3rd Floor Rosario Uy Bldg.

, San Jose Street,

Goa, Camarines Sur

Learning Module

Module Title

Unit of Competency
COC1- Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant Area for Service

Sector
TOURISM

1 | FBS NCII - Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant Area for Service - Learning Module
 320 Hours
Contents of this Learning Module

No. Unit of Competency Module Title Code

1 Prepare the Dining Preparing the dining TRS512387

Room/Restaurant Area for room/restaurant area for
Service service

2 Welcome guests and take Welcoming guests and TRS512388

food and beverage orders take food and beverage
orders

3 Promote food and beverages Promoting food and TRS512389

products beverages products

4 Provide food and beverage Providing food and TRS512390

services to guests beverage services to
guests

5 Provide room service Providing room service TRS512391

6 Receive and handle guests Receiving and handle TRS512392

concerns guests concerns

2 | FBS NCII - Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant Area for Service - Learning Module
 CURRICULUM
CONNECTION

Welcome to the module in FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII

QUALIFICATION. This module contains training materials and activities for you to
complete.
The unit of competency “Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant area for
Service” contains knowledge, skills and attitude required for TRAINEES.
You are required to go through, a series of learning activities in order to
complete each learning outcome of the module. In each learning outcome are
Information Sheet, Self-Checks, Task Sheets and Job Sheets. Then follow these
activities on your own. If you have questions, don‟t hesitate to ask your facilitator for
assistance.
The goal of this course is the development of practical skills in supervising
work-based training. Tools in planning, monitoring and evaluation of work-based
training shall be prepared during the workshop to support in the implementation of
the training program.
This module is prepared to help you achieve the required competency, in
“FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII”.
This will be the source of information for you to acquire knowledge and skills in
this particular competency independently and at your own pace, with minimum
supervision or help from your facilitator.

Remember to:
 Work through all the information and complete the activities in each section.
 Read information sheets and complete the self-check. Answer keys are
included in this package to allow immediate feedback. Answering the self-
check will help you acquire the knowledge content of this competency.
 Perform the task sheets and job sheets until you are confident that your
output conforms to the performance criteria checklist that follows the sheets.
 Submit outputs of the task sheets and job sheets to your facilitator for
evaluation and recording in the Accomplishment Chart. Outputs shall serve
as your portfolio during the institutional competency evaluation.

A certificate of achievement will be awarded to you after passing the evaluation.

You must pass the institutional competency evaluation for this competency before
moving to another competency.

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Relay information in a clear and concise manner using appropriate communication
techniques

Introduction

Communication is critical in providing a link

between kitchen and service areas.
This section provides the context for
providing a link between kitchen and
service areas gives examples of information
which may need to be relayed, identifies
the staff that may be involved and presents
appropriate communication techniques.

Unit context

This unit deals with the skills and knowledge required to provide a link between
kitchen and service area in a range of settings within the hotel industry workplace
context.
A person studying this unit will provide general assistance in food operations where
the staff who take orders are supported by others who deliver the food to, and
collect used items from, food service points.
The unit addresses the work of a „bus boy‟ or „food runner‟ in an establishment.

Information to be relayed

Information from services areas to kitchen

Information which may need to be relayed from waiting staff
to the kitchen can include:
 General food orders – as given by guests to waiters. The
information may include:
 Table number
 Number of guests („pax‟)
 Dishes ordered
 Name of waiter – or your name

 Specific guest requests for general orders which can

relate to:
 Timing requirements for the overall meal, for
certain courses, for certain individuals, for co-
ordination of service (with other tables in the
same group and with beverage service,
speeches, dancing and other activities which
may be part of the dining experience)
 Special requests as they to dietary/health needs,
cultural requirements, religious issues and personal preferences

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  Additional or side orders for the table or individual guests:
 Rice
 Chips
 Salads

 Details of complaints made by guests so kitchen is aware of problems as they

relate to certain foods or dishes
 Requests for additional items such as more bread rolls, butter or extra salad
and/or vegetables
 Questions about how long food for a certain table will be
 Questions from guests about menu items asking about the commodities used
in dishes.

