3 Information Servers Need to Know
The greatest asset to the dining room/front of house (FOH) are the employees: the servers, bussers, host/ess, bar staff; anyone whose job is direct guest contact. FOH staff are the salespeople for the operation. They are trained in what is available for sale, what is not available for sale, what to sell more of and what to sell less of. In addition to sales, they are the communication link between the guest and the kitchen. Because of this relationship with the guest, servers must be provided with recipes and allergy information from the kitchen, the chef specifically, so that they can answer questions that the guest may have about each of the menu items.
Below is a list of things all front of the house employees should be informed with, every shift they work:
- all food and beverage items sold
- any changes to food and beverage menus, and specials as they change
- each menu item’s ingredients
- each menu item’s method of preparation
- menu item alternatives for both ingredients and method of preparation
- type of fryer oil used and if it is a communal fryer
- where to locate ingredient product labels on commercially packaged ingredients
- how each menu item is garnished as garnishes can be a cross-contact item
- all employees should have allergy training
- all employees should be trained in the proper chain of command of decision making in the operation, especially when an allergy incident occurs.
- protocols to follow should an allergy incident occur
While it appears that much of this information should be part of a shift meeting or employee meeting, it is one thing to know the information needs to be provided and another to make this part of daily operations.
Providing this type of information to the server can only enhance the guests’ experiences. The server is more confident about what they are selling, and the guest feels like they are fully informed to make safe dining decisions. It’s a win for everyone involved.
