This document provides guidance for waiters on proper grooming, uniform maintenance, safety practices, hygiene, equipment, and service preparation. It emphasizes that waiters must be well-groomed, handle equipment safely, and ensure a clean and hygienic environment. They should thoroughly prepare service areas, sideboards, and hors d'oeuvres trolleys before each shift to project a professional image and comfortable experience for guests.

1. Dr. Hany Atef
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Grooming

2. Grooming
• Grooming is one of the most important features of a
waiter. Since he is in direct contact with the guest
of the restaurant, he projects the standards of the
establishment. A well-groomed waiter represents
qualities such as hygiene, sanitation,
professionalism and the style of management of his
establishment. Here are some tips for a waiter:
• Hair should be cut close.
• The uniform should be spotless and well ironed. A
tight or oversized uniform gives a sloppy
appearance.
• Nails should be well manicured and hands
absolutely clean. This is important especially since
the waiter serves the guest with his hands and is
under constant surveillance.
• Guard against body odours or the smell of cheap
perfumes.
• Shoes should always be polished, and of a
conservative style.
• A close shave is necessary before entering the
restaurant. Stubbles of beard or moustache could
be look uncomely.
• Bad breath could be nauseating to a guest since
the waiter speaks to the guest at close proximity.
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3. • For Waitresses
• The apron and hairband should always be
clean.
• High heels could be hazardous during
service. Flat shoes with sturdy heels are
advisable.
• Stockings should be clean.
• Light make-up to project a professional
working lady’s image is preferred.
• Excessive jewellery should be avoided.
• A very strong perfume could nauseate a
guest. A fresh light cologne would be
preferable.
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4. • SAFETY
• Waiter may not realize that he is exposed
to a number of hazards that jeopardize not
only him but his job as well. Accidents in
the restaurant could tarnish the good image
of the establishment. The guest will only
view it as clumsy and unprofessional. He
will not be sympathetic to a mistake.
•
• The waiter should:
•
• Carry equipment on trays only as much as
the body can take.
• Report faulty equipment to the proper
authority, otherwise it could malfunction at a
crucial time.
• Discard chipped glassware and chinaware.
• Look out for uneven carpet layout as a
winter could trip.
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5. • SAFETY
• Ensure that shoelaces are well tied
otherwise loose laces could result in
tripping.
• Normally the service entrance is a swing
door. A waiter should always be cautious of
the possibility of another waiter on the other
side. in case the door has a window , care
must be taken to look through it before
using the door.
• Do not run in the restaurant as it could
bustle another waiter.
• Be careful while lighting a match as it can
lead to a fire.
• Push trolleys, never pull them.
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6. Sanitation and Hygiene
• anitation and hygiene are predominant criteria for a
guest's choice of a restaurant. A guest is a
particular about hygienic food and the cleanliness
of the environment. In order to ensure a good
image the waiter must keep the following points in
mind:
•
• Remove soiled dishes and leftover food from the
table immediately. Food items and crumbs that fall
on the table must be crumbed or wiped out with a
napkin on a side plate.
• Keep sideboards, tables and other surroundings
clean and meticulous as a guest is very observant.
• Keep all sauce bottles are wiped closed. When in
use ensure that the mouth of the bottles are wiped
clean before presenting them to a guest.
• Clean cutlery in fresh water and dry them before
use.
• Wipe glasses with a clean waiter cloth and hold up
the glasses against a light to detect any stains and
thumb impressions.
• Bar mirrors as well as plate glasses should be free
of stains.
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8. Service Equipment
• Service equipment (which includes
furniture, fixtures and linen for all
purposes) squarely reflects the standard
and style of the restaurant. Several factors
are considered when they are chosen:
• Standard of the restaurant
• Types of service
• Décor and theme of the restaurant
• Type of clientele
• Durability of equipment
• Ease of maintenance
• Availability after stocks run out
• Storage
• Flexibility of use
• Price factors
• Standardization
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9. • For multipurpose use, most equipment is
standardized in terms of size and sometimes
colour.
