Restaurant Server Training Checklist

Have you documented the training for your servers? Do you provide ongoing training for your servers? Then, the restaurant server training checklist is a great tool to make sure your waiters and waitresses complete the training they need to do their job. In addition, this restaurant server training checklist serves as a great addition to the employee files.

Server Position knowledge includes:

Greeter
Menu knowledge
POS training
Server position
Expeditor/Food Runner

Greeter

The employee should master the Greeter position.
Greets every guest with a warm, sincere smile.
Knows the seating chart
How to seat the guest
Where to seat the guest
Know the greeter job description responsibilities

Menu Knowledge

Know the menu by heart.
know the menu and the menu description.
If a guest were to ask about a specific food allergy or the ingredients of a certain food product, then the server would be able to answer the guest’s question without hesitation.

Point of Sale (POS) Training

It is important that the server-in-training practices entering food and drink items into the POS system.
Each POS register should be able to activate the training mode in order for the new server to practice entering the fake orders.
The new server should be able to maneuver within the system to get familiar where all foods and drinks are located.

Server Training

To begin, each server in training should learn the greeter position.
Menu knowledge is key to great customer service.
The new server also should know all the ingredients that make up a dish just in case the customer should ask about a certain dish and what the ingredients are.
The server also should practice entering in fictitious food and drink items into the training POS. Most POS systems can be training enabled.
The server also can recite and follow the server steps of service.
Greet-seat, tell-sell, ring-bring, tell-sell desserts, check-down/receive payment, reset the table. The server steps of service are sold separately https://www.workplacewizards.com/employee-wow-steps-of-service/

Expeditor/Food Runner

This employee typically is located on the opposite end of the kitchen (server area).
He/she will make sure that the plate contains all the items on the kitchen’s copy of the check.
The employee always verifies that “Hot food is Hot! Cold food is Cold!”
Proper plate presentation and garnishes.
The golden rule is when the kitchen completes an order, it is to be delivered to the guest within 20 seconds.
This is to ensure that the food remains hot and fresh.

Restaurant Server Training Checklist – Add-Ons

More information includes the basic roles and responsibilities for which you need to train the server. Use the final page for the server to sign-off on the policies and procedures he or she must follow.

Get your service staff trained and ready to provide excellent service and be set for success! You can easily customize the server training sign-off or change the topics. We recommend that you use Microsoft Word, however, if you can use Google Docs or Apache Open Office and the document will open but may require editing for spacing and readability.

Another great restaurant form
Restaurant Kitchen Training Sign-off Checklist