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SERVICE TIMETABLE
A practical guide to efficient service

Restaurants are no longer patronized by individuals who are in need of nourishment alone. People dine out for a variety of reasons and choose locations based on quality of food, atmosphere and service.

While most restaurateurs spend an extraordinary amount of time and money creating an interesting and comfortable setting for carefully prepared foods, very few spend the effort needed in training staff to perform their duties efficiently and effectively.

Service staff should be themselves and natural during the service period. Beyond that, the restaurateur should control patron/ staff interaction through the introduction of minimum standards which should be set as to the minimum number of table visitations that the staff should conduct. To that end, the Service Timetable helps facilitate proper interaction between the two parties.

The Service Timetable is a 10 step approach which could increase the customers' positive experience at the restaurant and ensure that the service staff is providing the utmost attention to their patrons.

EXHIBIT 1 illustrates the Service Timetable. While specific times were set out for the purpose of this article, they are flexible and should be adjusted for the particular style of service at your restaurant.

A. The customer should be greeted at the restaurant's entrance promptly by the host/hostess or manager and escorted to an appropriate table. In order to allow the Service Timetable to work efficiently, patrons should be seated in a rotated fashion so as not to provide any server with more than one new table at a time. On the occasion when neither the host nor manager is at the door to seat the guest, a server or busperson should greet the guest and tell them that someone will be attending to them momentarily. The objective of this stage is to recognize the customer and warmly welcome him to the restaurant.

B. In many restaurants, customers sit for an inordinate length of time before they are recognized by their server. The Service Timetable suggests that the staff member should arrive at the table within one minute of guest seating. It is best to provide a warm greeting and to take the drink order at this time. It is occasionally the case where service staff are too busy to attend to the needs of a table as soon as they are seated. In this situation the server should approach the table, still within the one minute timeframe, and indicate that they will be the server and, that they are presently busy but will be with them in one or two minutes. The recognition is what the customer is looking for and that alone will reduce any anxiety which may otherwise occur. When the server is at the table they should take a beverage order, inform the guests of the daily specials and that he/she will return momentarily to take the guest's order.

C. Drinks should be delivered promptly to the guest, so they can feel that they are being properly attended to. Additionally, upon the proper delivery of drinks the server should take the guest meal order. This would enable the server to reduce the steps to and from the table as well as speed up the delivery of the order to the kitchen ultimately assisting in increasing table turnover.

D. According to the schedule outlined in EXHIBIT 1, it would take the kitchen approximately 10 to 12 minutes to prepare the meal. Therefore the server should go to the kitchen nine minutes after placing the order, to pick it up. (If a "call system" is used, the server should wait until called). The meal should then be delivered promptly to the appropriate table.

E. Approximately one minute after the order has been placed in front of the guest (or after they have tried their meal) the server should return to the table in order to ensure that everything is all right. It is imperative that the server return shortly after the meals are served in case there is a problem. It is usually the aim of the restaurateur to provide the best of all products. If there is an error in the item or the way it was prepared it is always best to rectify the situation as quickly as possible. This illustrates good service and a respect for the customers' needs and expectations.

F. Depending on the style of service, it will likely take the patron 15-20 minutes to consume his meal (longer in formal dining situation or if adults are accompanied by children). For the most part the customers should be left to dine in peace for this time period and should only be disturbed if they are obviously looking for some assistance. When the customers finish their meals the tables should be cleared immediately and the dessert and coffee order should be taken. It is important to take the dessert order as soon as the guest's table is cleared so that the service staff can keep the operational flow going toward the table.

G. Desserts should be picked up from the kitchen within three to five minutes of being ordered and should be brought directly to the table.

H. Once again, depending on the style of service and the type of dessert offered, it will take approximately 10 minutes for the customer to consume dessert. Once dessert is completed the cheque should be presented. If the customer does not want to pay quickly they will likely let the cheque sit on the table for a while. However, if they are trying to leave the restaurant quickly, prompt delivery will be noticed while slow delivery will be considered poor service.

I. In fast-food and theme restaurants and, in finer restaurants where people are lunching, most patrons pay quickly and want to carry on their normal activities. It is therefore imperative for the server to pick up the cheque and cash payment as soon as possible and make the correct change quickly

J. The table should be cleaned and reset within two minutes of the patron's departure. This has several benefits. First is shows the patrons who remain that you are concerned about cleanliness and finally, it provides the restaurateur with the opportunity to turnover the table quickly, thus potentially increasing sales.

The optimum service for the example in EXHIBIT 1 is 46 minutes while the downside is 56 minutes, While some may balk at the implementation of this system it has been proven over and over again that it does increase service efficiency, effectiveness and assists in increasing table turnover. It is also important to note that, when implementing the system, cooks and support staff are aware of what is expected of the service staff. The Service Timetable's implementation will only be effective if everyone on the staff works as a team.

Finally, a restaurateur should modify the time schedule in order to meet his individual circumstances, however, the parts of the Service Timetable which deal with guest satisfaction, should not be altered. Accordingly, guests should always be greeted promptly upon entering the restaurant and should be acknowledged by their server immediately upon seating. Additionally, one minute after the appetizer, entree or dessert is served the server should come to the table to ensure that everything meets with satisfaction, and if not, the server should remedy the situation immediately.

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