Guide to create exceptional dining experiences

It’s inevitable that timing issues will arise, and these cause a ripple effect throughout the restaurant.  

Servers who make errors in-putting their orders, for example, force the kitchen staff to remake selections that were prepared incorrectly. This causes a kitchen backup, which translates into guests at each table needing more time to finish their meals.

This may cause slower table turns and longer wait times to be seated, even for people who have reservations. Lower table turnover means fewer sales and fewer tips. This is never a good way to start out a shift, so timing and accuracy are important for your business as well as for your customers.

Tips on timing:

• Lunch shouldn’t exceed a total of 45 minutes
• Dinner shouldn’t exceed a total of 60 minutes
• Service to-go shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes

Stages of Service

Encourage your servers to use this guide as it pertains to your restaurant to create exceptional dining experiences:

1. INITIAL GREETING

 Make drink and appetizer recommendations

 Recommend beverages that will complement the meal

 Introduce special offers

 Take orders 

— Make recommendations 

— Support the customer’s final choice, i.e., “Excellent choice. You will love it.” 

— Repeat the order back to each customer to ensure order accuracy

2. CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION

 Servers should always communicate in a professional and friendly manner

 Servers should NEVER respond with a negative tone or place blame on another area of the 

restaurant

 Servers should be coached on how to take a positive, helpful angle to ensure the customer is 

always pleased with not only the result, but also the way in which it was handled

3. SERVICE

 Use full menu names when presenting entrees to customers

 Serve ladies first

 Keep an eye on your diners and watch for non-verbal cues during their dining experience

 Check back after patron has cut or bitten into food to ensure accuracy and satisfaction

4. PREPPING FOR THE END OF THE MEAL

 Recommend dessert two-thirds of the way through dinner

 Wrap-up and label left-over food tableside for diners

 Present dessert (if ordered) and drop check

 Check on your customers in a few minutes

5. PREPARE FOR NEXT GUEST

 Thank customers and invite them to return

 Close the check immediately

 Clear table

 Spray and wipe the following items with sanitizer: table, cushions, chairs, salt and pepper

 Make sure the floor under the table is dry and free of debris time between taking an order and delivering an order should never exceed the following:

• Drinks are delivered in less than 3 minutes
• Drinks from the bar are delivered in less than 5 minutes
• Appetizers are delivered in 8 minutes
• Soup and salads are delivered in 5 minutes
• Entree:

— Dinner should be delivered in 15 minutes

— Lunch should be delivered in 11 minutes

• Dessert is delivered in 5 minutes
• Server should return with patron’s paid receipt in 2 minutes

It’s inevitable that timing issues will arise, and these cause a ripple effect throughout the restaurant. Servers who make errors in-putting their orders, for example, force the kitchen staff to remake selections that were prepared incorrectly. This causes a kitchen backup, which translates into guests at each table needing more time to finish their meals. This may cause slower table turns and longer wait times to be seated, even for people who have reservations. Lower table turnover means fewer sales and fewer tips. This is never a good way to start out a shift, so timing and accuracy are important for your business as well as for your customers.

Tips on timing:

• Lunch shouldn’t exceed a total of 45 minutes
• Dinner shouldn’t exceed a total of 60 minutes
• Service to-go shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes

Stages of Service

Encourage your servers to use this guide as it pertains to your restaurant to create exceptional dining experiences:

1. INITIAL GREETING

 Make drink and appetizer recommendations

 Recommend beverages that will complement the meal

 Introduce special offers

 Take orders

— Make recommendations

— Support the customer’s final choice, i.e., “Excellent choice. You will love it.”

— Repeat the order back to each customer to ensure order accuracy

2. CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION

 Servers should always communicate in a professional and friendly manner

 Servers should NEVER respond with a negative tone or place blame on another area of the restaurant

 Servers should be coached on how to take a positive, helpful angle to ensure the customer is always pleased with not only the result, but also the way in which it was handled

3. SERVICE

Use full menu names when presenting entrees to customers 

Serve ladies first

Keep an eye on your diners and watch for non-verbal cues during their dining experience

Check back after patron has cut or bitten into food to ensure accuracy and satisfaction

4. PREPPING FOR THE END OF THE MEAL

Recommend dessert two-thirds of the way through dinner

Wrap-up and label left-over food tableside for diners

Present dessert (if ordered) and drop check

Check on your customers in a few minutes

5. PREPARE FOR NEXT GUEST

Thank customers and invite them to return

Close the check immediately

Clear table

Spray and wipe the following items with sanitizer: table, cushions, chairs, salt and pepper

Make sure the floor under the table is dry and free of debris

Important:

The time between taking an order and delivering an order should never 

exceed the following:

• Drinks are delivered in less than 3 minutes
• Drinks from the bar are delivered in less than 5 minutes
• Appetizers are delivered in 8 minutes
• Soup and salads are delivered in 5 minutes
• Entree: 

— Dinner should be delivered in 15 minutes 

— Lunch should be delivered in 11 minutes

• Dessert is delivered in 5 minutes
• Server should return with patron’s paid receipt in 2 minutes