Professional Waiter PDF

**MODULE 1: Customer Service That Gets Results** **Introduction** Whether you\'re looking for a temporary job or are planning to start an exciting new career based around food, server positions are intensely competitive, require skill and poise, and are centered around good service. In this course, you will learn how to offer great service, how to impress your customers, and crucial skills to help you upsell, make a good impression, and increase tips. Whether your end goal is to find work as a server, to earn more tips at your current job, or to improve how you serve, this course will guide you on your way to success. Hospitality skills enable you to take on roles inside of hotels, restaurants, cafes, bistros, bars, catering companies, and the skills you learn from serving can be a great stepping stone into senior management roles. The great thing about the hospitality industry, is that you never know where it can take you. Whether your goal is to work at a Michelin Star restaurant owned by the world\'s best chef, to travel overseas and work abroad, or to open your own business, the skills you learn as a server are a valuable career stepping stone. As you move through the course, keep in mind that every skill is learned through practice and repetition. If you\'re new to serving, not every table will go smoothly, but with practice (which you will get plenty of!) you can refine your skills, handle every table like a pro, and earn more tips. So let\'s get started! ###### MODULE 1: Customer Service That Gets Results When someone makes the decision to eat out at a restaurant, they aren\'t just looking for food. Every part of the restaurant is created to provide an experience of service, so that the diner feels welcome, catered to, and even pampered. Few of us would pay restaurant prices for fast food style service, even if the food were good enough to be served in any Michelin star restaurant. Instead, we pay for service, the experience of being catered to, the knowledge that everything will be taken care of, and that all we need to do is sit back and enjoy the meal. As a member of the wait staff, you are at the forefront of providing this experience. Your actions, behavior, and words shape the experience of the diner, so that they either enjoy their meal immensely or are disappointed in the service. As a server, your goal is to provide an experience that your diner will enjoy. And, if you get it right, they will reward you with a better tip. In this module, we\'ll go over the basics of customer service, making an impression, and creating results that last. You will learn the following topics: *1.1 It's Your First Day on the Job!* *1.2 10 Tricks for Making a Great Impression* *1.3 First Class Professionalism = First Class Tips* *1.4 5 Ways to Convert Customers into Regulars* *1.5 How to Charm Your Biggest Critics -- Kids* ### **1.1 It\'s Your First Day on the Job** Stepping into a restaurant for the first time as a member of the staff can be intimidating. No matter the size of establishment, there are dozens of things to do and even more to learn. You must master the menu, learn pricing, figure out locations, learn how to navigate tables, chairs, and guests, learn to bring food quickly and efficiently, and navigate your way from table to table while paying attention to every diner. While many restaurants and organizations offer established training programs, designed to help you learn about their organization, policies, and menu items, others offer no such guidance. In some cases, training will be provided up to a week after you begin working, to ensure that you are committed to staying on with the company before they invest in you. Often, you will simply be assigned to a senior member of the wait staff or to a peer, who will guide you, teach you, and help you at their own discretion. In every case, it is up to you to be open, willing to learn, and ready to follow instructions. Your interaction with the rest of the staff and the kitchen staff will shape your experience as a waiter or server, and it is crucial that you work to build good relationships. *Pro Tip! Shadowing is the process of following a more experienced waiter around and learning from them. You may be assigned to shadow someone, but if not, you should ask. Pay attention, ask questions when you aren\'t sure what they are doing, and make sure that you understand why they are doing something while shadowing.* **1.1.1 Good Relationships Build Quality Service** While most customer service is front end - facing the customer - restaurant service ties into every level of the job. This includes your relationships with the kitchen staff and other servers. It is crucial that you work to build good relationships with your peers and colleagues from day one, so that you can communicate, fill in for each other, and provide seamless service - from kitchen to waiters to cleaners. If you cannot balance this, the customer experience will suffer. How? You\'ve probably been somewhere only to have the kitchen get your order wrong, a request for a change took a long time, or you ordered a menu item with modifications only to get the dish as-is. Needless to say, if this happened to you, you probably weren\'t happy. These types of issues can be avoided for your customers by building good relationships with the kitchen staff. You must know that when you ask for an order, the kitchen will take you seriously, pay attention to any special requests marked, and that they will be communicative. Good communication is crucial to fulfilling orders quickly and smoothly, and building that relationship is up to you. From day one, your goal should be to get to know your colleagues, introduce yourself, make a good impression, and understand your role and responsibilities. To do so, you should: - - - - - **1.1.2 Learn the Hierarchy** As a newcomer to the wait staff, you are likely positioned at the bottom of the server hierarchy. This means that you can go to any other waiter to ask for help or to get help with decision making. However, you should know general hierarchy as well. Who is in charge? What happens if something goes wrong? Most establishments have a hierarchy that looks something like this: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. In each case, if someone above you in the hierarchy asks you to do something, it is typically imperative that you do so. Knowing who is in charge allows you to make better decisions, to contact the right person for advice, and to offer better customer service to the diners. **Diner with a mostly-eaten steak: **\"This steak is disgusting! I want a refund\" **Inexperienced Waiter:** \"I don\'t know if I can do that\" **Experienced Waiter:** \"Let me get the Service Manager for you\" **1.1.3 Learn Your Responsibilities** As a waiter, you will be given a series of set responsibilities to learn and to take care of. On your first day, these responsibilities are likely to be less about serving diners and more about learning your responsibilities so that you can better serve customers in the future. It can be intimidating to attempt to master everything at once, but don\'t worry. Within a week, everything will be passingly familiar and you will be able to fulfill your duties as a server with ease. In most cases, your responsibilities will look like this: - - - - - - - - These responsibilities can vary depending on your exact role inside of the organization. For example, as a bartender, your role and responsibilities serving drinks will be vastly different than if you are a commis waiter or busboy/busgirl, and more so if you are a waiter. **1.1.4 Understanding Your Role** Some restaurants maintain a complex hierarchy of roles, where even the waiters have assistants. In fine dining restaurants, you will likely start out as a busser or commis waiter, move up to a role as a waiter, and potentially eventually receive a promotion to head waiter. **Waiter --** Your role is to take orders, communicate them to the kitchen, fill drinks, bring food from the kitchen to the table, and communicate with the kitchen regarding the order. In a simple restaurant, cafe, or bistro, you will also clear tables, set tables, clean the tables, clean your workstation, and clear tables to bring used dishes and cutlery to the kitchen. **Commis Waiter / Busser --** A Commis Waiter (UK) or Busser (USA) is a server assistant who works to clear tables, set tables, and move used dishware and cutlery to the kitchen. Server assistants are typically only common in fine dining restaurants and hotels. **Bartender --** Here, your sole responsibility is to make and serve drinks. If they contain alcohol, you will need an additional license in most countries. **Silver Service --** Silver Service wait staff are highly trained waiters who follow specific \'black tie\' rules. This type of service is typically only found in the UK and Europe, but you will receive training before being asked to perform Silver Service. **Head Waiter --** The head waiter, called the maître d\'hôtel or the maître d\' in many restaurants, is largely responsible for overseeing the wait staff, curating the experience of the diners, greeting guests, and sometimes assigning wait staff to specific tables. **1.1.5 The Layout** Most restaurants and food organizations have a layout, sometimes with specifically numbered or named tables. It is crucial that you learn this layout before attempting to serve guests. Understanding table numbering speeds up communication and allows you to specify that orders go to specific locations in the restaurant, rather than attempting to name or place the diners themselves. **Without Knowing Layout** ***Waiter:** \"The corner table would like a new plate of pasta\"* ***Chef:** \"The corner table? What did they have?\"* ***Waiter:** \"Uhm, let me check\"* **Knowing the Layout:** ***Waiter:** \"Table 23 would like a new plate of pasta\"* ***Chef:** (who has the original order): \"They had the tagliatelle? I\'ll get that right out to you\"* ***Waiter:** \"Thank you\"* If you can refer to table 23 when discussing re making a dish, the kitchen staff know what the order is, who it is for, and what they prepared. This allows them to keep track of changing food items, even in a busy restaurant where more than one person has likely ordered the same dish. **Pro Tip:** Request a table layout or make one if not available and memorize table placement. You want to be able to quickly find tables if you\'re sent out to a specific table on a busy night. - How many tables do you have? - How many seats are at each table? Are there any special tables? - What\'s the best way to move from table to table in your section? **1.1.6 The Pass** From the moment you place an order for a table, the kitchen is hard at work putting together a meal that is designed to please. The pass takes place when the kitchen \'passes\' the meal or meals off to you, where it is your responsibility to check it, finish it with garnish if the kitchen has not done so, and bring it to the table. **Garnish --** Some kitchens will fully prepare food and serve it with garnish included. Others expect the wait staff to add garnish. Understand your role in your kitchen, and if it is your responsibility, learn garnishes for each dish. These will vary depending on the restaurant. **Check the Food --** Quickly check the food to ensure that it is what the table ordered, made to the table\'s specifications, and cooked well. If you can spot discrepancies before they make it to the table, you can leave a better impression, stop a negative experience, and ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. **Serving --** Serving food is about delivering meals from the kitchen to the table. However, it\'s significantly more complex than it might appear. First, you will likely be responsible for delivering multiple plates to one table. For a good impression, it\'s crucial that every diner receive their meal at the same time. In some cases, food will be finished before other plates, in which case you can ask the kitchen to hold it back to keep it warm, because serving one diner their meal before the rest makes their experience awkward. You will learn more about serving later in this course. - - - - In some cases, each waiter will be responsible for the pass for their own dishes. In others, the sous-chef or even the head chef will handle this responsibility, doing a final check on all dishes before handing them off to the wait staff. However, it is your responsibility to check to ensure that the dish you are delivering is what the customer ordered when you bring it to the table. *Pro Tip: Make a habit of double-checking every dish before you take it out. Is it what the customer ordered? Cooked how they specified? Any modifications they requested? Allergies? If you can stop a bad dish from reaching the table, the restaurant will thank you, even if the customer doesn't realize you stopped a bad dish.