The Pacing Standard
Five steps for timing a meal around the table, not the kitchen. A ten-minute wait that is announced feels shorter than five minutes nobody explains.
- Who
- Servers, the head waiter and the pass
- When
- Every table with more than one course, from order to coffee
- You need
- Order times in the POS, a view of every table, a direct line to the pass
- Measured by
- Starter within 15 minutes of the order
- Main within 10 min of starters cleared
- Every delay announced before it happens
5 steps
01
Ask the pace
When taking the order, ask whether the table has somewhere to be. A show at nine and a slow anniversary need different kitchens. Write the pace on the ticket: ‘quick’, ‘normal’ or ‘slow’.
Say this
“Are you on any timing this evening, or shall we let it run at your pace?”
Common mistake Giving every table the same rhythm. The couple with a show leave before dessert; the slow table feels pushed.
02
Fire on cue
Our target is starters within 15 minutes of the order. The main is called only once the starter plates are cleared, and reaches the table 7 to 10 minutes later, unless the guest asked for a longer pause.
Say this
“Table 12, starters cleared, fire mains. 21:06.”
Common mistake Firing the main with the order to keep the kitchen ahead. It waits under the lamp while the table is still on starters.
03
Warn before
If a course will be over five minutes late, tell the table before the expected time, with a new time and a one-line reason. If the wait passes ten minutes, offer bread or a small taste from the kitchen.
Say this
“Mr Fischer, the lamb needs eight more minutes to rest. I didn’t want you to wonder.”
Common mistake Waiting until the guest looks round. By then the delay is a complaint, and any apology sounds like an excuse.
04
Read the table
Watch three signs between courses: cutlery closed on the plate, glasses pushed away, guests looking for staff. Two of the three mean the table is ready; lively talk and full glasses mean it is not.
Say this
“Shall I give you a few minutes before dessert, or bring the menus now?”
Common mistake Hovering to clear the moment the last fork lands. The table feels the kitchen’s schedule instead of its own.
05
Close and record
Dessert reaches the table within 10 minutes of the order, coffee or tea within 5. At the end of service, note the table’s total time; any course that ran over its target is read out at the next briefing.
Say this
“T12: 4 covers, 2h05. Mains 14 min after starters, table told at 21:10.”
Common mistake Measuring only the kitchen’s ticket times. The pass looks fast while the guest waited for the server to call the course.
The Course Clock
Our house targets for every course. Adjust them to your menu once, then hold them the same on every shift.
Pin it at the pass. Each day of the week the head waiter times one course across five tables and reads the slowest figure at the next briefing, with what the team will change.
The Standards Library.
No. 70 · Restaurant
The Table Maintenance Standard
Five steps for the minutes between courses. When they are done well nobody notices them, and when one is missed it is what the guest remembers.
No. 71 · Restaurant
The Breakfast Standard
Five steps for the meal almost every guest eats. Breakfast sets the tone of each day, and it is often the least managed service in the building.