• Linen
• Tablecloths: To fit 2’6” square
table ‫ــــ‬ 54”x 54”
• To fit 3’ square table ‫ـــ‬ 72”x72”
• To fit rectangular table ‫ــــ‬ 72”x96”
• To fit rectangular table ‫ــــ‬ 72”x54”
• Slip cloth: To cover a stained
table cloth ‫ـــ‬ 36”x36”
• Serviettes/Napkins: Square
‫ــــ‬ 18”x18”
•
‫ــــ‬ 20”x20”
• Buffet cloths:
‫ــــ‬ 6’x12”
•
• Food and beverage service equipment may be
divided into chinaware, glassware and
tableware, which are further subdivided into
flatware, cutlery and holloware.
•
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10. • Chinaware
• It is made of silica, soda ash and china clay, glazed to give
a fine finish. It should be opaque and free from air-bubbles.
Chinaware can be found in different colours and designs,
which are always coated with glaze. Patterns on top of the
glaze ware and discolour very quickly. Chinaware is more
resistant to heat than glassware.
•
• Examples of Chinaware with Standard Sizes:
•
• Side plate 6.75” diameter
• Sweet plate 7”and 8.5” diameter
• Fish plate 8” diameter
• Soup plate 8.75” diameter
• Joint plate 10” diameter
• Cereal/Salad palate 5” diameter
• Coffee cup 8-10 oz. Volume
• Tea cup 6.23 oz. Volume
• Coffee Demi-Tasse 3.13 oz. Volume
• Tea pot 12 pint, 1 pint, 1.12 pint, 2 pint
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11. • Other Chinaware
• Milk Jugs
• Cream Jugs
• Coffee pots
• Sugar pots
• Butter dishes
• Ashtrays
• Eggcups
• Soup cups
• Platters
•
• Some Tips on Chinaware
• Vitrified chinaware is stronger.
• It has a high breakage rate and therefore needs careful
handling.
• Should be stored on shelves.
• Should be stacked carefully so that it does not topple
over.
• Should be stored at a convenient height to avoid
accidents.
• Should be kept covered to avoid dust and germs.
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12. • Glassware
• The raw materials used are silica and soda ash.
Lead is added to make the glass crystal clear. When
purchasing glassware it should be ensured that it is
completely transparent, free of air bubbles and not
chipped. Glasses are measured in terms of capacity,
i.e. ounces or centiliters. Restaurant glassware is
usually plain except in specialty restaurants, where
they may be coloured.
•
• Some Tips on Glassware
• Glasses should be stored inverted in single rows,
with a paper on the shelf to avoid slippage.
• Racks with individual compartments for each glass is
a better method for storage (as they can be stacked)
and transported. These racks are plastic or rubber
lined.
• In a restaurant, glasses must be transported on trays
with a tray cloth to avoid slippage.
• Glasses with a stem must be inverted and held by
the stem.
• Service glasses must be cleaned and held against a
light before use for traces of smudges, etc.
•
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13. •
• Tableware Table service consists
of the following items, and when to use
them:
•
• Flatware/Cutlery
• (a) Soup spoon : Soup served in plates
• (b) Fish knives and forks : Fish/ Hors d’oeuvers
• (c) Large knives and forks : Entrée/ Main course
• (d) Dessert spoons& forks : All sweet served in
plates/Oeuf Sur le plat
• (e) Dessert spoons : Soup served in cups/
cereals
• (f) Small fruit knives & forks: Fresh fruits
• (g) Coffee spoons : Coffee
• (h) Teaspoons : Tea/ fruit cocktails/ice-
cream served
• as" Coupes”/grapefruit, oeufon cocotte
• (I) Service spoons &forks : For service
• (j) Steak knife : Steaks
• (k) Grapefruit knife : Grapefruit
• (l) Egg spoon : Eggs
• (m) Cheese knife : Cheese
•
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14. • Hollowware
• Soup tureens
• Individual soup bowls
• Trays
• Oval flat with lids
• Oval or round vegetable dishes with lids
• Oval or round under dish for vegetables
• Soufflé cases
• Oval or round entrée dishes
• Oval or round dishes for entrée
• Round flats with covers
• Asparagus dish
• Water jug
• Muffin dish
• Cocktail juice container
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15. • Sliver for serving Drinks:
• Salver for serving
• Salver for clearing
• Ice tongs
• Ice buckets
• Champagne bucket with stand
•
• Still room Silver:
• Coffee pots
• Hot milk jug (creamer)
• Tea pots
• Hot water jugs
• Cream jugs (creamer)
• Toast racks
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16. • Special Tableware
• Sugar tongs
• Asparagus tongs
• Oyster forks
• Finger bowls
• Set of cruets
• Ice-cream spoons
• Sauce ladles
• Soup ladles
• Butter dishes
• Snail tong
• Snail fork
• Fondue fork
• Caviar knife
• Sundae spoon
• Ice-cream spoon
• Pastry fork cum knife
• Corn on cop holder
• Lobster pick
• Butter knife
• Grapefruit spoon
• Cheese knife
• Nut cracker
• Gateaux slice
• Steak knife
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17. • Chinaware
• Plates
• Soup plate-8 ¾”
• Entrée plate-9 ¾ ”
• Hors d’oeuvre/fish/entrée courses/soups under
plate
• Meat or fish plate-10” main course
• Sweet plate-often the 8 ½” plate is used.
