How to Wait Tables at Don Pablo s A manual to help new employees understand how to wait tables at Don Pablo s Tex-Mex Restaurant.
How to Wait Tables at Don Pablo s Instruction Manual Created by Erin Shoemaker May 2014
Table of Contents v Table of Contents v After Getting Hired vii Chapter 1: Before and After Shift Procedures 9 Opening and Closing Procedures 11 Duties after Getting Cut 11 Shifts: Giving away and Picking up 12 Chapter 2: Customer Service 13 Greeting 15 Angry Guests 15 Tips 15 Chapter 3: On the Clock 17 Taking Orders 19 Splitting and Combining Tickets 19 Pre-bussing and Resetting Tables 20 Troubleshooting Guide 21 Index 22
After Getting Hired vii Waiting tables can be a great job and a wonderful way to help pay the bills, especially when in college. Once you have applied to the places you would like to work and have had the interviews and have been hired, you are just getting started. After you have gotten hired, you will go through shifts and learn the menu and table numbers. A server will then shadow you and make sure everything is correct. There are a lot of things to know about waiting tables at Don Pablo s. This manual is designed for teenagers and adults that have never waited tables before or it has been a long time and the procedures have been forgotten. This manual will guide you through the entire process of what you need to know about waiting tables at Don Pablo s, which includes: Before and After Shift Duties Customer Service What do While on the Clock So once you have been hired and started training, grab this manual and use its instructions to help you understand completely how to wait tables at Don Pablo s Tex-Mex restaurant.
Chapter 1: Before and After Shift Procedures Opening and Closing Procedures Duties after Getting Cut Shifts: Giving away and Picking up
Before and After Shift Procedures 11 The first thing that you need to know is what to do before you go on the clock and what to do after you are off. Opening and Closing Procedures When you open the restaurant, you need to: o Stock the ice o Cut lemons o Put out serving trays o Stock chips and salsa in the right places o Make sweet and unsweet tea o Roll silverware sets Closing the restaurant is pretty similar to opening, the only difference is that you are putting everything away and cleaning up after the day. It also includes putting plastic wrap over all the garnishing ingredients like the cheese, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, etc. Duties after Getting Cut Once the manager has told you that you are done for the day, they will assign you a task. These will include: o Restocking and relining the red containers for the tortillas and the containers for the salsa. o Sweeping the kitchen floor o Restocking the ice and tumblers o Restocking the to-go containers and cups o Wiping down counters o Restocking the sugar caddies with sugar, sweet and low and Splenda.
12 Most employees that are on the floor have up to a five table section, especially on busy nights. Once you are cut, you must remember to go back and sweep under your tables and make sure that all the plates, silverware and sauces are placed facing the right way. Shifts: Giving away and Picking up Make sure that when you are giving away or picking up shifts, you do it before or after your shift. Giving them away is simple, just find someone that isn t working at that time and is willing to pick it up. You then go put it in the schedule book that the manager has and write it down on that day that so-and-so is taking your shift. o Both of you have to initial along with a manager so it becomes official. Picking up shifts is just the same as giving it away; just make sure you are not already working on that day at that time.
Chapter 2: Customer Service Greetings Angry Guests Tips
Customer Service 15 The second thing that you need to remember is that people go out to eat to not have to cook their own meals. They go out to have a good dining experience and great meal. Greeting When greeting guests, you bring chips and salsa. Bring one salsa to every two people and one chip basket to every four people. The greeting will be the deciding factor to how the guest feels they will be treated, so they are very important. Angry Guests Many guests will get angry for any little thing like their chips being cold or their food taking what they think is forever to come out. An easy way to talk to angry guests is just remembering that they are how you make your money, so stay calm and treat them how you would want to be treated by a server. Tips Remember that tips are how you make your money waiting tables. Waiters and waitresses make $2.13 an hour and your paychecks go to taxes, so they money you make during your shift from tips is your income. The nicer you are to your guests, the better they will tip and the more money you will make.
Chapter 3: On the Clock Taking Orders Splitting and Combining Tickets Pre-bussing and Resetting Tables
On the Clock 19 The third thing you need to remember is what to do while you re on the clock. Things like how to work the computer and understanding how being on the floor works. Taking Orders After you greet your table with chips and salsa, the first thing you do is ask what they would like to drink. o If they order an alcoholic drink, always bring them out a water (unless they don t want it) so they will have something to drink while waiting for theirs to be made. The next thing you do after bringing out their drinks, ask them if they are ready to order and if they are, write it down. Make sure to ask if they re okay with what comes in it, like Pico de Gallo or tomatoes. Not a lot of people are fans of those. Once you have their order, putting it into the computer is the tricky part. There are separate tabs for everything on the menu. If someone gets an order where they want to switch elements out, there is a tab called Mods that has everything you need to know. Splitting and Combining Tickets When your table is ready to pay, ask them if they are paying all together on one ticket or if each person is separate. o Make sure to keep track of who s on what ticket. Go back to the computer and press the service tab. There will be an edit seat tab, press that and on the
20 screen there will be columns for tickets one through how many you need. o Organize everyone s ticket to what they had to eat and drink. Combining tickets are under the same tab; just put the food and drinks from one ticket onto the other. When you re ready to print out the separated tickets, put in the ticket seat number and press filter seat and then print seat check. That will print the separate tickets. Once the guest has given you their form of payment, go back to that table and filter the seat again and make sure the price on the computer matches the price on the ticket. o You can then proceed to pay out their cash or swipe their credit card(s). Pre-bussing and Resetting Tables Throughout their meal, make sure to walk by your table and see if there are any unused plates or cups you can take. o This will make it easier to bus when they have left. After your table is gone and the table has been bussed, before the next group comes in you need to: o Get plates and silverware rolls o Reset the sauces to the right position In the back is salt and pepper In front of salt is the Texas Pete In front of pepper is the hotter Texas Pete In the middle is Cholula hot sauce o Sweep under the table (if you have time) Congratulations on your first shifts at Don Pablo s!
Troubleshooting Guide 21 Waiting tables at Don Pablo s is meant to be an easy job with not a lot of problems that your coworkers can t help you with. If a questions about how things are done or ran please refer to these FAQ s. Frequently Asked Questions How do I know when I will get my next table? What are the best shifts for the most money? What should I bring to work with me? What should I wear? Am I allowed to have my hair down and piercing and tattoos showing? When should I ask a guest if they want a refill on their drinks? The hosts and hostesses have a chart of how the restaurant is laid out and the servers that are on. They have a rotation that they follow, so wherever you are in the rotation is when you will get a table. The best shifts tend to be Friday and Saturday nights along with Sunday mornings. The shifts that are usually the slowest are lunch shifts. It all just depends on the service you give. The managers will give you an apron, servers book, name tag, and card that is yours to keep track of your tables. Bring those along with pens, paper and change. The uniform at Don Pablo s is a black shirt, dark jeans, black socks and black No Slip shoes that you can get from Walmart. If your hair is past shoulder length it has to go up. Also, you are allowed to have up to four piercings in each ear. Other piercings and tattoos must be covered. The best time to ask is when their drink gets half way empty.
Index A apron 21 after vii, 11, 12, 19, 20 C computer 19,20 F food 15, 20 M menu vii, 19 O 22 order 19 open 11 S salsa 11, 15, 19 splitting 19 service vii, 15, 19, 20 T tips 13, 15 ticket 19,20 tumbler 11