Quality F & B service is more than just bringing food to the table! Click To TweetThe standards that your F&B staff set directly affect your guest and client happiness. In turn this affects your brand and whether or not they choose to return or recommend your hotel. It is therefore vital that your F&B team work to the level you want them to, notice the details, and achieve the highest level they can.
There are a number of approaches you can take, but firstly you need to identify the areas in which you need to improve, and the standards you want to set. So what are the standards a F&B department should have?
Setting the Standards?
- Greeting Guests – This is a highly valuable standard and must be reached in order to achieve the first impression. We make a first impression within the first 2-3 seconds, and this first impression can be challenging to change if negative. How your F&B staff greet and welcome guests set the standard of your entire hotel restaurant experience. It needs to be perfect.
- Taking Orders – Every hotel restaurant will vary on how their staff take orders from guests. Some note down the orders, others remember the order. The actual form of taking the order, through to managing specific questions on each item is an important standard to be set and reached. Your F&B staff should be experienced and up to date with dietary intolerances as this is also another vital part of taking orders.
- Food and Beverage Service – The actual service of the food and drinks will again vary depending on the type of restaurant and standards it wishes to reach, but basic etiquette and hygiene would be accomplished from the very start. Then the standard would be varied depending on the level of service, for example informal or formal Silver Service, through to family-style, informal restaurant or American service.
- Handling Problems – Although we strive for perfection in all areas, problems can and will arise. How your F&B staff manage the problems will need to be a standard agreed on by the establishment. Problems can quickly escalate and it’s vital for the brand integrity to ensure that the standards are clear and reach a level of continuity across the entire team.
- Finishing Touches – Allowing your service team to bring finishing touches, no matter how small, can greatly affect and improve your overall standards. You can encourage each individual server to bring their own personal touches and approaches to the service, whilst still maintaing the brand integrity. The standard separates the classes between the hotels and can affect the star rating.
- Departing Guests – As important as greeting guests. The standards you set when your guests depart from the F&B area will affect their lasting long term impression of your establishment. This is as vital as the first impression and your standards should be set and reached with every guest leaving your restaurant.
Identifying the Problem Areas?
This is a key area before undertaking training for your F&B staff. After all – how will you improve your standards if you don’t know the areas they are struggling with? Some establishments can easily identify the areas which need improving, whilst others might not. It could be that you’ve typically received guest feedback in a certain area so its clear that this needs to be improved, or it could be that your service staff have identified the areas.
Other establishments use independent opinions to establish the problem areas. For example observation or surveillance days where an independent observer visits to establish the areas the staff need to improve in. They can help determine which standards have been slipping and the next steps on how to improve these areas.
What Should You Include in Your Hotel F&B Staff Training?
Ultimately the training should include the standards you wish to improve in your restaurant. The training could include:
- Table Management
- Silver Service
- Butler Service
- Russian Service
- American Service
- Buffet Service
- Tray Service
- English Service
- French Service
- Wine Service
- Champagne Service
- Wine Pairing
- Tea & Coffee Service
- Afternoon Tea & Coffee Service (High Tea)
- Service Etiquette and Address
- Arrival & Departure Etiquette
- Problem Solving
- Teamwork
- Hors D’oeuvre
- Napkin Folding
- Cigar Service & Preparation
- Hygiene – Food and Personal
- Body Language
- Ambience
- First Impressions
- Finishing Touches
Next Steps?
Your restaurant can survive or fail depending on your F&B staff. It is imperative to achieve the highest standards possible, and for your team to work well together. Perhaps your F&B staff might need training – if so we’d love to hear from you and we can talk through how best we can improve your standards and quality.