The document outlines the duties and workflows for different roles in a dining setting, including bussers, food runners, and servers. It describes that bussers primary duty is clearing and resetting tables but may also assist hosts and servers. Food runners are responsible for delivering food to guests and keeping serving areas organized. Servers act as liaisons between guests and chefs, taking orders, entering them into the POS system, and ensuring guests have a positive dining experience.

1. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
Busser
Objectives
The Busser’s primary duty is CLEARING AND RESETTING TABLES. However,
during a rush, a busser may be asked to do a bit of go-for-ing for the Host/Hostess
and Servers.
Before Service
• Make sure we have an adequate supply of butters and creamers trayed up and
ready to go in the server’s cooler.
• Make sure every table is uniformly set, including chairs.
• Prepare bread and cracker baskets. Work with the chefs to make sure that the
bread is ready to go.
• Assist Host/Hostess and Servers with their preparations.
During Service
•ASSIST HOST/HOSTESS in watering new arrivals and providing them with
menus.
•REMOVE EXTRA PLACE SETTINGS. In other words, if 2 people sit at a 4-top,
remove the extra silver, glasses, plates, napkins, etc. Then rearrange the center
pieces to give the guests more eating space.
• Add warm bread to cracker baskets and deliver them to tables of new arrivals.
The goal is to get the bread to the table while it is still warm!
•CHECK WITH THE SERVER before clearing a course. Both presenting and
clearing are choreographed activities—meaning, timing and efficiency are
important!
•CLEAR ONE COURSE AT A TIME. And wait for everyone to finish the course
before clearing. For instance, wait until everyone is finished with soup, then
clear all soup-ware. Same with main course. There may be exceptions to this
rule, which is why you need to check with the server or supervisor before
clearing.
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2. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
•AFTER THE MAIN COURSE, CLEAR EVERYTHING except for water glasses
and coffee cups. Then return with dessert forks (same as salad forks) and coffee
spoons (if needed). The idea here is to make the table look as clean and tidy as
possible so that the guests can enjoy their desserts and after-dinner drinks
without having to look at crumbs and other clutter.
•USE TRAYS to clear. It is okay to set a large tray on a tray jack next to a newly
vacated table, in order to collect all of the dirty dish, glass and silverware at
once. NEVER LEAVE A TRAY OF DIRTIES UNATTENDED! Carry it
back to the dishwashing area and properly unload it at once.
• It may be appropriate, on occasion, to USE A CRUMBER BETWEEN COURSES.
•ASSIST THE SERVERS in refilling water and coffee.
• If, along the way, a guest asks you for something that needs to be ordered—food
or beverage (other than water)—relay that information to the appropriate server
or supervisor.
• Generally speaking, keep the room as clear of dirty dish, glass and silverware as
possible.
➡ Clear and reset tables as soon as they are vacated.
➡ If more than one table is vacated at once, clear them all first, then reset
them.
➡ If, while resetting a table, another one is vacated, finish resetting that
table, then clear the newly vacated table.
➡ Establish table-resetting priorities with the Host/Hostess. During a
rush, it may be more important to clear and reset a certain table or
section.
After Service
• Prepare bread baskets with clean napkins for next service.
• Assist servers in resetting the room.
• Sweep crumbs from table bases.
• Wipe chairs.
• Vacuum or swiffer the carpet.
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3. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
Food Runner
Objectives
The Food Runner is primarily responsible for 2 things:
1. GET THE FOOD TO THE GUESTS
2. KEEP THE FRONT-OF-THE-LINE CLEAN AND ORGANIZED
Before Service
• Familiarize yourself with the specials and their abbreviations. Be able to
articulate them clearly.
• Make sure that the necessary condiments are prepped and close-at-hand. For
instance--ketchup for fries; mustard and mayo for sandwiches; tartar sauce for
fish.
• Make sure that the soup and ice cream stations have adequate amounts of
dishes, plates and spoons.
• Keep a supply of 2-3 sanitized dish towels nearby.
• Keep a small supply (4-8) of steak knives at hand, as well as a polishing towel.
Steaks and chops are served with steak knives.
During Service
• Work with the Expediter (typically Nicole or Oscar) to deliver the food as soon
as it is ready. The cue is usually when the Expediter places the ticket on the tray
next to the food. Take notice of the table numbers!
• If you are unsure of the table or position number, don't hesitate to ask the server
or a supervisor for clarification.
• Carry the tray, along with a tray jack, to the appropriate table. Place the tray on
the jack in full view of the guests. Remember, this is a PRESENTATION--smile!