* **1.1.7 Your Workstation** While you will spend a large amount of your time on the floor helping your tables, you will likely also have a workstation. Here, you can serve drinks, find cutlery and napkins, find condiments, and sometimes even prepare appetizers depending on the restaurant. The workstation may be a food preparation area or it may be a glorified place to stand where you can see all your tables. Depending on the restaurant, this may be a host or hostess stand, and not a food prep area. It ties into great customer service because you must know what\'s there, you should be visible to your tables, and you need to keep it clean for easy access. - - - - *Pro Tip! Spend at least 30 seconds wiping your workstation down each time you return to it. This might seem excessive, but it\'s necessary when it gets busy and building the habit will ensure that you keep it clean.* ### 1.2 10 Tricks for Making a Great Impression Walking up to a table for the first time can be nerve wracking, you might not know what to say, what to do, or even what to offer the guests. While this is okay with your first table, you\'ll have to change that quickly if you want to make a good impression and make good tips. These 10 tricks for making a good impression will help you on your way to leaving a table of happy diners, every time. **\#1 All it Takes is a Smile** Everyone has bad days. That\'s okay! But, even if you\'re miserable, your diners should never know. Presenting a happy or cheerful front to your customers is the easiest way to give a good impression. And, there\'s science behind that. The Halo Effect and Horn Effect are a series of studies documenting how perceived emotions affect an entire experience. In the Halo Effect, people who saw someone smiling at the start of an experience were more likely to see the entire experience as good. The Horn Effect is the opposite. In short, if you can smile at your diners and pretend that you\'re happy to see them, even if you\'re not, you will give them that much better of an experience. A happy diner leaves a tip, is easier to serve, and possibly comes back again. **\#2 Remember What Each Person Ordered** The larger your table, the more difficult it is to keep up with every order. However, nothing puts some diners off like having their waiter call out each dish, asking who it\'s for. While many diners won\'t mind, the simple act of remembering people and their orders will do wonders for their impression of you. How? We\'ve already discussed how many people go to restaurants because they want to do something luxurious. Remembering someone\'s order tells that person that they\'re special, worth remembering, and that they stand out, creating positive vibes that will benefit you. Of course, you probably can\'t expect to memorize 8 plates at one table when you have ten tables to take care of, and you shouldn\'t have to. Instead, there are memory tricks and techniques you can use to ensure that you remember who ordered what. The easiest method is to simply number the chairs. Some restaurants will number chairs in their layout, others will not. If they haven\'t, you can assign a simple structure to numbering chairs. For example, the first chair on the left of the table is Person 1 or P1. You can use this to go around the table, naming each chair. Then, when you take the order, you can write a multi-person order out like: ***Table 6/ 4 Persons*** *P1 Eggplant Ziti / Dr. Zinfandel/Water* *P2 Comacchio Risotto / Dr. Moscato/Water* *P3 Chicken Scaloppini / Dr. Pinot Grigio/Water* *P4 Brodetta / Dr. Pinot Grigio/Water w Lemon* Then, when you return with the food, a quick consult with the original order will tell you which plate goes to which seat at the table. This is a fail-safe about 90% of the time, unless people switch seats. For this reason, you should still pay some attention to faces. **\#3 Make Eye Contact When Asking for Orders** It\'s a simple thing to move into line of sight when taking an order and making eye contact, but many waiters fail to do it. However, asking someone what they want while standing behind them makes the whole situation awkward for the diner. Walk around the table and ask each person what they want, make eye contact, and smile if you can. Making eye contact shows the diner that you are interested in them, that you are focused and paying attention, and that you are listening to their order. Because everyone likes to feel listened to, you will create a more positive impression. **\#4 Know Your Menu** Learning a new menu can take time, but you should consider not only memorizing what\'s on the menu but also trying dishes where possible. While some restaurants simply don\'t pay wait staff enough to order their dishes, many restaurants offer discounts and possibly even free food to the staff. It is in your best interest to be able to talk about the food, explain why it\'s great, and know what it tastes like. Your end goal should be to know the following about every item on the menu: - - - - - - Let\'s consider the following response to this question from a diner: **Diner:** *\"What do you think about the Chicken Scaloppini? What\'s in it?\"* **Inexperienced Waiter:** *\"Everything here is great! The Chicken Scaloppini is\" \*looks at menu\* \"Chicken and linguini\"* **Experienced Waiter:** *\"I love the scaloppini. It\'s actually a very classic Italian dish, the chef thinly slices chicken and tenderizes it, dredges it in flour, and then sautés it in a redux sauce. We currently offer it two ways, picatta with a lemon and caper sauce or with a mushroom redux. And, of course, we serve it over linguine, your choice of al dente or cottura\"* In the first answer, the waiter gives a generic response but doesn\'t really follow through with a real answer and clearly doesn't know anything about the dish. In the second answer, the diner gets to feel like the waiter cares enough about the food to know this much about it. The waiter is helpful, gives them more information than they asked for, and gives them choices on how they would like the dish. While it\'s great to be able to talk about food and recommend it, you do have to be careful. While many diner\'s will ask for recommendations, some restaurants have policies stating you cannot tell a diner one dish is better than another. The simple way around this is to talk about what you like about both options. **Diner:** *\"Do you prefer the Picatta or the mushroom?\"* **Waiter:** *\"Personally I like how the lemon and capers contrast with the chicken, it makes the dish very fresh. But you ordered our Pinot Grigio, and that is amazing with the mushroom so I may have to recommend that\".* Understanding your menu, how tastes and flavors go together, and what works will help you to guide diners to making the best decisions for their meal. That\'s part of the service you\'re offering. However, it will also help you to leave your diner\'s satisfied, so they are happier with their meal and with you. *Pro Tip: Talk to the head waiter or manager about trying the menu. Even if you can\'t afford everything or don\'t want to eat there, they may be able to put together a selection of menu items for you to try, so that you know what they taste like.* **\#5 Know How to Compliment** Just like with offering food recommendations there is a right and a wrong way to offer a compliment. Done right, it\'s flattering, adds to the mood, and helps the diners to enjoy themselves. Done wrong and it can be overbearing, insulting to someone else, or even come off as flirty. In most cases, you can skip compliments for first time customers, simply because it can be too much. The diner is there to enjoy their food and you are there to facilitate that and nothing more. However, tasteful compliments can be well received by regular customers, especially as they indicate that you remember said customer. Avoid using comparisons. If your compliment involves \"better\", \"unlike\", etc., you\'re probably better off skipping it. Similarly, you should avoid compliments that are tied to time \"You look amazing tonight\", which insinuates that the person does not in fact look amazing every other night. **\#6 Be Consistent** It\'s important to maintain a consistent level of positivity, happiness, and friendliness throughout the meal. If you\'re happy when you first introduce the table, drag your feet through service, and then are happy right before they tip, they will know something is up. Be as consistent as possible with the table to maintain your impression so that they know you\'re genuine and not just trying to get them to tip. *Pro Tip: An easy way to stay on a diner\'s good side is to follow up and make sure they enjoyed the meal. \"Did you like it\", \"How was it\", \"What did you think\", \"Are you happy with everything\", etc., are great phrases to use to follow up any course. This is especially crucial if you offered a recommendation.* **\#7 Stay Visible but Don\'t Hover** Maintaining the right level of helpfulness is a fine art that can take practice. Your goal should be to remain within site of the table whenever possible, to offer refills or new drinks when needed, and to be available but not in the way or intrusive. What\'s hovering? Sometimes you will go to a restaurant and the waiter will refill your drink every time you take a drink. This actually causes anxiety for the guest, and you can be seen as intruding and in the way. - - - - **\#8** **Be Courteous** Simple politeness will help you to leave and maintain a good impression. The trick here is to be polite, take initiative on offering to help, and to go above and beyond what they expect of you. To make a good impression you could: - - - - - - - - - - - - There are a lot of ways that simple politeness can help you, and even saying please and thank you while talking can create a good impression. **\#9** **Banter** Not everyone likes to talk, but many people do. Practicing maintaining banter around a table will help to improve the mood, will make your service seem less like intrusion, and will improve their impression of you. Good restaurant banter means replying quickly, being polite, being slightly funny where appropriate, and never referencing the guests when talking. **\#10** **Learn to Read People** Some diners will want full service, a chatty waiter, and as many recommendations as you can dish out. Others prefer you to be as nonexistent as possible while they enjoy their meal in peace. The sooner you learn to differentiate and decide who wants what kind of service, the better you\'ll be able to help your customers. ### **1.3 First Class Professionalism = First Class Tips** Most people to go to restaurants and bars for the experience of food and the experience of being catered to. You already learned how you tie in to this and how you can begin to offer better customer service. Your professionalism ties in to this as well, influencing your diner\'s perception of you, their dining experience, and even their meal. Taking the time to be professional will not only ensure that your diners have a good experience but also that they are more inclined to leave you a better tip. ***Appearance*** You should be clean and well-groomed with your hair off your shoulders. If you have long hair, it should be put back to ensure that it cannot possibly touch the food. Your uniform or outfits should be clean, ironed, and fit you well. This will end an impression that you care about your appearance, that the establishment is a nice one, and that they are getting good service. ***Courtesy*** Always be polite, offer something that a diner needs before they ask, and be apologetic when you cannot offer something they want. Maintaining a consistent level of courtesy throughout the meal will show that you are genuine and honestly want the diner to enjoy their meal. ***Knowledge*** Knowing your industry, in this case the food, is necessary for professionalism. Spend extra time learning about it, because it will help you out. ***Body Language*** Body language can communicate a great deal to a diner. Your body should be relaxed but not slumped, you should stand upright, turn your body towards the person you are speaking to, lean slightly towards that person when they are talking, and never turn your back while they are still talking. ***Service*** Quality service is essential to professionalism. Be attentive, apologize if you\'re kept away from the table too long, ask questions, and remember orders when you can. You should also tailor your service to the diner. If you\'re working at a traditional restaurant and the diner doesn\'t understand terms, break them down in English politely, and without making the diner feel bad about not knowing. **Waiter:** *\"And, of course, we serve it over linguine, your choice of al dente or cottura\"* **Diner:** *\"What do you mean by cottura?