CrazyWaiter’s ServiceQuality Knowledgebase

It might not be a surprise that the CrazyWaiter is interested in Service Quality. So much that he collects scientific articles about this subject, which he has put in a database over the years. There are also articles about tipping and other hospitality related subjects.
Yesterday he read a discussion where somebody told that there is no research about hospitality. "One couldn't be more wrong", he thought and skipped a night sleep to build a webbased shell around the database and altough it's still under construction it's ready enough to proudly present...
CrazyWaiter's Service Quality Knowledge base
Use the search function to find what you're looking for or browse a bit. Features will be added in the future!
The CrazyWaiters pockets
Let's dive today in CrazyWaiters pockets. Everything he carries has his sense.
- Winekey To open winebottles of course. The knife is multifunctional. My preferred one is the Cellini of FarmItaly.
- Pen To write the orders and sign the creditcard slips. Bic Cristal because they don't leak inkt when it gets warm (read: in your pocket). Of course two because pens are there to loose.
- POS card to have access to our POS computer. We use Micros
- Crown cork opener It goes more quickly with a simple one like this than with the one on the winekey.
- Matches To lighten the candles on the birthdaycake. In France it's prohibited to smoke in the restaurant, so it hasn't sense to give a light to the beautiful girl at table 501
- Stickers To reward kids who have eaten everything. Or to put on the adhesive bandage to make an exclusive one.
- Adhesive bandage For ourself, the colleagues or guests.
- Needle and wire To fix buttons and perform other little reparations to our clothes or others. Also to adjust princess-dresses which are a bit too big. EDIT 24-11-2010 I ruined a dress today after I made it shorter with safetypins... ooops.. so I won't do it again
- Faceshield To protect yourself and the other when performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The one of Leardael is the best according to my CPR teacher. By the way, I strongly believe that knowledge of First Aid and CPR is a moral obligation of everybody working in public places as restaurants and hotels.
- Gloves To protect yourself while cleaning vomit and stopping bleedings
- Earplugs There is a lot of noise in the restaurant where I'm working. Now I have Alpine worksafe but I'm waiting for Clear EAR 20 who will filter more the hightones and less the lowtones (eg. the voicerange). This type of earplugs is very discrete, you don't see them if guests are looking to the front of your face. The new ones will even be more discrete. (EDIT: view a review on the 3M Clear Ear here
- Wallet To collect the creditcardslips, tips and the most of the stuff listed here. Fixed with an wire to my trouser because I'm too afraid to forget it somewhere or loose it.
- Handwipes To give to the guests after eating shrimps. (To give them opened half torned is a nice gesture because the guests hands will be fatty) Also useful to clean tables, shoes and spots on the wall. (NB: Not on the picture)
- Hotel- and parcinformation To answer all the questions about opening and closing times of shops, sauna's and other nice things we have to offer.
And what do you have in your pockets what is not listed here?
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Ready.. or not
Today I'm going to teach a very important lesson. As well for our beloved guests as for my collegues all over the world. How to indicate and see if the guest is ready or not (and want to take some more sidedishes or whatever).
This because I had some pissed of clients who almost scream:'I'm not finished yet' (and almost slap your hand like teachers did 30 years ago) or complain about the slow service:'It took ages when you took my plate out' while their fork and knives said otherwise. So print out and put it on the wall at the entrance!
P.S. It's also possible that the guests puts his plate aside, which may be usual in the USA like this post says at point 2. That's obvious ofcourse
Also a pile of plates indicates that somebody is doing something wrong. (and normally it's not the guest)
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How To Dress a Salad by Gordon Ramsay
Nowadays, as waiter (esp. when working in a buffetrestaurant like me) you don't do a lot of preparations at the table. However, one that I like to do when I have time is making the classic vinaigrette for the salad. It's easy, you can make some show and above all delicious! Gordon explains how to do it...
Read also this highly informative weblogpost about Olive Oil and Balsemic vinegar!
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Upselling with the Sullivan nod
The Sullivan nod is a theoretical sales technique used to create a subconscious suggestion to a customer to purchase one particular item out of a list of like items. It is used most frequently by bartenders and waiters when reciting lists of items (such as alcohol or wine) in the hopes of getting the customer to select a particular brand. A Sullivan nod is executed by nodding slightly, by approximately 10–15 degrees, when the item it is hoped the customer will choose is reached. The key is to make the nod perceptible, yet subtle, so as to not distract. Originator, restaurant consultant, Jim Sullivan, claims that it works up to 60% of the time.
Sullivan developed the nod technique as a method to increase appetizer sales.
Source: Sullivan nod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, reused under Creative Commons:CC-BY-SA
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CrazyWaiter Tips and Tricks! (part 1)
Hospitality can't be learnt with some tips and tricks. But of course they exist! I'll share mine!
- When somebody cries: give him or her without asking a glass of water. For the simple reason that when you drink you're not able to cry. Besides it removes the helpless feeling of the other guests. A crying kid can be get silent with a lolly.
- Take always good care for elderly and children. When they are happy everybody is happy
- Where people shake hands (weddings, condolences) : place a jug of water (and glasses of course) and little (wet) towels to clean the hands..
- Give artists always water and glasses. They appreciate it a lot
- Walking with the guests to show the way to for example the toilet is very kind. You're not working in the supermarket!
- If you bring empty glasses (for e.g. beer) turn them upside down on your tray to exit the little bit of water in the glasses.
- When people order mineral water, ask if they want ice in it or serve it separate. Never in the glasses (you don't mix pure water with tap-water)
- Reading a lot of reviews on the internet and magazines.
- The etiquette dictates the rules, the situation the exceptions
- Even saying the word welcome make the guest feeling at ease
(Foto by Swamibu / CC BY NC 2.0)
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Mojito
One time I finised a night with drinking Mojitos.
- 4.0 cl White Rum
- 3.0 cl Fresh lime juice
- 3 sprigs of Mint
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- Soda Water
A Mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, sparkling water and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or "Yerba buena", a much lighter mint variety very popular in the island. Its combination of sweetness, refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to complement the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear highball a popular summer drink.
When preparing a Mojito, lime juice is added to sugar (or syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded. Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint sprigs up from the bottom for better presentation. Finally, the drink is topped with ice cubes and sparkling water. Mint leaves and lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.
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Are Paris waiters rude… or is it you?
I'm not a Parisien waiter (I live in a kingdom on his own), butI hear a lot of people saying that French waiters are arrogant, rude etc. I don't agree with it, because the way people act is always a reaction on you. Karma you know ! It helps also that I speak French. This is a very interesting article about this topic.
In matters of French culture and customs, the Paris waiter has, fairly or unfairly, often been singled out as the poster child for the rude-French stereotype. But what you may think of as rude may be nothing but poorly communicated cultural differences on both sides.
Read futher at French culture and customs: Are Paris waiters rude or is it you?.
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Art in My Coffee
Although I worked for a coffeeroaster, I can't make a decent cappuccino. (luckily for this we have a full automatic machine at work) Those who are able to do it, can find a new challenge in their life. See this video!
You can also find a lot of inspiration at Art in My Coffee. Here you'll find hundreds of photos of Latte Art!
(photo: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by Made2Serve)




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