For some people, being a waiter or a waitress at a restaurant is an easy job. What they don’t know is that these servers also undergo training to be able to enhance their skills. Trainings are important especially now that some restaurants have changed their procedure due to the advancement of technology. With this, they are conducting more trainings for their servers.
The first time I was hired as a server in a restaurant, the first thing I thought about was how the training would be like. I do not have any idea that time on how things would go because all I know was that servers are responsible for taking orders and serving foods to the guests. Little did I know that I was about to learn more than that.
If you’re new in the food industry and you will be working as a waiter or a waitress, you might also be wondering how your training would be like. To give you an idea, here are the things I’ve experienced that you can also expect your training.
Orientation
Just like in any other jobs, the very first thing you’ll experience in your training is the orientation. This includes the proper introduction to each and every member of the restaurant. This will help the new server to become comfortable with the people he or she would be working with.
Aside from introducing you to your workmates, this is also the part where you will be made aware of all the rules and regulations the restaurant has, as well as your specific job role. This is essential for new servers for them to know how to manage their work accordingly.
Menu Training
This an important part of the training because before you can take orders and serve foods, you should be familiar first with all the items in the menu, including the main ingredients each food they offer have. This training will help you answer the guests’ questions about the foods you serve. Some restaurants let their servers taste all the food they offer because this helps in making their servers become confident to explain the flavors and specialty about the dishes being served.
Technical Training
With the advancement of technology, restaurants today are also implementing the online ordering system. It is where the customers will be able to book a table, make orders, and pay bills using an application on their smartphones. With this advancement, servers are trained technically for them to understand all the processes. If the restaurant you’ll be working in uses the same technology, it’s certain that you will also experience technical training.
Multitasking
You will also be trained on how to multitask because this is an essential skill to have when it comes to being a server. When you learn to multitask, you will be able to do things such as serve and attend to many tables at once, change plates promptly, and take more than one order at a time.
Behavior
Behavior training is important because as a server, part of your job is to greet the customers, assist them nicely by asking about their needs, give them the best service, and make them feel comfortable. In this part of your training, you will be able to learn how to assist customers properly, as well as how to handle those rude and unreasonable guests. You will be trained on how to keep calm and behave properly in all situations.
Ethics
Aside from learning skills, part of training is learning the code of conduct or ethics that should be followed by all the employees working in the restaurant. Your trainer will train you to avoid ethical issues such as fooling customers, trading information, stealing foods, and more.
Organizing
Being organized is another important thing that you will be trained on. It’s because if the restaurant you’re working in is organized, it’s likely that more people will want to grab a bite there. Part of this training is equally diving work, being updated in the menu, being prompt and punctual, cleaning the table as soon as the customers left, and more.
Shadowing
Once your trainer has taught you all the things you need to know about the job, they will give you the opportunity to work for you to understand more about how the job works. But in this part of the training, your trainer or your manager will still follow you and constantly notice your work. This is an important part of the training process because it will help you know the areas you’re good at and the areas you need to improve or work on more.
These are just some of the basic training that you might encounter when you start working. There are still many other details but I hope that the things I shared gave you an overview of what you can expect in your training for you to become a good server.