture. However, you can not socialize, so the waiter should not touch customers such as patting on the back. Private conversations between employees during work time are also badly perceived.
• An experienced person should train new employees in serving dishes, arranging cutlery or pouring wine into glasses, etc. This is especially important in elegant restaurants, but even in a Pizzeria we want to be served properly. Tanned glasses or plates should have no place.
• It is worth training your marketing staff to be able to encourage customers to order more. You can offer dessert in different ways, e.g. "Would you like some dessert or should I bring the bill?" or "After dinner I'd like to offer you a delicious homemade meringue with whipped cream and seasonal fruit made today by our chef". With the first - rather few.

Monitoring of waiters' work in a restaurant

One of the more famous management principles is that control is the basis of trust. A restaurant owner should therefore remember that the success of his restaurant depends mainly on his employees: the cooks who make the dishes and the waiters who serve the guests. The owner or manager should be present in the life of the restaurant and pay attention to all kinds of oversights. It is necessary to talk with employees and solve problems on an ongoing basis, draw attention to deviations from our standards. You should also pay special attention to the opinions on the Internet, Facebook and other sites and react to them. To sum up, to achieve success you need to involve the owner or hire a trusted manager who will manage the restaurant.

A very good idea is to have weekly or monthly meetings with all employees and discuss difficult situations, mistakes made, how to fix them and give tips for the future. Employees should also have the opportunity to point out their comments and observations about the work in the group. This is also the time to resolve any conflicts.