The Order Taking Standard
Five steps from the first question to the ticket at the pass. A correct order starts with the seat numbers, before anyone at the table has spoken.
- Who
- Section servers and the head waiter
- When
- Every table, once the guests have had time with the menu
- You need
- Seat numbers for every table, the POS, tonight’s specials and what is off
- Measured by
- Order taken within 10 minutes of seating
- Every item read back before leaving
- Order in the POS within 2 minutes
5 steps
01
Know tonight
Before service, learn what is off tonight, each special with its price, and two dishes you can describe in one sentence. A guest is told a dish has run out before choosing, never after.
Say this
“Before you decide, the turbot has finished for tonight. The sea bream is very good instead.”
Common mistake Finding out at the pass that the dish is gone. The guest has to choose again while the rest of the table waits.
02
Approach
Approach when the menus close or the table looks up, within 10 minutes of seating. Stand where the whole table can see and hear you, without leaning over anyone. Take the guests first, the host last.
Say this
“Are you ready to order, or would you like a few more minutes?”
Common mistake Standing behind one guest to write. Half the table has to turn round to talk to you.
03
Write by seat
Write each order against its seat number, counted clockwise from a fixed point such as the seat nearest the door. Note cooking, sides and changes beside the seat, never in a list at the bottom.
Say this
“S1 beef medium rare, no sauce. S2 risotto. S3 sole, no butter.”
Common mistake Writing the order as a list. The runner then has to ask the table who ordered what.
04
Read it back
Repeat the order to the table before leaving: each dish, each cooking point and each change, in seat order. It takes about 20 seconds and catches mistakes while the guest is still there to correct you.
Say this
“So, Mr Esposito, the beef medium rare without sauce, and for Mrs Esposito, the risotto.”
Common mistake Skipping the read-back for a table of two. Small orders go wrong for the same reasons as large ones.
05
Send it
Enter the order in the POS within 2 minutes, with seat numbers, courses and every change in the guest’s own words. Then check the printed ticket at the pass before the first course is called.
Say this
“T7 S3: sole, NO BUTTER, sauce on the side. Sent 20:12.”
Common mistake Keeping the order in a pocket until three tables are done. Ten minutes of the guest’s evening disappear there.
How to Write an Order
Six habits for the order pad and the POS that let any runner, at any table, serve without asking ‘Who had the fish?’
Brief one row a day. At the end of each service the head waiter pulls three tickets at random, checks them against the six rows and reads the result at the next line-up.
The Standards Library.
No. 74 · Restaurant
The Plate Service Standard
Five steps from the pass to the first bite. Every plate at the table arrives at the same moment, named, and facing the guest the way the chef plated it.
No. 75 · Restaurant
The Bill Standard
Five steps for the last thing the guest handles at the table. A correct bill brought quietly ends the meal; a wrong one becomes what they remember.