A server attends to the clients by taking orders, serving meals, cleaning tables, and receiving payments. They should be well organized, polite, and have a friendly attitude while handling customers. Their ultimate goal is to provide high-quality services to attract customers.
Duties and Responsibilities of Servers
1. Set Up Tables
It is their responsibility to make sure that the tables are well set and the napkins are clean. Tables’ decoration is on set and silverware is in place and none is missing.
2. Know the Day’s Menu
Many restaurants have an ever-changing menu, a server should be well aware of the day specials. It is important because of answering the guests.
3. Take Food and Drinks Orders
They first take the menu, then go for orders and take them to the kitchen. According to the order placed, they know a way in which they will serve the guests. Is it the drinks first or the food?
4.Be Responsible with Serving
You should understand your guest well, if they place drink orders make sure they are of the legal drinking age. Serving drinks to underage may lead to hotel penalties by the government. Also knowing about guests’ health is important due to food ingredients used may affect them. Alert the kitchen of allergies or health issues of the guest.
5. Know how the guests want their food or drinks served (hot or cold)
Make sure that the order is arriving at the guest in the state it’s supposed to be in.
6.Clear Tables
Clear the table immediately once they are done eating. Many people chat after their meals and it is important to chat over a clean table.
7. Process Payments
It is the server’s responsibility to process a payment whether at the table or the POS terminals. It can either be cash or credit cards payments. Many guests love tipping according to the services they have received. Some restaurants have tip pools while others oppose the idea. Every server puts the tips into the tip pools and is later divided evenly among all workers.
Skills a Server should have
1.Good Memory
A server moves from one table to another taking orders. Remembering all the orders without mixing up is crucial. Having a good memory will help in remembering them all.
2. Patience
Guests are the bosses of the restaurants and they need to be treated according to how they want. When going for orders you may find them in the middle of their conversations, meaning you have to wait until they are done.
3.Accomodating
People come from different backgrounds and they have different behaviors and views. As a server, you should accommodate all kinds of customers.
4. Be a Team Player
Working closely with your colleagues ensures that everything runs smoothly. Work becomes easier and you will enjoy what you do.
5. Ability to Control and Hide Moods
Despite having personal issues which affect one’s mood a customer should never see the unhappy side of you. Controlling and hiding them will save a day because a customer may prefer to be served by someone else.
Conclusion
Servers should be able to do their responsibilities professionally for customers’ satisfaction, as well as portray the above skills.