Information from kitchen to service points

Information which may need to be relayed from chefs/cooks
can include:
 Advice regarding timing of meals such as delays to
service
 Notification regarding availability of food such as “Only
two serves of pepper crab left”, or “The beef has run
out”
 Requests for action – “Push the soup” or “Try to sell the
red curry”
 Clarification of orders placed to interpret written or
verbal orders so kitchen knows exactly what is required
 Notification certain requests cannot be
accommodated
 Requests for certain crockery and cutlery to be returned
 Responses to questions asked by guests.

Staff involved

When relaying information and liaising between kitchen and

service areas you will need to interact with:
 Chefs and cooks who can seek clarification of orders
and/or ask you to pass on directions to waiters
 Dishwashing staff who can ask for nominated (used)
crockery and cutlery to be returned immediately from
service to the dishwashing area so they can be
cleaned and re-used or returned to service
 Stillroom staff who you may need to ask for extra
butter, rolls and condiments
 Cleaners who you may have to ask to perform clean-
up duties in the event of a major spill or a cleaning-
related need in, for example, the foyer area/entrance, the washrooms, or an
area of the kitchen
 Food waiters whose directions and requests you will need to pass on to the
kitchen or relevant others
 Servers – staff who are involved in serving fast food to customers

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  Beverage waiters. Even though this unit applies directly
to „food‟ it is a reality that in the workplace you work as
part of a team and need to be prepared to assist any
other staff member as required.

For example, you may pass on requests or information

from drink waiters to the bar, and work with bar
attendants to facilitate drink service where necessary
 Dining room/restaurant supervisor, manager or owner.
This person has overall control of service and may ask
you to undertake certain tasks to optimise service,
prepare for reservations which have been received or
enable service recovery after an incident or problem.

Appropriate communication techniques

The following are techniques which you can use to help ensure proper and effective
communication occurs when relaying information:
 Using the most appropriate method of communication.
This is usually „verbal‟ in a face to face setting (the
telephone may also be used in some cases as a better
option) but may be sign language or a hand-written
note or food order
 Writing clearly. When producing written communication
make sure it is clear enough for others to read and
interpret
 Using open and closed questions to gain required
information about the topics being talked about
 Paying attention and concentrating on what others are saying
 Never interrupting the other person and instead allowing them to finish what
they are saying
 Asking questions to clarify information and directions you
are unsure of
 Not trying to guess what the other person will say or infer
what they will say based on their first few words.
 Repeating back what they have told you to verify
understanding of what has been said
 Speaking slowly and clearly but naturally
 Being concise. This means giving only the required
information and avoiding unnecessary words and
unnecessary information
 Using appropriate language. This can mean using simple
words, choosing your words carefully and avoiding complexity in the words
used and the phrasing. When communicating with other staff this can mean
using industry and venue-specific terminology and/or abbreviations.

Tips on relaying an order to the kitchen

When delivering an order from wait staff or servers to the kitchen, details about any
special orders must be passed on to the appropriate person quickly and
unambiguously.

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You need to bear in mind the person you will be speaking to will have more staff
than you to deal with. You are likely to be just one of many. For this reason you have
to take the time and make the effort to get your message across correctly, first time,
every time.
To achieve this you need to make sure you:
 Have got their full attention when relaying the
order. The kitchen may require you to say
„Ordering chef‟ or „Order in‟ when placing the
order at the pass
 Point out the special request on the actual
docket, physically locating the written
information you have put on the docket or
order. It is standard practice in establishments
using a manual ordering system for special
requests to be circled on the docket to highlight them
 Verbally describe what is needed clearly and accurately. A response should
be heard from the chef after you have placed the order. If no response is
heard, repeat the order.
If possible get them to repeat it back to you to verify they have understood what is
required.
While you need to ensure your special order is understood, you must be sensitive to
the other things going on in the kitchen or at the pass. It may pay you to delay for 30
seconds or a minute while the kitchen person clears some meals which are ready,
helps with plating a large order, or remedies an immediate problem.