Sweets/Puddings.
• Dessert or fruit plate-7 ¼ ”
• Side plate-6 ¾ ”
• Tea saucer-6”
• Fruit nappy
•
• Cups
• Soup plate-7 ½ oz
• Tea cups-6 ½ ”
• Coffee cups-8-10 oz
• Egg cups-3”
• Demi tasse cup-3 ½ oz
• French onion soup bowl
•
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18. • Special Food Service Equipment
• Ashtrays
• Bread boats
• Flower vases
• Fruit stands
• Tea strainers
• Candles stands
• Wine cradles
• Wine funnels
• Drip bowl
• Sundae coups
• Cheese dish
• Oil, vinegar bottle
• Oval au gratin
• Cocotte dish
• Jam pot
• Toothpick stand
• Chaffing dishes
• Straw stand
• Burner for dishes
• Copper pans
• Irish coffee burners
• Shaker
• Stirring spoon and bowl
• Punch bowl and ladle
• Supreme bowl
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20. Briefing
• Briefing is a meeting of the restaurant staff prior to
the opening of the restaurant, while de-briefing is
done when the restaurant closes. In theses
sessions the senior-most member of the restaurant
gives his instructions, checks on certain aspects of
service and receives suggestion or problems of the
staff. There are certain points that each waiter
should keep in mind before presenting himself for
briefing.
•
• The waiter should:
• Acquaint himself with the non-available food and beverage
items listed on the menu by asking the Chef or referring to the
‘non-available items’ board.
• Know the dujour soup and main dish in order to push it to the
customers.
• Be equipped with clean handkerchief, clean waiter clothes,
bottle-openers, match box and pen.
• Be fully conversant with the menu card and the beverage list of
the day.
•
• The Restaurant In-charge would normally check
whether the waiter has satisfied the above points
but in addition would explain new house rules or
policies to his staff and encourage an upward
communication from the staff in terms of
suggestions and problems. The waiter should be
prepared to clarify doubts or give suggestions and
ask questions. This is an opportunity to give the
staff some training inputs.
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22. • Preparation for Service Mise-en-scene
• Mise-en-scene refers to preparing the
environment of the area in order to make it
pleasant, comfortable, safe and hygienic. For
the waiter, the restaurant is the service area.
Before each service session, the restaurant
should be made presentable enough to accept
guests. The Supervisor or team of waiters
should ensure the following mise-en-scene:
• Carpets are well brushed or hovered
• All tables and chairs are serviceable
• Table lights or wall lights have functioning bulbs
• Menu cards are presentable and attractive
• Tent cards or other sales material are
presentable
• Doors and windows are thrown open for
sometime to air the restaurant. This should be
followed by closing the windows and doors and
setting the air-conditioning or heating to a
comfortable temperature.
• Exchange dirty linen for fresh linen
• Table cloths and mats are laid on the tables
• Wilted flowers are discarded and fresh flowers
requisitioned
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23. • Mise-en-place
• Mise-en-place means “putting in place” and
is the term attributed to the preparation of a
work place for ultimate smooth service. To
ensure that the restaurant is ready for
service the waiter makes sure that his
station has been efficiently prepared for
service. A station comprises of a given
number of tables, which are attended by a
given team of waiter. Thus a restaurant may
have several stations, each with a team of
waiters. In large restaurants each station
may be headed by a Captain or Chef-de-
rang.
