The restaurant service procedure plays a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction and impression. Each stage, from welcoming, advising on menu choices to dedicated service, needs to be carried out professionally and thoughtfully. This article by Kamereo will provide detailed information on each step in a standard service procedure, along with important notes to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.
Detailed Restaurant Service Procedure
The restaurant service procedure is a sequence of steps performed by staff in a specific order to provide customers with the best dining experience. Standard table service typically includes the following steps:
Preparation before Customers Arrive
- Thoroughly clean the entire dining area, including the floor, tables, chairs, and buffet area (if applicable).
- Arrange tables and chairs neatly, ensuring comfortable spacing between tables. Pay attention to small details such as tablecloths, flower vases, and cutlery, which must be placed correctly according to restaurant standards.
- Ensure the quantity and quality of dining utensils are sufficient, clean, and meet customer needs.
- Be aware of the list of customers with reservations, the number of guests, special requests (if any), and seating arrangements.
- Check all restaurant facilities, including lighting, sound systems, air conditioning, restrooms, etc.

Welcoming Guests
For Guests with Reservations
- Maintain eye contact with guests from a distance and proactively greet them with a standard greeting when they are about 1-2 meters away.
- Confirm reservation details with guests, including the name of the person who made the reservation and the number of guests.
- Ensure the table is ready, including checking the number of chairs and adding more if necessary.
- Guide guests to the correct prepared table.
- Pull out chairs to invite guests to sit, spread napkins, and ensure guests feel comfortable.
- Introduce the table service staff and let them continue the service process.

For Guests without Reservations
- Make eye contact and smile at guests from a distance to show a welcoming attitude.
- Proactively greet guests with a standard greeting when they are about 1-2 meters away.
- Determine the needs of the guests: ask about the number of people and seating preferences (if any).
- Quickly check the table chart to identify a suitable location.
- Prioritize seating arrangements according to customer requests if possible.
- Inform guests about the table location or ask them to wait if necessary.
- Guide guests to the table politely with clear directions.
- Assist guests in settling in: pull out chairs, spread napkins, etc.
- Introduce the table service staff and hand over the customers.
Seating Guests and Presenting the Menu
Pull out a chair for the guest to sit down and spread the napkin
- Gently pull out chairs to avoid making noise that could disturb the surrounding atmosphere. Prioritize seating women, the elderly, and children first.
- Spreading napkins:
- For A la carte meals: Spread the napkin on the guest’s lap.
- For buffet meals: Fold the napkin into a triangle and place it to the left of the guest’s seat.
Introducing the Menu
- Present the menu directly to the guest with your right hand, tilting your body about 30 degrees to show respect.
- Step back about 1.5 meters to give guests private space to choose their dishes.
- Be ready to advise on dishes when requested by guests, based on their preferences and budget.
- After advising, allow guests to freely choose their dishes without pressure.

Taking Orders
- Fill in the order form completely and accurately with the dishes chosen by the customer.
- Staff should proactively ask for the customer’s opinion on how to prepare the dish, including the level of spiciness, the doneness of the food, and other special requests (if any).
- Staff should repeat the dishes and requests of the customer to ensure there are no errors.
- Thank the customer, take back the order form, and forward it to the kitchen or bar and cashier.
Serving Food to Guests
Preparing and serving food
- Before serving, recheck the dishes to ensure quality and compliance with customer requirements.
- Prepare adequate service gear and hot plates to serve dishes professionally.
- Before placing the main course plate and serving, ask the guest for permission to show respect.
- Present the dish to the host or customer before serving to enhance aesthetics and stimulate taste buds.
- Use service gear to transfer food from a large plate to the guest’s plate politely and hygienically.
- After serving, invite guests to enjoy the meal and wish them a good appetite to show hospitality.
- Before leaving the table, say goodbye to end the service process politely.

Taking Care of Customers While They Dine
- Monitor the progress of preparing the next dishes to ensure seamless service.
- Pay attention to refilling water and adding wine (if applicable) when needed.
- Pay attention to customer feedback on the food and service quality.
Clearing Dishes and the Table
- Before clearing, observe to recognize when guests have finished their meal, showing sophistication and avoiding disturbing them.
- Clean up leftover food plates and used cutlery neatly and hygienically.
- Wipe clean any bread crumbs or spilled food on the table to ensure hygiene.
- Readjust the tablecloth and rearrange the remaining cutlery neatly.
Payment, Farewell, and Cleaning
Preparing for Payment
- Track order information from the Captain’s order system.
- Compare the payment slip with the information provided by the cashier and the customer’s status (e.g., hotel guests, guests with pre-deposits…).
- Prepare all necessary documents such as payment folders and gift vouchers (if any).
- Review the information on the payment slip entered by the cashier.
- Always observe and pay attention to payment request signals from customers.
Making the Payment
- Confirm the payment method (transfer, card, cash, etc.) with the host or the person requesting payment, while checking membership cards and discount vouchers (if any).
- Prepare a complete and accurate payment slip.
- Ask the customer’s permission and present the payment slip politely.
- After the customer is ready, ask permission to take back the payment folder and check the cash or proceed with card payment (if needed).
- Thank the customer, return the payment folder along with the change (if any), and ask the customer to sign the payment slip for confirmation.
- Listen and receive customer feedback on the dining experience to find appropriate solutions.

Farewell
- When guests are ready to leave, leave the table to give them comfortable and private space if they want to linger and chat.
- Pay attention to signs that guests want to leave, proactively pull out chairs for them.
- Carefully check the area around the seat to ensure guests do not leave any belongings behind.
- Enthusiastically guide guests to the door, say goodbye politely, and bid them farewell.
- After guests leave, clean the dining table and rearrange the space neatly, ready to welcome the next guests.
Important Notes in the Restaurant Service Procedure
To ensure service quality and bring absolute satisfaction to customers, service staff should pay special attention to the following aspects:
- Listen and resolve complaints: When customers express dissatisfaction with food or drinks, staff should quickly apologize and recheck. If the complaint is accurate, immediately replace it with a new one.
- Constructive feedback: Staff should proactively ask customers about their feelings towards the food, drinks, and service quality. This shows care and professionalism while helping the restaurant gather valuable feedback.
- Gratitude for support: When receiving positive feedback, staff should express sincere gratitude and hope that customers will return in the future.
- Accept and improve: For negative feedback, staff should apologize to customers, record their suggestions, and commit to improving service quality.

Requirements for Restaurant Staff
To become an excellent employee, you need to cultivate the following professional restaurant service skills:
- Effective communication: Greet customers with a smile and a welcoming attitude, introduce dishes, advise on choices, and always maintain politeness in communication. Eye contact is also an important factor in creating a connection with customers.
- Subtle observation: Always observe to grasp customer needs, from serving food, pouring wine at the right time to supporting customers during meals and handling arising situations.
- Thoughtful customer care: Show concern for customers with small actions such as pulling out chairs, hanging coats, asking about their feelings about the food, and meeting additional requests.
- Flexible incident handling: Calmly handle incidents arising during work, whether caused by yourself or customers. If the incident exceeds your ability to handle, report it to the manager for support.
- Foreign language skills: Foreign languages, especially English, are a necessary skill when working in a restaurant or hotel environment.

Conclusion
In conclusion, building a professional restaurant service procedure is a key factor in creating a perfect dining experience for customers, helping the restaurant operate efficiently. Also, don’t forget to regularly follow Kamereo’s F&B Business Tips category to not miss out on effective restaurant business secrets!
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