Tips on relaying information to waiting staff

Generally the following should be observed when providing
information to wait staff:
 Never interrupt a waiter when they are talking to guests
 Never interrupt a waiter when they are taking an order or
serving
 Talk to waiter away from guests so only the waiter can
hear what is said
 Use hand signals if possible to provide short and obvious
communications
 Understand when you give information to a waiter there
is often a need for them to give you information and direction as a result
 Keep communication brief but accurate
 Try to give waiters options where possible. For example, if one dish is
unavailable provide them with relevant alternatives (as recommended by the
kitchen) to suggest to guests.

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Monitor and attend kitchen service points to ensure prompt pick up of food

Introduction

In order to ensure prompt service of food you must monitor the kitchen and be
ready to pick plated food up when it is ready and take it to the wait staff or food
service points.
This section discusses what is involved in this most important part of your job.

Monitoring and attending duties and activities

Monitoring and attending kitchen service points are your primary duties with tasks
which may comprise:
 Collecting meals from the service point and
delivering them to the service area or wait
staff
 Clearing away food service items from
service areas and returning them to the
kitchen, dishwashing area and/or stillroom or
larder
 Cleaning food service areas to maintain
appearances and safety (picking up spilled
food and beverages)
 Maintaining food service areas to ensure all requirements for service (food
and non-food items) are kept supplied
 Performing any „one-off‟ food-related duties as trade, staff shortages,
demand and requests from wait staff dictate. This may include:
 Obtaining foodstuffs from the cool room, freezer or dry store as
required by kitchen staff or wait staff
 Dishwashing including the scraping, cleaning and storing of
crockery and cutlery
 Performing very basic food preparation duties such as, for
example, washing fruit and vegetables, peeling fruit and
vegetables, opening cartons, preparing basic salads, chopping
and slicing food, preparing butters
 Setting up plates and trays which may include adding vegetables
to plates, placing garnishes on menu items, adding sauces to
foods, preparing trays and requirements for gueridon cookery
 Watching what is going on at these points and being ready to take action
when required to address identified „situations arising‟
 Being available for other colleagues so you can provide them with assistance
when needed
 Being alert to the on-going potential to use your initiative to prevent a
potential problem developing into an actual problem
 Remaining as a visible presence in the area so colleagues and guests can
contact you, talk to you, give you instructions or ask for help
 Paying extra attention to the kitchen when you have placed an order so you
are ready to transfer the food from there to the required service point.

8 | FBS NCII - Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant Area for Service - Learning Module
Being called for pick-up
Individual venues or kitchens will have their own method of calling
you to collect food which is ready for service.
Options include:
 Ringing a bell which simply indicates something is ready for
collection but does not indicate who the food is for, or
what the dishes are
 Calling out your name – such as “Daniel – take away”
(meaning Daniel is needed to collect dishes for service)
 Calling out a table number – “Take away table 11”
(meaning food for table 11 is ready for collection)
 Calling out both a name and a table number – “Daniel, take away table 11”.

Important point
Never, ever take a dish unless and until specifically directed to do so by whoever is
running the pass.
Just because a dish you have ordered is ready for service does not mean it is your
dish. It could be for another table and if you take it you will cause confusion and
service disruption for your table and to the table the dish was originally intended for.