\"* **Waiter:** *\"Well cooked, about 9 minutes for linguine\"* **Diner:** *\"Great I\'ll have that\"* **1.3.1 Method and Technique** No matter how polite you are, no diner will have a good time if you commit a faux pass or blatantly disregard sanitation. For example, if you were serving drinks and grabbed the glasses from the rim, like many people do at home, you cannot serve that drink. Instead, you need to hold glasses from the base, or hold them on a tray so that your hands don\'t touch where anyone will be drinking from. Similarly, you should learn how to handle trays and plates of food, so that you can serve large meals with no accidents and no clumsiness. If you cannot serve a tray with poise, you should likely get help, or bring it out a few plates at a time. If something is too heavy and you don\'t look like you can handle it, you cause anxiety, force the diners to help you, and reduce your appearance of professionalism. **1.3.2 Managing Reactions** Things will go wrong. Whether something going wrong is a spilled drink, a burn, food that is improperly cooked, or even missing cutlery, you should know how to react. That reaction should always be calm and poised. You should know what to do, even if that thing is to go ask the head waiter. For example, if a diner is asking for a replacement meal and you are unsure if you can give it to them, you shouldn\'t say \"I don\'t know\", you should say \"Let me find my manager and she can take care of that for you\". - Stay calm - If you don\'t know the answer, the answer is always finding your superior - Be polite and friendly, even when the diner isn\'t - Apologize, even if it\'s not your fault. ### 1.4 '3' Ways to Convert Customers into Regulars As a waiter, you can earn tips from the occasional visitor. However, getting to know regulars allows you to build relationships with customers who will tip you considerably better. Getting customers to come back benefits you and the restaurant, so it should be a priority for you to create the kind of environment where customers feel welcome enough to come back. You can achieve this using a few different tactics, all of which are centered around good service, a friendly attitude, and helpfulness. If th e food is good, a combination of a positive atmosphere and great service will keep most locals coming back for more. **\#1 Be Excited About Your Menu** Taking the time to discuss menu items when prompted or asked tells the diner that you are interested in the food and that it must be good. Think back to the conversation from earlier in this module. **Diner:** \"Do you prefer the Picatta or the mushroom?\" **Waiter:** \"Personally I like how the lemon and capers contrast with the chicken, it makes the dish very fresh. But our Pinot Grigio is amazing with mushrooms so I may have to recommend that\". If the diner enjoys their recommended dish, they might be curious enough to try the first. Similarly, you can talk about upcoming specials, soup of the day, weekly specials, or other similar menu items that only appear occasionally -- which may prompt the customer into coming back later. **\#2 Stay Consistent** Remain consistent throughout the meal, pay the same attention to desert or a second course as you do to the introduction, and work to help the diner enjoy every moment of their experience. Some diners stay longer, want to stay and talk after the meal, or prefer to wait between the meal and desert. While you can make more in tips by moving diners through more quickly, you should never rush a table but instead work to ensure that they enjoy their time at the table as much as possible. **\#3 Fix Problems Quickly** If a diner has a problem with a meal, you should attempt to go above and beyond to fix it for them. If you can leave a diner feeling warm and happy about the solution rather than thinking about the problem, you\'ve done more to create a repeat customer than any amount of good service with a good order. Why? The customer knows that if you fixed this order, they won\'t have to worry next time they come in. This restaurant is a \'sure thing\' for a good experience. - - - - - - ### 1.5 How to Charm Your Biggest Critics -- Kids Whether you love kids or not, you will be serving them in nearly any capacity as a waiter or server. Unfortunately, kids are often difficult, picky eaters, and messy. Making kids happy involves two factors, pleasing the children and pleasing their parents. In a serving capacity, these are two completely different functions. However, keeping kids happy and entertained means that they are less demanding on their parents, so that their parents are better able to enjoy their meal. **1.5.1 Treat them Like an Adult** While it\'s easy to ask parents what their kids want, asking children directly gets their attention and their approval. Of course, you should seek approval from the parent before accepting their order, but you can often do this with a simple look. *For example:* **Waiter:** **\"What would you like? Our kid\'s specials today are ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and tortellini\"** **Child:** **\"Ravioli!\"** Waiter looks at mother, who nods. **Waiter:** **\"That\'s a great choice, do you want beef or cheese?\"** **Child:** **\"Cheese\"** In some cases, parents prefer to just order for their children, but anyone over 3 will likely appreciate being given the opportunity to play at being an adult. **1.5.2 Speedy Service** Kids are impatient, get bored, and very young children can have temper tantrums or cause problems when they get bored. If parents order food that will take a while, consider ensuring that everyone has drinks, filling up any free appetizers offered by the establishment, or finding some entertainment option for the kids. Some restaurants keep coloring pages or other similar entertainment, but many do not. Offer these if they are available. The faster you can move food from the kitchen to the table, the happier parents and their children will be. **1.5.3 Be Attentive** Children are very often ignored on family outings but paying attention to them, talking to them, and entertaining them can not only improve their behavior but improve their family experience as a whole, Taking a few moments to ask children how they are enjoying their meal, if they would like a refill, or to talk about relevant topics such as an event that caused them to be there (birthday, graduation, anniversary, etc.) only takes a small amount of effort, but it can keep kids happy, looking forward to your visit, and entertained. This in turn will allow their parents to relax and enjoy themselves, which will reflect positively on you. **1.5.4 Tips for Making Parents Happy** 1. Bring everything all at once. Even if kids look unhappy waiting for food. If you bring children food first, they will finish sooner and be left with nothing to do while their parents are still eating. 2. Make the order fast. Many kids have trouble sitting with nothing to do, and speeding up the order, even taking entree orders with the drinks, will ensure that they aren\'t sitting around with nothing to do. 3. Bring extra napkins 4. Ask if high chairs or booster seats will be needed before being prompted. 5. Set glasses and bowls of soup out of arms reach of toddlers 6. Offer to wash off bottles, sippy cups, etc. 7. Don\'t ask kids if they want dessert. Ask the parents discreetly and then if approved, ask the kids. **1.5.5 Cleaning Up** Kids are messy and that's often a normal and expected thing from them. Treat cleaning up children\'s messes as though it were nothing, tell parents they don\'t have to apologize or \"it\'s no problem\", and clean up quickly to get out of the way. The smaller the child, the more likely accidents will happen and you may find yourself cleaning up drinks, upset bowls of soup or food, or messes all over the floor. Clean it up quickly and politely, parents will notice and they will tip you extra for it. You should also familiarize yourself with restaurant policy. In some cases, it may be permissible to refill a drink free of charge if spilled. If this is possible, it will earn both you and the restaurant a lot of bonus points with the family. Serving kids is more difficult than couples or singles, but families are often aware that they present more difficulties and typically tip more to make up for it. Offering good service, working to make everyone happy, and going the extra mile will earn you additional tips. ***Congrats! You just finished Module 1!*** *Getting started in the serving industry means learning a lot all at once, and this means memorizing the menu, the restaurant layout, establishment policies, and other details. However, the basics of great customer service and creating a positive experience for your diner lay in attentiveness, politeness, and professionalism.* *In the next module, you will begin to learn more about food, drinks, and presentation, which you can use to sell your menu, help your guests, and ensure that you can help every diner to place a great order.* ###### ###### ###### MODULE 2: A Masterclass in Foodology In the previous module, you began to learn the basics of food service, customer service, and taking care of your customers. In Module 2, you will begin to learn foodology, including food terms, pairings, menu alterations, drinks, and much more. Understanding your menu will help you to serve your customers to the best of your ability. It will also help you to upsell menu items, to give your diners a better experience, and to leave a favorable impression. As a waiter, you can consider yourself a salesperson. Your goal is to sell menu items to diners -- you wouldn\'t buy a car from someone who knew nothing about it, and most people won\'t be bothered to try a dish when you don\'t inspire them to want to. This masterclass in foodology will help you to develop a passion for food (if you don\'t already have one), which you can use to inspire your guests. *Topics in this module include:* - *From Agar Agar to Ziti -- A Culinary Dictionary of Terms* - *Diets, Allergies, and Picky Eaters* - *Meats, Cheese, and all the Trimmings* - *Pastry and Desserts -- the Icing on the Cake!