10 Things to Educate Your Servers About

10 Things to Educate Your Servers AboutIt doesn’t matter if your servers have waited on 10 tables or 10,000 tables—there’s always room to grow. Even the most experience server can still improve! Educating your servers is one important task that can help your restaurant provide better service. Here are 10 things you should make sure all your servers know.

Your menu.

It sounds obvious, but it’s super important that your servers know your menu inside and out. If customers want recommendations, your servers should be able to give them. They should also be able to tell diners exactly what’s in each dish and whether or not it contains any allergens.

Wine and drinks.

If your restaurant has an extensive wine list, your servers should definitely be able to recommend wines for each of your meals. They also need to be able to describe your beers and cocktails to curious customers.

Your restaurant.

You might think your servers understand your restaurant and what you’re all about, but do they really know what your mission is? Do they understand your brand?

How to multitask.

Servers have to do approximately one million things at the same time—make sure your servers are able to handle juggling various tables and orders.

How to upsell.

Upselling (and cross selling) are important skills that can help your restaurant easily make extra money. Teach your servers how to suggest pricier drinks or entrees and suggest drinks that would pair well with certain dishes.

Communication.

Your servers don’t need to be stand up comedians, but they do need to understand how to entertain and communicate with a variety of customers. Make sure your servers can maintain eye contact, be polite, and keep customers happy.

How to handle difficult customers.

Of course you don’t want your servers to deal with many difficult customers, but it’s bound to happen from time to time. Your servers should know how to calm down angry customers and what they can do to please them.

The right appearance.

Do your servers know how to dress appropriately for the job? If you don’t have a uniform, be sure you educate your servers about the correct attire and the message it sends to your customers.

Teamwork.

Your servers are part of an important team—your staff. Train them to work together!

Your restaurant’s layout.

Sure, your servers know where the kitchen is, but do they know where to find extra supplies, or where to go in case of an emergency? Educating your servers about the layout of your restaurant can save you a lot of time and hassle.

No matter how great your servers are, there’s always room for improvement! Make sure you educate your servers about these 10 important areas.

Article provided by Buzztime.

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