• Serve each plate from the left with your left hand, ladies first.
• Keep your interactions with the guests to a minimum. After all, you need to
collect the empty tray and jack and get back to the kitchen as soon as possible to
deliver more food.
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4. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
• If, along the way, a guest asks you for something--e.g., more water, dessert,
what have you--relay that information to the appropriate server or supervisor.
Your prime directive is to get back to the kitchen to deliver the next tray of food!
• Once the initial rush is over, and between running trays of food, use the time to
clean, organize and restock the servers' stations within the kitchen.
After Service
Any of these can be done, as well, during the service:
• Restock the servers’ cooler with milk and yogurt, placing the newer items
behind the older.
• Make sure there are enough condiments, butters and creamers trayed up,
covered and labelled for the next service.
• Break down the soup area. After lunch, cover, label and place the soup
containers in the warmer. After dinner, take the containers to the dish washing
area.
• Clean and organize coffee and tea making station. After lunch, consolidate
coffee for dinner use. After dinner, run cleaning solution in coffee and tea
makers.
• Scrape and compact ice cream containers, and make sure they are covered.
After dinner, turn off the scooper faucet. Empty and clean the scooper bucket.
• Thoroughly wipe down soup, coffee, tea and dessert areas with sanitized
towels.
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5. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
Server
Objectives
The Server is the liaison between the guests and the Chef. As such, the Server’s
responsibilities include:
1. MAINTAINING A PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE AND HOSPITABLE
DECORUM
• Look good. Stay clean.
• Be respectful and congenial to everyone—guests and co-workers.
• Hospitality = making people feel safe, welcome and taken care of.
• Proper server decorum = Casually Formal / Formally Casual.
2. DEVELOPING A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE MENU
• MEMORIZE THE MENU and the specials, including the prices. Breakfast,
Lunch, Dinner and Lounge (including alcoholic beverages).
• PRACTICE describing menu selections with co-workers—like actors running
lines with each other before a show.
• LISTEN! Make sure you understand what is being communicated to you.
• SPEAK CLEARLY. Make sure others understand what you are communicating to
them.
3. MANAGING ASSIGNED SECTIONS AND STATIONS
• YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF THE TABLES IN YOUR SECTION! That means you are
responsible for taking the orders from those tables and entering them into the
POS. Do not take orders from tables outside of your section unless directed to
do so by a supervisor.
• CHECK YOUR STATION before the service, making sure everything is clean and
in place.
• GREET TABLES in the order in which they arrive. Wait for guests to be seated
before greeting them. Make sure they have water and menus. Sometimes a
hostess or busser does this, but not always.
• SELL THE SPECIALS. If they don't want the specials, recommend other menu
items based on their mood and taste.
• WRITE DOWN ORDERS before punching them into the POS. It becomes all too
easy to forget order details when busy. Plus, it is important to SPEND AS LITTLE
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6. MERION DINING WORKFLOW
TIME AS POSSIBLE IN FRONT OF THE POS, so that other servers can use it
without getting behind in their workflow.
• WHEN SPECIALS ARE ORDERED, wait until soup is almost finished before
sending the next course through the POS. If soup is not ordered, go ahead and
enter the next course right away.
• IF AN APPETIZER (OR SMALL SALAD) IS ORDERED along with a special, then
the protocol is the same as with soup. Send the appetizer through the POS first.
Wait until the appetizer is almost finished before sending the next course through
the POS.
• IF AN A LA CARTE ITEM IS ORDERED (any entree other than a special), then try
to time sending the order so that it will arrive soon after the appetizer is finished.
We want to avoid, as much as possible, the entree arriving before the appetizer is
finished.
• REMOVE MENUS FROM TABLE after orders are taken!
• Generally speaking, COMPLETE ONE TABLE’S ORDERS BEFORE TAKING
ANOTHER’S. In other words, take all the orders from one table AND get them
into the POS BEFORE taking another table’s orders.
Other Duties
•HELP EACH OTHER. We are a team. If you aren't busy, help someone who is.
•TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. If something needs to be done, make sure it gets done.
•RESET YOUR SECTION so that it is completely ready for the next service.
•ALWAYS BE DOING SOMETHING. Things to do when you can’t think of anything else
to do:
✦ Polish silver and glassware on tables.
✦ Refill sugars and salt-n-pepper shakers.
✦ Sweep (or wipe) table bases.
✦ Wipe chairs. Make sure they are properly aligned.
✦ Vacuum or swiffer carpet.
✦ Clean and organize the servers’ station.
✦ Wipe doors, doorjambs, picture frames, molding, baseboards, etc.
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