* - *A Culinary Trip Around the World* - *Easy Wine Pairing for Every Course* - *From the Bar: Cocktails and Spirits* - *Get Your Brew on With Coffees and Teas* ### 2.1 From Agar Agar to Ziti -- A Culinary Dictionary of Terms Every menu is different, every chef is different, and every culture is different. However, familiarizing yourself with the cooking methods and terms used by your restaurant, and that diners may use when asking you about foods, will allow you to communicate with diners more easily, to explain words that the diner doesn't understand, and to guide the diner to making the best choice for their food. What is a butterflied chop? What is chiffonaded basil? Julienned carrots? Or clarified stock? If you don\'t know the answers to these terms, you soon will as you move through this dictionary of culinary terms. **2.1.1 Food Preparation and Cooking** Understanding classic food preparation and cooking terms will allow you to understand how a dish is prepared and communicate that to the diner. This glossary of terms goes over traditional (typically French) terms used by most cooking schools, and used in most restaurants. Each of these terms will come up on a menu, will be used when discussing food, and you may have to either use them to explain a dish or explain the word to a customer who doesn't know it. **Aerate --** The act of passing fine dry ingredients through a sifter to remove large pieces. For red wine, aeration is the act of opening wine and allowing it to set before drinking so that air filters through to improve the flavor. **Aged --** Aging means to control the aging of wine, cheese, meat, or other products to change the taste, texture, or flavor. Aged steak is stored for 3-6 weeks at 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows enzymes to break down connective tissues in the meat creating a startlingly tender steak. Aged cheese becomes more salty and rich as the milk evaporates leaving only fat. **Bard --** This cooking process is used to roast and grill meats such as chicken breast and roasts, which are very low in natural fats. Here, the chef ties fat around the meat, which melts as it cooks so that the meat comes out tender and moist. **Baste --** Here, the chef brushes or spoons broth, fats, butter, or juices from the pan onto the food during cooking. Basting adds flavor, prevents food from drying out, and ensures that everything is cooked evenly. **Blanch --** Blanched foods are briefly plunged into boiling water to slightly cook or sanitize them before serving. Most blanched vegetable dishes are boiled for a few seconds and then dipped into a bath of ice water to immediately stop the cooking process. Blanching allows fresh vegetables to be eaten safely with no risk of contamination, adds color, and can change the texture of many vegetables. **Bone --** A boned fillet, fish, or fowl has had the bone removed with a sharp knife, typically with care to prevent tearing the meat. **Braise --** Braising is the process of cooking food in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan for a long period of time. This long cooking traps heat and steam which breaks down fibers in meat so that it is very tender and moist. Braising liquids are typically wine, and are used to make a sauce for the meat. **Broil --** Cooking food directly next to a heat source, such as on a grill or near the heat element in an oven. **Butterfly --** Butterflied meat is split down the center but not cut all the way through, so that the two halves can be opened flat to resemble a butterfly. Fish, meat, and fowl are served in this way. In some cases, the process is designed to make the meat easier to access (for example, a butterflied quail), in other cases, the butterflying process prevents the meat from drying out while cooking (for example, a butterflied pork chop). **Caramelize --** The process of heating sugars until they liquefy and then form a caramel syrup. Caramelization occurs naturally in many fruits and vegetables. A caramelized sauce is one that has been cooked until the sugars brown and become a glaze. Caramelized vegetables have been cooked until their sugars turn to caramel, adding sweetness. **Chiffonade --** Sliced into very thin strips. Most herbs, especially basil, are served a\'la chiffonade. Some restaurants also serve chiffonade lettuce in salads. **Clarify --** Clarification is the process of cooking liquids to remove sediment so that it becomes clear. For example, a clarified stock has likely been simmered for 15 minutes with a clarifying agent such as eggs and then strained through a sieve, so that it becomes perfectly clear. Clarified butter is heated slowly to remove milk solids so that only fat remains. Clarified butter turns to smoke at a much higher cooking point, making it ideal for cooking. **Cured --** Preserved using smoking, pickling, drying, salting, etc. **Deglaze --** A small amount of liquid is added to a pan to absorb caramelized juices from the pan. This is then used as the basis of a sauce, to incorporate the flavor of the prepared dish. **Deveining --** If you serve shrimp, deveining is the process of removing the vein from the back of the shrimp. This can be cosmetic or for flavor and texture depending on the size of the shrimp. **Dredge --** Coating food in a light dusting flour, breadcrumbs, or cornmeal to add a small amount of crunch. This is different from breading in that breaded foods are dipped in egg or milk and dipped in breadcrumbs or flower repeatedly to create a thick crunchy surface. **Egg Wash --** Used to add a glaze or color to breads and pastries. **Emulsify --** The act of mixing one two non-combinable ingredients into each other. Mayonnaise, vinaigrette, and many oil based condiments are emulsifications. **Fabrication --** Preparing meat via butchering, cutting, and trimming. **Fillet --** A section of meat with the bones cut away **Fold --** Folding a light mixture into a heavier mixture. For example, mixing egg whites into whipped cream. **Infuse --** The process of steeping an ingredient in a hot liquid to extract the flavor. Tea and coffee is a common infusion but infusions can be made by steeping hot oil with herbs to cook things, steeping broth, and so on. **Joint --** To cut meat and poultry at the joints. **Julienne --** Food prepared in very thin sticks (smaller than matchstick) **Lard --** To insert strips of lard or bacon into meat so that the meat is tender and moist. **Marinate --** The process of leaving food in a liquid seasoning mixture for a period of time to infuse the meat with flavor. **Nap --** Completely (lightly) covered with sauce **Quadrilized --** Thinly scored with marks (like grill marks) **Reduce --** To thicken sauce by slowly boiling it till liquid evaporates. Served as a reduction or redux, which has more concentrated flavor than the original sauce. **Sauté --** Browning food in a skillet with a small amount of oil or fat. **Sear --** Cooking quickly over high heat to brown the outside leaving the inside raw or rare **Tenderize --** To pound, marinate, age, or use another process which breaks down fibers in meat to make it more tender. **2.1.2 Italian Cooking** Italian cooking is among the most popular in the world with restaurants in nearly every country. Italian food ranges from fine dining to casual family restaurants, and you may find yourself working at any version -- which means that food can be largely in the local language or largely in Italian. However, most restaurants use at least some Italian terms to refer to food, cooking techniques, and sauces, and learning them will help you to adapt and help your customers. **Aceto Balsamico -** Sweetened red wine vinegar made to approximate Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena. This will be served in most Italian restaurants unless you are working in fine dining. **Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena -** Traditional balsamic vinegar, made in the Italian region of Modena. This vinegar is cooked from Trebbiano grapes and aged in wood barrels for 15, 25, or 50 years. Prices often exceed \$50 per ounce. **Agrodolce -** Sweet and sour, typically used to refer to tastes in a dish or sauce. **A l Dente -** Al Dente means \"to the tooth\" is a phrase used to describe pasta cooked to the point of doneness or just before doneness. It is most often used for pasta, and describes a chewy pasta, or one that is cooked to just underdone before being added to another dish. **Al Forno -** Prepared in the oven **All\'aglio e Olio -** Garlic and oil. Often used to describe simple dishes like Spaghetti all\'aglio e olio **Antipasto --** An appetizer or small dish served before a meal **Biscotti --** Cooked twice. Most often used to refer to twice-cooked cookies, which are cooked in a roll and then sliced and cooked again. **Alla Bolognese --** In the style of Bologna. Usually used to refer to Bolognese sauce with slow-cooked meat and tomato. **Bresaola --** A traditional thinly sliced dried beef fillet served as antipasto **Bruschetta --** A toast with a topping. Bruschetta features large toast, crostini features small toast. **Cannoli --** Deep fried pastry tubes filled with cream **Alla Caprese --** In the style of Capri. Typically meaning \"with basil, tomato, olive oil, and mozzarella\". **Carpaccio --** Raw salted meat, sliced as thin as possible and pounded flat. **Formaggio -** Cheese **Frutti di Mare --** Seafood **Gamberi --** Shrimp **Gelato --**Italian ice cream **Alla Genovese --** In the style of Genoa, or \"with basil, garlic, and oil\" **Gnocchi --** Dumplings made of potato and flour, seminola, rice, or breadcrumbs **Granita --** A frozen icy desert **Integrale -** Whole wheat **Al Mattone --** A technique used to cook food under a brick so that it is flat and tender **Mozzarella di Bufala --** Mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk **Olive Oil --** Oil made from pressing olives. Extra Virgin is made from the first pressing and is the highest quality, Virgin from the second pressing. Oils with no \'virgin\' rating may be from third or fourth pressings or from combined batches of pressed olives. **Panzanella --** A traditional Italian salad made with toasted stale bread tomato, cucumber, basil, and olive oil. **Parmigiano-Reggiano --** Parmesan cheese, produced in the Parma region. Fine dining cheese will always have \"Parmigiano-Reggiano\" on the rind. **Peperoncino --** A hot chili **Pignoli --** Pine nuts **Pomodoro --** Tomato sauce **Primo --** In fine dining or traditional Italian, the first course **Prosciutto --** Ham. Prosciutto crudo is raw, prosciutto cotto is cooked. **Salumi --** Cured meats such as salami or prosciutto **Scaloppina -** A thin, pounded piece of meat. **Secondo --** In fine dining or traditional Italian, the second course **Spiedino --** Skewered meats **Ziti --** A tubular pasta, often served with a thick sauce **2.1.3 French Cooking** While French food is far from the most common cuisine in the world, French cooking terms are used in almost every traditional kitchen. While you will rarely find them in family owned restaurants, any establishment with a traditionally trained chef will use French cooking terms, as will their menu. French terms have bled over to nearly every cuisine, including Italian, because French culinary schools were considered the height of culture and refined dining through much of the previous two centuries. Today, we respect and look for cultural cooking from every culture, but you will find that many traditional restaurants still refer to French cooking and culinary terms. **A La -** \"In the Style of\" **A La Carte --** Menu items are priced and ordered separately **A La Mode --** Topped with ice cream **Amuse Bouche --** A small amount of food. Often found in fine dining catering, as appetizers, etc. **Beurre Manié -** A flower and butter mixture used to thicken liquids **Blanquette -** A stew made with lamb, chicken, or veal that has not been fried or browned before cooking **Bouillon --** Stock or broth as used in soup **Bouquet Garni --** A bouquet of herbs used to flavor soups and roasts, removed before serving **Canapé -** Small bread or biscuits with a topping **Chine --** Removing the backbone from ribs **Consommé -** A clear broth **Coulis -** (pronounced Coolee) - A thick sauce made from one primary ingredient. Usually used for fruit based sauces **Crêpes -** Traditional thin pancakes **Croquettes --** Balls or made of potato or thickened flour, breaded and fried in oil **Degorged --** Having extracted flavor from a meal to remove a strong or unpleasant taste. Often used with game such as deer **Demi-glace -** A rich brown sauce **Entrecôte -** Sirloin steak **Entrée -** The main course **Entremets -** Desert other than