The need for prompt pick up of food

It is important for you to pick up food as quickly as possible after it

has been plated and is ready for service for the following reasons:
 Prompt collection of dishes enables the quicker service of
food to guests and most guests do not want to be kept
waiting for their food
 Quick service enhances the guest service or dining
experience which encourages them to return for another
meal, and to recommend the venue to their friends,
families and others
 Removal of food from the pass creates space for the next
order to be processed, thereby speeding up general service across the
kitchen
 Prompt collection of the food optimises the likelihood food will be served at its
best, for example:
 Hot food will be served hot and not allowed to cool down
 Cold food will be served cold and not allowed to warm up
 Frozen foods will be served in a frozen state and not permitted to melt
 The appearance of dishes only decreases the longer it sits and waits to
be served. Eye appeal of dishes is critical because guests will always
see the food before they taste it and they will start forming impressions
about what it will taste like from the moment they see the item
 Taste of food items is potentially compromised by long delays in service
 Immediate collection of food when it facilitates integration of food service
with wine and beverage service which again enhances guest satisfaction
and dining experience

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  There is an increased chance food may become contaminated the longer it
sits at the pass waiting to be collected.

Service points/areas

Depending on the venue where you work you may be required to provide service-
related monitoring and responses to the following areas.
Note: not all venues will have all of the following areas. The list is provided to give
you an understanding of the potential for you to service.

Kitchen service areas

You need to be aware of two main service or dispensing points found in a kitchen as
follows:
Hot food area
This is where plated food (entrées, main courses, desserts)
are served or collected from – also known in some places
as the „pass‟.
Most food for a dining room or restaurant will be served
from and collected from this area.
Orders are commonly also placed at this area.
Cold
This area does not exist in all properties being limited mainly only to large
commercial kitchens catering for high volumes.
The cold larder area will prepare and serve items such as cold entrées, salads, cold
desserts, and cheese platters.

Waiting stations
You may also be required to „fetch and carry‟ to waiting stations situated in dining
rooms/restaurants.
A waiting station is a place or a piece of furniture which a waiter uses as their work
base to do things such as storing items, a location to clear plates from the guest
table to, to rest items on.
They may sometimes feature heating elements and be known in this instance as „hot
boxes‟.
You will be required to take prepared dishes from the kitchen to the appropriate
waiter stations from where wait staff will serve the dishes to guests at table.
You will also take the dirty dishes back from the waiter‟s station to the kitchen/dish
washing area for scraping and cleaning.
See the following for examples of waiter‟s stations:
 http://www.forbesindustries.com/food-beverage-catalog/service-carts-tray-
stands/bussing-carts-and-waiter-stations.html.

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Note, some rooms will use a simple table or other item of furniture for a „station‟ in
which case the area may simply be known as a „rest‟.

Buffet areas
You may also be responsible for tending (attending and
monitoring) buffets.
In these situations, you will be required to ensure dishes are
kept topped up and kept presentable and hygienic.
Tasks will involve both food items and beverages which are
included along with the buffet (beverages such as water,
juices, tea, coffee and milk).
Duties will also include removal of empty, or near-empty
dishes, removal of empty or dirty guest dishes and removal
and replacement of service items and food which has been
dropped on the floor or which has become contaminated as a result of unsafe food
handling practices by guests.

Room service collection areas

Most venues will have dedicated room service staff but, depending on the venue
and the organisation of staff, you may be required to perform various room service
functions such as:
 Clearing trays and trolleys from floors, when necessary. This involves checking
corridors on accommodation floors and returning dirty dishes, trays and
trolleys to the room service area for take-down and cleaning
 Returning room service crockery and cutlery to other areas, such as the main
kitchen or servery, where they may be needed
 Setting up room service trays and trolleys for specific room orders, or for
generic delivery o, for example, Continental breakfasts.

Online videos

The following online videos provide some insight into what is involved in being a food
runner and allows you to gain an insight into the kitchen and service areas:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59JC8al46Pk („A food runner‟s world: 2
mins 31 seconds)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXFs3Iy4s6Y („Chef Kurfürst at HTMi,
Culinary management: 12 mins 53 secs).

Check food in accordance with enterprise standards

Introduction

Before you take any dishes or trays of food out of the kitchen and give it to wait staff
or to guests you must undertake a series of checks to ensure the food being served is
acceptable and to make sure all necessary requirements have been met.
This section identifies practices to follow to help make sure guests receive exactly the
food they ordered, and to ensure smooth and professional service is provided.

