How to Properly Take an Order
Every menu is quite different. It is your responsibility to uncover the nooks and crannies of each menu, where you can search for extra change opportunities.
For starters, let’s speak about delivery. Everyone has their very own style, and What really works for one, might not benefit another. Try searching for more comfortable ways to offer recommendations to your customers. If they believe that you’re offering because you genuinely want to improve their dining experience, they’ll take your recommendations quite often. Become enthusiastic about your delicious options!
Review and study your menu on a consistent basis, and locate the favorites. When everything else fails, you can easily offer the assorted bruchetta dips as a side dish or the famous well-known calamari as a starter.
Beverages
Be sure to offer particular drinks to get your guest’s mind thinking.
“Would you like to start with a rejuvenating cocktail while you look over the menu?”
Try including a mouth-watering suggestion:
“Would you like to start with a cocktail? Our Mango Capiroska is very refreshing and stimulating to the pallet!”
If no beverages are requested, when the meal order is placed, present a pairing recommendation. It really is all in your delivery and confidence.
“Would you care to try our White Haven Sauvignon Blanc? It truly is ideal with the Mahi Mahi!”
Appetizers
Every time I take an order, I make certain each customer is bound to have an appetizer. Obtain your own method to induce a starter, while not being obvious. Once again, make your customer feel you’re offering because you value their experience.
For instance, whenever a guest only orders an entree, I shall ask, “might you care to begin with a salad or perhaps a small pasta?”
Or, I might move ahead to take another meal order without stating anything. When I’ve completed taking the complete order from everyone, I will review the appetizers. If a minimum of one individual has purchased an appetizer, I’ll address anyone who has not:
“Excuse me, but a starter has been ordered by another guest. Would you like a salad or anything at all to begin with?
If I have previously asked this question while taking the order already, I might ask:
“Might you care to share a salad for the 1st course?”
In any event, I’m doing my very best to ensure that everybody has a plate for every meal course. Each one of these queries should come across to the customer as thoughtfulness on your own part – you’re merely ensuring your customers aren’t eating on their own or being left out and isolated from the group.
Entrees and Side Dishes
Clearly, nearly all guests orders an entree. If your guest orders an appetizer in place of an entree, discover a way to suggest other things to them. If I have a guest request a Beef Brochette as an entree, skipping the appetizer, I will ask:
“Would you be interested in a side dish with the Beef Brochette? Perhaps the grilled Asparagus or the Basil Lentil Salad?
Examine your menu and discover the areas that you can add with side dishes.
For instance, the Filet Mignon on our menu is 6 ounces, and only includes a small amount of piquillo emulsion pea tendrils, artichoke and just a little drizzle of burgundy wine sauce. The only real customer this might fill would have to be a skinny woman or child. Having said that, I will let everyone who requests this plate understand that it is smaller then expected and ask them:
“Would you be interested in a side of whipped potatoes or possibly Roasted Mushroom Gratin?
Keep your recommendations to a two item max at a time, so that you don’t come across as a sales rep.
Once you have finished getting the order, ask if your table wish to share any kind of side dishes. Be specific and provide two tactical options (probably the most expensive or the favorites). For instance:
“Care to share any truffle fries or maybe Sautéed Mushrooms together with your entrees?”
Side dishes are often between $4 and $13, and tend to be the easiest sell. Customers which are mindful of cost won’t order an additional appetizer or the more costly entree, but will find value in the side dish menu. If you sell a supplementary bacon cheese fry at $12 to each and every other table, with 10 tables each day, your sales could possibly be at the very least $300 higher in a single week of work! At the very least, you can have made $60-70 more in this particular week just by suggesting bacon cheese fries. Choose items which tend to sell themselves with little effort!
Dessert
In the event that you have to turn the table, milk it dry! Don’t simply just mention a dessert menu, bring one. And don’t just simply bring dessert menus, sell them thangs and paint that picture!
I nearly always hand the dessert menus out without asking, and always highlight something before I leave. By doing this, you might get a dessert order immediately, or you’ll get your guests thinking.
Showcase a particular dessert, as well as perhaps a dessert wine to go along with.
“Here’s our dessert selection. If I may, the Chocolate Sin Cake is definitely the favorite out here – turns out it is only baked sufficiently to get cake-like externally, and gooey in the center!”
Get excited! If your guests see you’re really yearning for that chocolate cake, they will buy it and will be equally as excited to eat it themselves. Not only perhaps you have made your sales increased, you have created an improved experience for the guests!
Don’t forget espresso, tea, and dessert wines!
“Would desire a cappuccino or perhaps a glass of Moscato?”
“Our Moscato di Asti compliments flawlessly with the Cheescake! “ Allow me to get you a dessert wine or perhaps a coffee?”
======================P.S======================
If you’ve been out of the loop you and haven’t got your copy of the The Ultimate Fine Dining Book “Fine Dining Advising” then what are you waiting for?
It’s literally all the information any waiter or waitress can possibly ever need crammed into one compact book that is just radiating value with no filter or fluff.