pastries **Escalops --** A thin slice of meat pounded to be thinner **Farce --** Stuffed **Flambe --** Flamed with alcohol **Frappé -** Iced or on a bed of ice **Fricassé -** A stew with white sauce **Hors d\'Oeuvres -** Appetizers. Sometimes used for the first course **Jus de Viande -** Natural juices from cooking meat **Jus Lié -** Gravy, usually thickened with starch or flour **Panade --** A thick mixture of flour, butter, and milk, often used as a base for dishes **Papillote --** Wrapped in paper for cooking **Parisiene --** Potatoes that have been molded into balls to be fried or roasted **Pâté -** A meat paste **Poussin -** A very young chicken, which is more tender **Ragoût -** A stew made with thickened flour and finely minced meat and stock **Réchauffée -** reheated Think back to the last menu you looked at? Did you see any of these terms on it? Chances are that even if it were a family restaurant with Pie A 'La Mode, you did. **2.1.4 Hispanic Cooking** Hispanic kitchens often use a variety of terms and phrases, many of which are unique to the restaurant. However, you can use this dictionary of common terms, outside of basic terms that most people know, to learn more about what you are likely to see on the menu. If you aren\'t familiar with Spanish or Mexican cooking, you will have to do additional research and learn the menu separately. **Aceite --** Oil **Adobo -** A seasoning paste with ground chile, vinegar, garlic, and other spices **Aguayón -** Sirloin steak **Aguja --** A chuck steak used in char broiling **Aioli -** A strong flavorful garlic mayonnaise mixture used for fish, meats and vegetables **Al carbón -** Cooked over charcoal or wood coals, usually in a grill or grill pit **A lambre -** Skewered meat and vegetables **Añejo -** Aged, as in aged cheese or aged wine **Antojito -** \"Whims\", used to refer to almost all corn tortilla foods like enchiladas, tacos, chalupas, taquitos, etc. These foods almost always feature a filling, and are often bought from street vendors, and served at parties and celebrations. **Aperitivo -** An appetizer **Arracheras -** Skirt steak **Adado --** Broiled **Bocadillo -** Finger foods **Borracho -** Foods cooked in alcohol **Campechana --** Seafood cocktail **Capeary --** Battered and fried **Carne --** Meat. Often used to refer to beef **Carne --** Meat. Often used to refer to beef **Carne Asada --** Broiled meat **Carta --** Menu **Carnitas -** Small meats. Usually slow cooked and then shredded or chopped and used as filling or for tacos **Cebiche / Ceviche -** Fish soaked in lime juice, which changes the chemical structure, but is not otherwise cooked. Typically sold as an appetizer. **Cecina --** Dried or partially dried beef pounded to paper thinness and served as an appetizer **Chicharrónes -** Fried pork skins **Desgrasar -** Grease or fat removed **Deshuesar -** Bones removed **Elote --** Fresh corn **Empanada -** A pastry with meat or fruit **Fideos -** Noodles or pasta **Mole --** A savory sauce or stew made of chocolate **Pinole --** Flower made from roasted corn **Pozole -** A soup made of corn, chile, and meat **Queso asadero -** Stringy soft cheese **Queso fresco --** Fresh cheese, often made in the restaurant **Rajas -** Sliced fried poblano chiles, **Sábana -** Tenderloin steak pounded thin and seared before serving **Torta --** A pie or a filled sandwich roll **2.1.5 Japanese Cooking** Asian cuisine and culture is complex, widely varied, and intrinsically different from culture to culture. Food is often deeply intertwined with culture and tradition, and serving methods and options are learned as a culture. For this reason, many Asian restaurants work to hire servers from their culture, who will already be familiar with terms and traditions, so that they can offer the type of service necessary to deliver the food. Should you find yourself working in a Japanese restaurant, you must learn a wide range of new terms and phrases, often interact with a kitchen staff who have been trained in China, Japan, India, or another part of South Asia, and will have to learn a great deal in a very short amount of time. In most cases, you are more likely to interact with Japanese cooking terms in fusion restaurants, which combine foods and cuisine from around the world. Some of the most common terms you will see include: **Agar Agar / Kanten --** A seaweed thickener used to make traditional deserts in Southeast Asia **Age --** Tofu **Daikon --** A root vegetable, like radish **Dashi --** A broth made of sea kale (kombu) and kezuri-bushi (dried, fermented tuna) **Edamame --** Fresh beans, typically soybeans **Enokiidake --** Small mushrooms with a delicate flavor that can be served raw or cooked in soups and stews. **Gari --** Pickled ginger **Kombu --** Dried kelp **Hijiki --** Kelp **Macha --** Green tea, sometimes dried and powdered. **Mirin --** A rice wine used for cooking that has a sweet flavor **Miso --** Fermented soybean paste that is salty in flavor **Mochi --** Flat rice cakes made from pounded gelatinous rice, eaten as desserts or snacks **Niboshi --** Dried sardines **Nori --** Dried algae, most commonly used for rolling sushi, or as garnish in soups and rice dishes **Renkon --** Lotus root, it has a taste similar to artichoke or boiled potato **Sake --** Rice wine for drinking **Satsuma-age --** Fish balls **Tamari --** Fermented soy sauce that is thicker and less salty than traditional soy sauce **Tempura --** Ingredients breaded and fried **Tsukemono --** Marinated vegetables that are usually picked or preserved. They are served as a side dish or garnish for entrees **Udon --** Thick wheat noodles most often served in a hot soup with clear broth ### 2.2 Diets, Allergies, and Picky Eaters While the large majority of diners and guests will eat the food as is and with no modifications, you will occasionally have to make changes to the order. This may be to accommodate a diet (possibly a medically necessary one), an allergy, or simply a personal food preference. However, no matter the cause, you must know what to do, how to change the order, and how you can make changes to the menu so that the kitchen can prepare a dish the diner will love. This necessitates knowing your menu, understanding workable substitutions in food, and understanding how to recommend dishes that meet the diner\'s preferences or specifications when their own dish doesn\'t work. **Diner:** *\"I would really love the ravioli but do you know what\'s in it? Cheese? I\'m allergic to cheese.\"* **Inexperienced Waiter:** *\"Yes, the ravioli have cheese and walnut\"* **Diner:** *\"Do you think you could take the cheese out for me?\"* **Waiter:*** \"I apologize but I don\'t think we can make the ravioli without cheese because they are batch prepared in the morning, may I interest you in one of our other dishes. For example, we have a lovely prosciutto tortellini\"* **Diner:** *\"I\'m a vegetarian\"* **Waiter:** *\"We also serve 3 mushroom tortellini with porcini, Portobello, and boletus. We normally serve it with a cheese sauce, but the chef also prepares it with a walnut and basil pesto. Does that sound like something you would like?\"* **Diner:** *\"No, I don\'t like mushrooms.\"* **Waiter:** \"*It\'s not quite the same as a filled pasta, but we serve a lovely spinach and squash rotolo, which is a stuffed pasta shell, with a sun-dried tomato sauce.\"* **Diner:** *\"That sounds interesting, I\'ll have that, thanks\"* While you are unlikely to encounter a diner who is allergic, with a special diet, and a picky eater, you can see how moving forward and offering another recommendation or suggestion based on what the diner wants to either find them a modification of the dish or help them choose another dish that they will enjoy just as much. Your responsibility and role in this will vary depending on why the diner wants modifications to their plate. However, by working with the diner to help them find a meal that meets their dietary needs, no matter the reason, you can leave a good impression and hopefully earn an extra tip for the trouble. You should know: - - - - - **2.2.1 Working with Allergies** An estimated 4% of the population suffer from food allergies, and you will undoubtedly encounter someone with special dietary needs. Food allergies vary in severity, and can range from simple swelling of the lips and tongue to severe medical issues such as respiratory problems, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severely allergic persons may suffer from anaphylaxis, resulting in lowered blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and even death. With no cure, avoidance is the only strategy for persons who are allergic to a food. More importantly, once they enter your restaurant and inform you of their allergy, it is legally your responsibility to ensure that their food does not contain something that could kill them. Dining in your restaurant, a guest relies on you to give them accurate information about the menu, to make correct recommendations for them, and to give them complete information, so that they are not at risk. This is important for several reasons. The first and most important is that if a diner tells you they are allergic to something and they are served that food anyway, they could be seriously harmed. Allergies can be debilitating or even fatal. The second is that once you are informed of the allergy, the restaurant becomes liable for any damage caused by an allergy. If you fail to inform the kitchen, you are personally liable. This means that if you serve a diner a food they are allergic to, they can take you, the restaurant, or both, to court and win damages. In the USA, restaurants failing to follow allergy guidelines given by a diner result in over \$25 million in lawsuit losses per year. Finally, helping someone with specific food requirements requires an element of professionalism, patience, and creative thinking. Many guests will understand you took extra time to help them and they will be grateful. Because many customers show their thanks when it comes time to tip, being helpful is in your best interest as well. *Pro Tip! Learn the ingredients for foods, starting with the most popular dishes so that you can offer recommendations around allergies. You won't memorize each ingredient in every single dish, but you should know some key ones -- gluten, nuts, dairy, shellfish, eggs, are the most common food allergies. Know which dishes contain these ingredients so you can let diners know right away if they declare any allergies or intolerances.* *The most common allergies include dairy (milk, cheese), eggs, peanuts, soy or soy beans, tree nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.), grains (Wheat, barley, rye, oats), fish, shellfish.