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Enterprise standards

In relation to checking food prior to service „enterprise

standards‟ may refer to:
 Size of the meals – the volume or quantity of food
provided as an entrée, a main course or as „extra‟
 Placement of items on a plate. Some venues will require,
for examples, vegetables for certain dishes to be placed
in a nominated sequence or location on the plate to
optimise the visual appeal of the dish. Some dishes may
be centrally located in the middle of the plate whereas
other menu items will feature the main component (meat, fish, chicken)
located at a constant position on every plate
 Use of stipulated serviceware for given items. For example, it may be a
requirement a certain type or size of bowl is used for nominated food items or
accompaniments, or an underliner may be required for identified dishes
 Service of sauces. Some venues may add sauces to the meal (directly
applying the sauce to the food), while others may provide a small jug of
sauce, a bottle of sauce or a sauce boat.

Checking the food

Before all food is taken from the kitchen you must check it (that is, visually inspect
each dish) to ensure:
 The right meal has been prepared and any requested changes have been
made to the item or dish. This means comparing the food presented by the
kitchen against the order given to them. Never assume the kitchen will
automatically get the order correct. Remember the kitchen is a busy place
and accidents and mistakes can happen. If the order is for four meals, are
there four meals being given to you? Do the dishes you are being given
match exactly the requirements of each guests as
stated in the order? It is your job to make sure
incorrect meals are not taken into the room or to
the service point. Every service plate is clean and
presentable. This means checking to ensure there
are no marks, spills and drips on plates. In some
cases you may be able to clean the plate and in
other cases it may need to be returned to the
chef or to the person operating the pass
 The quality of all items served for consumption. This
includes checking all food served on the plate to
ensure it is of an acceptable quality. For example:
 A whole fish should not have tears in the
skin
 Fresh fruit must not be over-ripe
 Salad vegetables must be crisp
 There should be no obvious blemishes or visible impediments to any
food items on a plate
 The appearance of the food on the plate. Issues to look for are:

12 | FBS NCII - Prepare the Dining Room/Restaurant Area for Service - Learning Module
  All dishes of the same type must be of the same size. There should not
be a difference in serve sizes unless requested by the guest
 Same dishes must look the same in terms of layout of vegetables,
accompaniments, serviceware, garnishes
 An appealing and appetizing appearance
 The edible portion of a steak is at the outside of a plate as opposed to
having the fat/gristle component at the rim of the plate
 Guest requests have been taken into account. This means directly comparing
the dishes against the orders. Check to ensure, for example, rare steaks are
indeed rare; dishes with vegetables do not go out with salad on them, „extra
chips‟ do have extra chips and „Thai salad‟ is provided where requested.

Additional points to note

 Some establishments have photographs of each dish at the pickup point or
pass to help service staff plate dishes correctly and consistently and to give
you a means by which you can check dishes prior to taking them
 The person operating the pass should check all dishes before they are called
but you still ALWAYS have to conduct your own independent check
 Note it is much, much easier for a problem or mistake to be identified at this
stage, than it is for the dish to go out to the dining room, be presented to the
guest, be complained about and then be returned to the kitchen.

Checking the service ware

In addition to checking the food to be served you must also verify the required
serviceware is available as required to meet the needs of the menu items being
served.
Serviceware is a generic term for crockery, cutlery and other service-related items.

Serviceware may include:

 Plates and bowls
 Platters and cake stands
 Service utensils such as tongs, carving forks,
large spoons and forks (for silver service)
 Glassware. Some sauces and desserts are
presented in glasses
 Oven-to-tableware allowing food items to
be taken directly from the oven and served
in the dish in which they were cooked
 Lids and covers for pots and other containers
 Condiment containers
 Flatware including knives, forks and spoon, lobster crackers, cake lifters
 Sizzle plates for steaks
 Tureens, ramekins and coupes
 Boards for service of dishes such as fruit and cheese
 Pots, jugs and sauce boats
 Sugar bowls
 Bread baskets.

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