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25. • Sideboard
• A sideboard (or dummy waiter) is a piece
of furniture with shelves and cupboards,
spacious enough to hold all linen, cutlery,
crockery, and etc.for service to a particular
number of coves. The smooth functioning
of service in the given covers will depend
on how thoroughly the sideboard has been
prepared.
• Before a restaurant opens the sideboard
must be equipped with the following items:
• Cold water in jugs with under plates and
napkins to cover
• All-important proprietory sauces, such as
Worcestershire sauces, Tabasco sauces,
tomato ketchup, Maggi sauce, JP/HP
sauces (The waiter should ensure that the
necks of the bottles are cleaned).
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26. • Sideboard
• Toothpicks in toothpick holders
• Sugar bowls- for both brown and white
sugar with teaspoons for each.
• Sugar dredger.
• Hot plates and order taking pads.
• Straw holders.
• Pickles and chutneys.
• Bread-boats or baskets with assortment of
rolls and sticks.
• Ashtrays-cleaned and polished.
• Service spoons and forks.
• Adequate
• numbers of cutlery used on the table
(normally two and a half times the number
required for one sitting in the station).
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27. • Sideboard
• Salvers.
• Under plates.
• Half plates, quarter plates and large plates and
saucers.
• A crumbing plate.
• Trays covered with a napkin for service.
• Spare restaurant linen of all types (napkins,
tablecloths, waiter clothes, etc.)
• Paper napkins and doyley papers.
• Butter dishes.
• Finger bowls.
• Water goblets (bar glasses in case bar service
is extended by the restaurant).
• Pots for preserves are filled and kept ready.
• Cloth napkins are folded and kept ready for
service.
• All usable silverware to be used in service to
be polished.
• Cruet sets cleaned and filled with salt and
pepper. Fresh mustard filled in appropriate
pots.
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28. • Hors d’oeuvres Trolley
• before the restaurant opens the waiter
should:
•
• Clean the trolley thoroughly first with a wet
cloth (if not made of wood) and then with a
dray cloth.
• See that the wheels of the trolley move
freely and are well oiled.
• Set the containers in such a way that they
look colourful and attractive.
• Keep adequate numbers of service spoons,
forks, napkins and underliners.
• Keep a sufficient number of dessert plates
to serve the items to the guests.
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29. • Cheese Trolley Display different
types of cheese on a wooden board with
an attractive knife to cut the cheese.
Accompaniments such as brown bread,
crackers, celery and watercress should
be present.
•
• Salad Trolley The waiter must
ensure that the salad bowls are set in an
attractive way on the trolley. Wooden
bowls with wooden spoons and fork, to
mix the salad, are kept ready. Various
types of dressings should be arranged in
sauce boats on underliners with individual
spoons. Hearts of lettuce leaves are kept
in a glass jar containing water for
preparing green tossed salad.
•
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30. • Gueridon Trolley This trolley is used to
cook food or to complete semi-processed food
in the restaurant itself. Flambé items are also
prepared on this trolley. It should be equipped
with the following items:
• Proprietory sauces
• White wine
• Oil
• Brandy
• Pepper mill
• Vinegar
• Napkins
• Service spoons and fork
• Matches and ashtrays
• Flambé copper pans
• French and English mustard
• Wooden board
• Carving knife and fork
• Butter
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar- (grain and cubs)
• Gas cylinder (filled)
• Any other items, which might be, required very
frequently, e.g. liqueurs for crepe suzettes, etc.
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31. • Wine Trolley The wine trolley must be
equipped with the following items:
• Wine opener (corkscrew)
• Waiter-cloth
• Half plates to present the cork of the wine bottle
• Battery and switch for light
• Wine list
• Different types of wine, e.g. Red, White, Pink and
Sparkling
• The red and rose wines should be placed on one
side
• The white and sparking wines should be together to
identify them easily
• .
• Liqueur Trolley The trolley must be equipped
with the following items:
• Cordial glass
• Brandy inhaler
• Cocktail glass (frappe)
• Crushed ice
• Straws
• Peg measures
• Waiters-cloth
• Different liqueurs-(eight to ten would be a good
choice for a highly rated restaurant)
• Cordials.
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32. • Pastry Trolley The pastry trolley
must be equipped with:
• Dessert plates
• Paper napkins or folded serviettes
• Pastry forks
• Pastry tong
• Round tray for keeping pastries
• Assorted pastries
• Assorted cake slices
• Gateaux slice.
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