* In some cases, people will choose restaurants that have very few options for them. For example, if a person were to come into an Italian restaurant with an egg and dairy allergy, you would quickly find that most of the menu is off limits to them because most dishes include cheese or milk, and any pasta or bread dish includes egg. **Consult the Kitchen --** If you don\'t know the answer to an allergy, you can consult with the kitchen to determine the best course of action. If you have a good relationship with the kitchen, you can consider doing this in advance. Discuss the best options to offer to diners based on common allergies, and find out what the chef says that he or she can prepare instead. Then, when a diner asks for a modification, you will be ready with an answer. **2.2.1.1 Special Protocol** Some restaurants have a specific protocol to follow in case of someone having an allergy. You should be aware of this and you should know how to follow procedure to ensure that it is met for the safety of the guest. If a restaurant has this protocol it will likely include adding an allergy warning to the ticket system, notifying the general manager or head waiter and having him or her sign off on the meal, and alerting the kitchen staff. **Cross Contamination:** Most kitchens will have some protocol to prevent cross contamination between foods when handling an order for someone with an allergy. However, if this protocol is skipped, an order may have trace amounts of a food that the diner is allergic to. Make sure that the kitchen is aware that the order is for someone with an allergy and not just a modification so that they can do their best to follow protocol. **Allergic Reactions:** Some restaurants maintain a first aid kit which can be used in case of an allergic reaction. If Benadryl or an Epipen are available, use them as needed depending on the severity of the allergy. Notify your manager immediately and call local emergency services for your country in the case of a severe anaphylactic reaction. Allergic reactions can occur from within minutes of consuming food to several hours after. The person may have swelling, redness, hives, difficulty breathing, slurred speech, dizziness, tingling lips, abdominal pain, or other symptoms. **Checklist for Taking an Order for an Allergic Person** - Double check with the kitchen that the order can be modified to exclude the allergy - Note that the person is allergic to something on the order. Use a different color pen if possible and underline the word. Allergic!!! - Double check the dish during the pass. Does it have anything the person is allergic to in it? If they are allergic to a spice or seasoning such as chili or black pepper, ask the kitchen to double check. - If you do not know what is in the dish, contact someone who does know. **2.2.2 Special Diets** Some people are on special diets for medical reasons such as food sensitivities while others follow diets such as veganism, vegetarianism, paleoism, etc., for their own personal reasons. Like allergies, food sensitivities can cause negative reactions, pain, discomfort, and even illness. It is important to pay attention to special requests and demands, because they may be medically necessary. Even if not, they are a preference of the diner, and your goal is to make the diner happy. Some restaurants offer special menus for gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, or other intolerances, but many do not and you will have to help guests find solutions on their own. **Celiac Disease:** About 5-10% of the population suffers from some form of Celiac disease which causes gluten intolerance. Here, the proteins in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. These proteins cause damage to the small intestine, which can cause abdominal pain, ulcers, weight loss, anemia, vitamin deficiencies, dermatitis, and over long-term exposure can cause serious secondary diseases. **Lactose Intolerance:** Lactose intolerance affects 10-95% of the population depending on ethnicity and region. Here, the body is unable to break down sugars in dairy, which can result in bloating, stomach cramping, diarrhea, nausea, flatulence, and vomiting. Food intolerance can cause stomach pain, cramps, bloating, skin rashes, dermatitis, cold symptoms, depression, muscle aches, joint pain, and a host of other symptoms. Working with guests to accommodate their food sensitivities helps them to avoid pain and discomfort, and will help to ensure that they appreciate you as a server. - What is the diner specifically sensitive to? - Have you made dietary requirements clear to the kitchen? - Confirm with the kitchen that special requirements have been followed during the pass - Ask for confirmation that the dish is as expected when delivering to the table **2.2.3 Picky Eaters** Some diners simply don\'t want what is on the menu and they don\'t want to go somewhere that offers what they want. They may have very specific eating habits, a large list of foods that they cannot or will not eat. This can be frustrating, especially if the diner does not like something that makes up a large percentage of your menu (such as tomato sauce and noodles in an Italian restaurant) but working with your diner to find them a meal that they are happy with will earn you their appreciation. - - - - Kids are among the pickiest eaters you will ever serve; however, it will rarely be your problem. In most cases, parents with picky eaters will order for their kids, tell you what they want to get, and will decide what is a good idea to order in advance. However, you may still have to modify existing menu items, tell parents what is on the food, tell kids what is on or in food, and work with children to find something that they will like or will want to order. Be prepared to answer questions, put up with some annoyance, and to do so without showing annoyance. Parents are aware when their kids are troublesome and they will tip you for taking care of it with poise. ### 2.3 Meats, Cheese, and all the Trimmings As a waiter, food is your job. Depending on the establishment, you may be expected to have a full knowledge of the menu and be able to wax poetic on the values of the deer used in the restaurant\'s venison escalope, or you may be able to get by with a bare minimum of knowledge. However, no matter the preferences of the restaurant, familiarizing yourself with food, how it is prepared, and how it is served can help you to be a better waiter. Being able to help your guest make the right choices allows you to offer better service, resulting in a happier guest and a better tip. Being able to talk with passion about a dish will help you upsell, will improve your professionalism, and will make the customer feel as though they are getting a luxury experience and possibly even learning something. Meat and cheese are two staples of dining in western cuisine, and this quick crash course will help you to better understand cuts of meat, pairings, and trimmings. You can use this to offer better recommendations, explain pricing and food choices, and make better choices for your diners. *Pro Tip! If you must explain a food, phrase it like an insider secret. People love knowing things not everyone else does!* **2.3.1 Beef** Beef is often one of the most popular meats, ordered in restaurants as a luxury meal, and often the most expensive meat in the restaurant. Understanding beef cuts will help you to recommend the best choice for a diner: **Chuck** Front Shoulder This is the lowest cost meat, and is best used for pot roast, roasts, chuck steak, chuck eye steak, medallions, and boneless short ribs. The chuck is flavorful but typically lower in fat and therefore dryer than other parts of the cow. ----------------- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Brisket** Chest Brisket is only suitable for slow cooking due to large amounts of muscle and sinew, which must be cooked off. This cut is popular for slow grilling and stews. **Fore Shank** Front Leg Typically only used in slow roasts due to its dryness. **Rib eye** Ribs This is one of the most expensive parts of the cow because the meat is marbled with rich fats that melt while cooking, leaving soft, tender meat. **Short Loin** Middle back Usually the most expensive part of the cow, with popular cuts like porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, tenderloin roast, and tenderloin steak. These cuts are fatty and tender, even with short cook periods. **Short Plate** Belly The short plate is only used for skirt steak, which is typically only used when marinated or grilled. This cut is very chewy unless cooked carefully to break down fibers. It is most commonly used for fajitas and grilled steak. **Sirloin** Back The sirloin is cut into tri tip steak, tri tip roast, and boneless top sirloin steak. This is a medium value cut, and is more tender than the chuck but less than the short loin. **Flank** Abdomen and Buttocks Used to make flank steak, which is prized for its rich flavor, but must be carefully tenderized and cooked. Because this cut is small, it's often expensive. **Round** Rump The round is the largest part of the cow, and offers cuts including top round steak, bottom round roast, eye round steak, eye round roast, round tip steak, sirloin tip roast, sirloin tip steak, and side steak. Most of the round must be slow cooked or prepared with acidic marinade or tenderizing to make it soft. **2.3.2 Pork** Pigs are smaller than cows and therefore contain fewer cuts, but location and meat cuts affect the taste, flavor, and tenderness of the meat. Pork is less popular in restaurants but is still very common. Most pig has a high percentage of fat, making it flavorful and tender -- but also enabling it to be used to bard other meats. For example, a chicken breast barded with bacon is a very common dish. Shoulder The shoulder is tough, low in fat, and must be tenderized or slow cooked to achieve tenderness. Cuts include Boston butt, shoulder, butt, black steak, sausage, and ground pork. ----------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leg Front legs are sold as picnic hams or roasts. Back legs are sold as hams or roasts. These meats are very fatty and flavorful, but most often not sold without curing. Fat Back A very fatty section of the pig just over the shoulder. This is typically used to produce lard, baking fat, or to flavor other cuts. Lardo sausage is made from this cut. Loin A long thick muscle used to prepare roasts. The thin strip of muscle along the backbone, the tenderloin, is the most prized and is often an expensive roast or grill cut. This cut is tender but can be dry if not prepared properly. Spareribs The section of ribs used for baking and grilling. A large amount of fat makes this meat extremely tender when prepared correctly. Bacon The fatty section of the ribs used for creating bacon **2.3.3 Fowl and Poultry** Fowl and poultry include nearly every type of bird, from the domestic chicken to the exotic peacock and everything in between. Depending on your restaurant, you may see birds including duck, quail, ostrich, pheasant, and a variety of others. Because birds can only be divided into breast, wing, drumstick, thigh, and leg cuts, which you are most likely already familiar with, you should take some time to learn about common poultry and fowl served in restaurants in addition to the common chicken. Duck Duck meat is characterized by a rich flavor, dark meat, and very greasy texture. This meat is typically served roasted to burn off some of the fat and will often be accompanied by a sauce or glaze to break up the rich taste. Many restaurants serve drumsticks, whole duck, and breast cuts. ---------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey Turkeys are not always available in restaurants but cuts such as the breast or drumstick are common. The meat is lean, dry if improperly prepared, but flavorful and lends itself well to most types of dishes. Quai Quail are small, succulent birds which are typically prepared whole due to their size, but fatty and delicate in flavor. Quail are often considered a delicacy and are most often roasted or fried. Pheasant Pheasant is a game bird with a delicate flavor that must be cooked carefully to preserve. Most restaurants prepare pheasant with herbs and butter to add to the flavor. Pigeon Pigeon is most commonly found in European and Middle Eastern cuisine, where it's referred to as 'squab' in culinary terms. It's usually only young pigeons whose meat is used, and it's considered a delicacy. The flavor is similar to that of dark chicken meat, but richer and fattier. Grouse Grouse are a game bird with a slight gamey flavor, often served with wild ingredients such as nuts, wild rice, or water chestnuts. Grouse are rare outside of hunting areas, and are generally only on fine dining or regional menus where they are in supply. **2.3.4 Other Meat** Depending on your location and the cuisine served by your restaurant, you may see any of a variety of different types of meat. Lamb While not rare, lamb is significantly less common in many kitchens than other types of meat. Lamb has a very distinctive taste which some diners find unpleasant, but which is crucial to many European dishes. Lamb is used in nearly every cuisine to some extent. Cuts are similar to that of the cow. --------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rabbit Rabbit is very popular with chefs due to its mild flavor, which lends well to nearly any cuisine, but it's less popular with diners. Venison Venison is typically prepared like steak and offers similar texture. However, deer has a gamey taste and can be tough if not prepared correctly. It's most commonly found in Canada, the U.S., and in Scandinavia. Goat A strong meat with a hint of natural spiciness, goat is popular in many cuisines, especially in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Like rabbit, chefs generally love to prepare goat, but few diners will order it on their own. Bison Bison is prepared like beef, and has a similar taste and texture, but with a richer flavor. It's most common in North America, in mountainous regions. Bison is sometimes regarded as 'cowboy cuisine'. **2.3.5 Cured Meat** Many restaurants offer a variety of cold cured meats as appetizers and even entrees, and you should be familiar with them. However, cured meats will change a great deal from cuisine to cuisine, so it is always a good idea to check what is available at your restaurant specifically. **Whole Muscle** Whole muscle cured meats are typically salt or smoke cured and served in paper (or thinner) thin slices. These meats retain the vast majority of the original texture or structure of the meat and are often cured or prepared for months before serving. Popular whole muscle cured meats include ham, prosciutto, pancetta, speck, coppa, and many more. **Encased** Encased meats are typically chopped, and used to fill a casing, alongside a variety of fats, fillers, herbs, and spices. Encased meats include traditional meats like salami, fuet, chorizo, mortadella, and many more. These meats lose the texture of their original cut, and take on a softer, chewier structure as they dry. In most cases, the meat fully absorbs the spices and flavorings used in the casing, changes color, and may taste nothing like the original meat. **2.3.6 A Crash Course in Cheese** Cheese is one of the world\'s favorite foods. In the Australia, the average person consumes 12 pounds of cheese per year, in the USA that rises to 25, and in Europe, that number rises to 43! Unless you work in a restaurant primarily serving foods from Southeast Asia, you are likely to offer a variety of cheeses and cheese based foods on the menu. While the origins of cheese are all similar, milk is curdled into whey with rennet, processed into cheese, and then aged -- there are thousands of different types of cheeses which offer a complex array of tastes, flavors, and textures. Understanding the cheese on the menu, what makes each cheese special, and how to describe it will help you as a waiter. *Pro Tip! Many restaurants offer meat and cheese platters. Trying one will give you the opportunity to test every cheese in the restaurant. However, with a registered list of 1,778 types of unique cheeses, you probably won\'t ever be able to try every cheese in the world.* **Brie --** A soft cheese named for the region in France where it was first made, brie is similar in appearance to camembert cheese, but it has a higher fat content making it richer and creamier. Brie is mild in flavor, and can be used in desserts or savory dishes. **Camembert --** This cheese originated from Normandy, France and has a mild, mushroom-like flavor. True, raw-milk, camembert is rarely found in the USA because the 3-week aging process makes it difficult to export internationally, but it is one of the most popular cheeses in Europe. **Cheddar --** European cheddar is dry, sharp, and tangy, American cheddar is smooth, rich, and creamy. Both are often found in restaurants on food and on cheese plates. Good cheddar is typically aged a minimum of one year, but as long as a decade **Parmigiano-Reggiano --** Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard cheese with a deep nutty flavor sold for use on pasta, pizza, salad, and soup. While many restaurants offer \'parmesan\', this is rarely Parmigiano-Reggiano, merely a similar hard, crumbly cheese. **Roquefort --** A mild blue cheese popular as an appetizer or with an aperitif. This cheese is sometimes melted into food, or served crumbled into salad. Because of its potency, it's not served in large quantities and usually used as an accent in dishes. Roquefort is made from sheep's milk, and comes from the South of France. It has a sharp and tangy flavor. **Stilton --** Stilton cheese is a popular blue or white cheese, known for its distinctive flavor and crumbly texture. It's often describes as being salty and smoky, but is very strong in both taste and odor. It is often found melted into dishes or sold as part of a cheese platter. **Mozzarella --** A fresh, mild cheese originating from Italy, this cheese can be made from water buffalo or cow\'s milk. In the USA, mozzarella is often aged for a much dryer, denser structure. **Cotija --** A white Mexican cheese, similar in texture to feta when young but as it ages, it becomes dryer and nuttier. Cotija is often grated and served on top of food. Cotija is often found crumbled on tacos or salads in Mexican cuisine. It's salty and dry, and is a cross between feta and parmesan in flavor. **Feta --** Feta is a white sheep or goat milk cheese originating from Greece, but now produced worldwide. The cheese is tangy and fresh, and is used in food and pasta or served raw. **Emmental --** Emmental is a sharp, tangy cheese originating from Switzerland and made with cow\'s milk. In the USA, this cheese is most often known as \"Swiss Cheese\", and is known for its distinctive holes. **Gouda/Dutch Cheese --** Dutch cheese, known as Gouda in the USA, is a soft to hard cheese made exclusively in the Netherlands. It is popular around the world as a salad cheese when aged and for melting when young. **Taleggio -** Taleggio is the world\'s oldest soft cheese, and is often found on cheese platters or melted into food. True taleggio can be expensive, because it is hand washed repeatedly to produce a distinctive rind and flavor. Taleggio is an Italian soft cheese that has a mild flavor with just a hint of fruitiness. Despite its mild taste, it is considered very strong in odor. **Manchego --** Manchego is a buttery, rich Spanish cheese made from sheep\'s milk. Manchego cheeses are typically only served in cheese platters and in traditional Spanish restaurants. **2.3.7 Pairing Trimmings** Trimmings are typically plant based, but not necessarily, and can include salads, vegetable dishes, grains, fruit, and a wide variety of other dishes. They can range from the simple to the complex, and many will be dishes in their own right. Some fine dining establishments or steakhouses will offer meats separate from any side dishes, and diners may ask you to make recommendations for pairings. This will really depend on your menu and how each trimming is flavored and prepared. In general, you want to strike a balance. If your guest is having a steak with blue cheese, and a full bodied red wine to go with it, a safe bet is to suggest a mild and subtle side dish, such as mashed potato, cauliflower puree, or a simple salad with vinaigrette. In this case, the meat is really the star of the show, and it will already be competing with the strong flavor of the blue cheese, and the heaviness of the wine. To give the palette a break, you'd want to suggest either a mild side dish or something bright and acidic to take the edge off the richness of the meat, cheese and wine components. On the contrary, if your guest has chosen a cheese platter with mostly subtle cheeses, suggest an accompaniment that packs more flavor. Perhaps a tray of smoked meats to compliment the cheese, some briny olives or pickled vegetables, or an herb focaccia bread to pack more of a punch. There are some unwritten rules about how to pair trimmings, but they really depend on the individual. Generally speaking, you wouldn't pair a fish dish with potatoes or grains, you'd instead choose vegetables or rice. Or, it's considered wrong in many cuisines to pair seafood with cheese of any kind. Get to know how each side dish is prepared, seasoned, and what kind of flavors it has, and you'll be able to make thoughtful recommendations that your diners will appreciate. *Pro Tip! If your restaurant offers multiple side-dish options with each meal, ask the chef for recommendations for each. Start with the best-selling dishes, you don\'t have to ask about everything at once.* ### 2.4 Pastry and Desserts -- the Icing on the Cake! Most people love dessert. Unfortunately, most people also go to a restaurant with the impression that dessert is wasteful, gluttonous, and fattening. While some of these are true, others are not. A traditional meal includes a dessert, and when planned for, it can be the finishing touch to a complete meal. Where selling meat and cheese often simply requires knowing what it is and why the diner would want it over something else, selling desserts means knowing what things taste like and how to describe them. Your goal with dessert is not to simply sell what something is or where it comes from, but to sell taste, flavor, texture, and temptation. What do you think of when you hear the words, "decadent", "creamy", "rich", "candied", "glazed"? Most people would immediately conjure up an image of a delicious cake or dessert. Our human psychology associates sweets and desserts with indulgence, and unlike other foods, we use words like "desire", "lust", "crave" when we talk about cookies, chocolate, ice cream, and cake. So when it's time to sell your dessert menu, the best way to convince your guest to indulge, is via temptation. Consider the following example **Waiter:** *\"Would you like a dessert?\"* **Diner:** *\"I don\'t know, what do you have?\"* **Waiter:** *\"We have chocolate cake, tiramisu, and panna cotta\"* **Diner:*** \"I\'m good, thanks\"* Or\" **Waiter*:**** \"May I interest you in our house special, a torta caprese? It\'s a soft, buttery chocolate and almond cake, served with our fluffy chocolate vanilla whipped cream.\"* **Diner:** *\"I don't know, this was a big meal\"* **Waiter:** *\"What about something lighter then? We offer a small tiramisu with dark chocolate ganache and just a hint of mascarpone cream, it\'s served warm so the cream can melt into the cake\"* **Diner:** *\"That does sound really good\.... ok, what the heck - I\'ll take one!* Use adjectives and descriptors to sell your desserts. "Vanilla cake" sounds boring and wouldn't tempt anyone, but "a light vanilla spongecake with layers of lemon buttercream and white chocolate swirls" may get someone's heartbeat racing. However, it is important to respond to cues and stop when the diner definitely says \"No, not interested\" *Pro Tip! Always recommend the most often ordered item, unless it\'s not the best thing. If you can say \"house favorite\" diners will be more likely to think it\'s good idea. Why? By insinuating that everyone orders it, you make the diner feel better about themselves for ordering it.* **2.4.1 Dictionary of Desserts** **Custard --** Custard is a thick, rich sauce made of milk, cream, and egg yolks. It must be cooked to perfection in order to be edible, but is often served in pastry shells, over foods, and on its own. Crème Brûlée is one of the most popular custards, with a creamy custard base topped by a crunchy caramel, often flamed to harden into a crunchy coating. **Pie --** Pie is world famous for its rich, buttery crust, sweet filling, and wide variety of tastes and textures. In the United States, fruit and berry pies are often the most popular. In Europe, cream and yogurt based pies are more common. **Pudding --** Pudding is a thick, flour thickened dessert, often characterized by strong flavors and aromas. Bread pudding is a thicker variety with more texture. Pudding is typically served in layered desserts or on its own. **Sorbet --** Sorbet is a water-based dessert typically made of frozen fruit juice similar to ice cream. It is very popular in summer. **Tiramisu --** Tiramisu is one of the world\'s most popular desserts, and features layers of whipped cream, lady finger pastry, and custard. Tiramisu is often sold with coffee, and may be coffee flavored itself. **Flan --** Flan is an open rimmed pastry filled with a soft filling such as pastry cream, cheese, and fruit. In the UK, flan and tart are synonymous. Savory flan such as quiche is also available. **Churros --** Churros are mostly popular in Mexican, Mediterranean and U.S cuisines. They are deep fried tubes of dough, dusted in sugar and cinnamon, and most often dipped into chocolate or dulce de leche sauces. **2.4.1 Pastry** Pastry is a dough made of flour, sugar, water, and lard or butter. Pastry is made in many different types, which are used as a base for many different types of desserts. Puff pastry, strudel pastry, and short crust are the most popular. These are used to make desserts including: **Strudel:** A layered pastry dessert synonymous with Austrian cuisine, most commonly contains fruit filling. **Profiterole / Cream puffs:** Also called choux à la crème in France, these are small pastry balls filled with cream or custard **Baklava:** is a popular dessert in Greece and throughout the Middle East, made from layers of filo pastry - a thin translucent sheet of dough. It also contains nuts, honey, and syrup. **Croquembouche:** is a French dessert made up of pastry balls piled into a cone, and held together with threads of caramel **Danish Pastry:** as the name suggests, was originated in Denmark, and is made of puff pastry, glazed, and usually stuffed with sweet cheese, fruit filling, or chocolate. **Mille-Feuille/Napoleon:** A delicate dessert with multiple layers of custard cream sandwiched between thin sheets of puff pastry Pastry is highly versatile but is often defined by its cooking method and filling. You can upsell it by describing \"buttery flakey crust\", \"Crunchy exterior\", etc. **2.4.2 Cake** Cake is the world\'s most well-known dessert and like pastry, it ties into hundreds of different types of desserts. Nearly every culture has some form of cake and incarnations range from sweet variations of breads to impossibly light and airy sweet confections. **Babka:** A sweet yeast cake popular in Eastern Europe, babkas can be flavored with chocolate or spices like cinnamon or poppy. They are usually a dry cake, but can be topped with melted icing sugar or cinnamon sauce. Babka goes perfectly with coffees and teas **Cheesecake --** Cheesecake is a layered dessert consisting of sweetened creamy cheese and cookie or pastry base. This cake is popular in almost every cuisine, with different types and varieties in each. **Sponge Cake --** Sponge cakes are made using whipped egg, sugar, and flour. Angel Food Cake is a sponge cake, as is Strawberry Shortcake. Sponge cakes are very light, airy, and moist. **Butter Cake --** A cake made with creamed butter, sugar, egg, and flour. These are the classic cake most people think of when they hear \'cake\'. **Gateau --** The French word for cake, adopted throughout Europe to refer to decorated cakes with fillings or toppings. For example, a Blackforest Gateau is a lavish chocolate cake with layers of chocolate, cherries, and cream. **Flourless Cakes --** Flourless cakes include popular items such as chocolate cakes, torta caprese, and custard pies. These cakes are made with egg and a thickening agent. However, they are not true cakes. **Layer Cakes --** Layer cakes are simply cakes made up of multiple layers of cake, typically with filling or fruit in between. **2.4.3 Other Desserts and Terminologies** There's a lot to learn in the world of pastry and desserts, and we won't cover it all, but we'd be remiss not to teach you these other common dishes, ingredients, and components. **Ganache:** A chocolate sauce made from pouring hot cream over chocolate, and then stirring and blending until smooth. It's used as an icing for cakes, but can also be poured into a mold and cooled, and sliced or crumbled over desserts. **Streusel:** A crumbly topping for cakes and pies, streusel is made from flour, butter, and sugar. It is rich and buttery, and has a crunchy texture. Vanilla, cinnamon, or other flavors can be added to suit any dessert. **Marzipan:** Often used in candies, truffles, and cakes, marzipan is made from almond paste, honey, sugar, and eggs, but can be flavored with vanilla, orange, chocolate or any other seasoning. It has a distinct almond flavor. **Mousse:** This term refers to the texture and consistency of a creamy dessert that is similar to pudding, but less dense. Mousse is often made from chocolate, but can also be made from fruit, coffee, vanilla, etc. It's made with eggs whites and whipped cream, and is extremely light and airy. **Meringue:** Quite simply, meringue is made from whipped egg whites and sugar. Once hardened, it can be eaten on its own, or used to decorate cakes. It has a crunchy and texture, but is actually very airy and fluffy. **Dulce de Leche:** A sauce or confection originating from Latin America, made from sweetened milk that has been heated slowly for many hours. It's similar to caramel in consistency, taste, and appearance, but dulce de leche is silkier, lighter, and creamier. ### 2.5 A Culinary Trip Around the World Food is often defined by where it is from, and an understanding of different cuisines can help you to recognize where foods are from, what they should taste like, and how to describe them. The first and most important consideration is that we live in a day and age where nearly every cuisine has been inspired by another. Many of the variations of food that we get in restaurants are not quite authentic, but are rather modified to work in the climate, with the foods available, and in the region where it is being served. For example, Chinese food is different in nearly any region you might go to. However, food develops around culture for a variety of reasons, inspired by cooking techniques available to the culture, the amount of leisure time people can use to develop new recipes and cooking techniques, and the foods that are available. This quick look at popular cultures and their foods will give you an idea of what to expect from each, but don\'t take our word for it. The only real way to experience a cuisine is to try it and that means going out and eating it, or making yourself. Why would you want to know? As a server, you are literally selling your menu. Knowing what the food tastes like, how to describe it, and what goes into the food will give you the tools to do so. **2.5.1 French** From ratatouille to Bœuf bourguignon, French is the haute couture cuisine that most of us think of when we consider \'fine dining\'. Most of the French food we know and love today developed during the height of the French empire, and was perfected in the late 1890s, most famously at the Savoy hotel. Today, this \'haute cuisine\' is famous for natural flavors, rich buttery textures, and a combination of perfected technique and complex preparation methods. But French cuisine is also currently undergoing a kind of renaissance, where rustic peasant dishes are being given the same respect as some of its more refined offerings. Though a small country by some standards, the diverse regions of France shine through its cuisine, as recipes and ingredients vary by city and even town. **2.5.2 Italian** Italian cuisine is built around social culture, from the rolling of dough in the kitchen to eating around a family table. As such, meals are often large, communal, and based on feel-good foods like pasta, cheese, and sausage. While pizza and pasta are worldwide favorites, Italy has a rich history of cuisine and fine dining, with a huge variety of regional foods, breads, and ingredients. Italian food incorporates fish, poultry, dried and cured meats, and a large amount of fresh herbs and vegetables, often cooked down into stock and fillings. **2.5.3 Spanish** Spanish cuisine offers a wide variety between regional dishes, spanning from fresh seafood dishes along the coast, to meat (often poultry and rabbit) topped rice dishes popular in the interior. Spanish culture often blends other cultural food, including French, Turkish, Germans, Arabs, and many others -- creating a blend of ingredients and cooking techniques not found elsewhere. Paella (rice and seafood), gazpacho (raw vegetable soup), cured meats, chuletillas (lamb or goat ribs), and many other dishes are popular not only in Europe, but in overseas restaurants. Tapas is a Spanish appetizer or small side dish, but has now evolved into an entire dining experience, where friends order several tapas plates and share them among one another. (The best part of Spanish paella, is the crunchy bottom of slightly burned rice.) **2.5.4 Chinese** While intensely popular around the world, Chinese restaurants vary significantly in offerings, authenticity, and ingredients. Many use regional variations of popular dishes, integrating cabbage, rice, thin dough, pork, chicken, and poultry to create a variety of flavors and tastes. Chinese food traditionally combines rich, tangy, and sweet textures, uses heavy sauces and marinades, and combines multiple foods into a single dish. Popular examples include stir fry or wok, egg rolls, dumplings, spring rolls, Peking roasted duck, sweet and sour pork, and many others. A popular type of Chinese food is Dim Sum -- a brunch meal that features small portioned dishes of steamed buns, dumplings, congee, and noodle rolls, and is served with tea. **2.5.5 British** British cuisine can vary from relaxed to refined, but is almost always hearty, rich in texture and flavor, and reliant on wheat or potatoes. Haute cuisine focuses on rich cuts of meat including game, combined with exacting cooking techniques, light sauces, and pastry. Beef wellington, fish pies, custard, mince pie, and mutton cutlets, wildfowl, and many other dishes are all popular. British cuisine features heavy influences from Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Mediterranean, and its also the birthplace of new fusions, as families continue to immigrate and settle in the U.K. **2.5.6 Caribbean** Caribbean food is characterized by rich flavors relying on local ingredients such as plantains, sweet potatoes, tropical fruit, and spices. While well known for roasted stews and meats, cultures vary a great deal from island to island. Many modern dishes are also heavily influenced by French and British cuisine due to earlier colonization. One of the most popular Caribbean dishes is Jamaican Jerk Chicken, chicken that is covered in a spice rub and blackened on the grill. Caribbean food also uses a lot of curries and spices that pack bold flavors, similar to Indian cooking. In many savory dishes, fruit is also used to give sweetness and depth. (Barbequed meats are popular in Caribbean cuisine, and can be very spicy!) **2.5.7 Mediterranean** Mediterranean cuisine is characterized by olives, wheat, and grapes, often found in the region around the Mediterranean Sea. Of these, Greek food is the most popular. Dishes are often light, and heavy on vegetables and meat or beans rather than pasta or bread, with a mix of spices, tastes, and textures. Foods are often heavily spiced, and are influenced by Turkish and Arab cuisine. Popular dishes include kebabs, pilaf, caponata, gyros, tzatziki, and many more. (Pita bread is a staple of Mediterranean cuisine, and can be stuffed with kebabs, salad, or dipped in olive oil.) **2.5.8 Mexican** Mexican food blends the ingredients and cooking techniques of indigenous tribes with those of Spanish conquistadors to create a unique cuisine. Often very light, fresh, and flavorful, Mexican cuisines can be served as fine dining, but are often more relaxed, socially oriented plates. While Antojito like tacos and enchiladas are the most well-known, Mexican cuisine offers a rich variety of dishes such as mole, pozole, Adobo, barbacoa, tamales, and many more. Mexican cuisine is more than tacos and nachos, its recipes are handed down from generations past, and contain a rich history and complex flavors that take years to perfect. In particular, the Mole sauce is considered sacred to many Mexican people, and this single sauce can have up to 30 ingredients, and require hours of cooking time before it reaches optimal darkness and full-bodied flavor. (Corn and chicken tamales are wrapped in corn husks during the cooking process, to keep flavors locked in.) **2.5.9 Indian** South Asian cuisines are diverse, flavorful, and often slow-cooked to per

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