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Hospitality training ←

Food & Drink

The bill puzzle

Eleven schoolmates go on a weekend trip together to a popular tourist destination in the east. One of the group has made a reservation at a well-known restaurant. It is Saturday night and there are many people in the restaurant. Everything goes well with the group, they enjoy the dinner and are happy with the service. Then they ask for the bill and explain that they want to split the payment. They ask that everyone in the group gets an individual bill for the dishes they ordered. The waiter gets upset and says that they should have specified that when they ordered the table. He says that it is very difficult to do what they are asking and he does not know what to do now because the system does not allow him to split the payment. One of the guests suggests that the waiter could enter the orders manually into the system, but the waiter replies that it is too difficult for him to add up that many numbers. In order to avoid any inconvenience, the group eventually decides that one of them will pay the full price, and then they will split the payment equally between them.

The questions

  • Is it necessary for guests to immediately state that they want to split the payment when they reserve a table at a restaurant?
  • What skills do you think the waiter lacks?
  • How could he have solved the problem and be more considerate?
  • Do you think the solution was completely satisfying for the guests? Why (not)?
  • What could have been improved in the waiter's communication with the guests?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

Eggs, bacon and broken glasses

An employee at a breakfast buffet has had a rough shift to say the least. Despite trying her best to refill the breakfast buffet, it gets emptied so quickly that she cannot manage to keep up. Hungry hotel guests wait at the buffet for breakfast and complain about the wait. Eventually, a guest storms into the kitchen where the staff is busy preparing the food and complains about the waiting time. He was running late and didn't get any eggs and bacon. After apologizing for this inconvenience, the breakfast lady is carrying a tray of glasses into the hall when she trips and the glasses break in front of the hotel guests. She rushes to sweep it up but cuts herself in the process and wonders when this horrible shift will actually end.

The questions

  • When you've had a hard day at work, how can you take care of yourself?
    • This applies to both staff and supervisors
  • If you notice your colleagues dealing with difficult guests or experiencing difficult situations at work, how can you provide support?
    • If you are a manager, how can you support an employee?
  • Is it possible to form a support network in the workplace, where staff can seek support from other colleagues or a supervisor when needed?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The wait for a table

An English couple in their fifties are driving around Borgarnes and decide to go to a restaurant. The restaurant is buzzing with life and the couple waits for someone to welcome them. They are standing by a sign that says "Wait here until we find a table for you". Only a few waiters are there and all of them are busy so they pay no attention to the couple. The couple quickly become impatient but they continue to wait around. They try to make eye contact with the staff but are not noticed. A few employees notice the couple, but since everyone is busy, they hope that someone else will be able to greet the couple. The guests give up and leave a few minutes after they arrived, before the staff has a chance to welcome them. As a result, they write a very negative review on Tripadvisor. The owner responds to the complaint and apologizes.

The questions

  • What are your first thoughts when you hear about this example?
  • What do you think of the couple's reaction?
  • How could this have been prevented?
    • Could this have been solved easily?
  • Have you ever felt that you were not greeted or that the service staff did not notice you? If so, give an example.
    • How did you feel?
  • Reflect on the importance of reviews for the business – and the ripple effect of negative reviews.

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The misplaced order – Part 1

A family of four from Iceland arrives at a restaurant at 12:30 and has a table booked. They are greeted by a friendly waitress who directs them to a table that has been set. The waitress hands the guests a menu. She is cheerful and chats with the guests. It doesn't take long until the waitress returns and brings the guests water and bread. She notes that the bread is homemade, that the butter is whipped and that Icelandic salt has been sprinkled over the bread. Then a large group arrives and the restaurant fills up. The waitress goes to help the group, but then comes back to the table where the family is sitting and takes their order. The drinks are served shortly after. Forty minutes later, however, the family still hasn't received their food. The mother decides to ask the waitress about it. The waitress discovers that the order never ended up in the kitchen since she had gotten distracted by the other guests.

The questions

Pause here and ask the group: How would you react?

The situational case continues in Part 2 below.

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The misplaced order – Part 2

The waitress is really sorry and says: "I sincerely apologize that this happened! The food will be on the house. I have spoken to the kitchen and they say the food will be ready in about 15 minutes. I promise that it will taste even better now that you have waited so long for it.” The family laughs and, despite being a little disappointed, are happy about the offered solution. The waitress adds, "Can I get you some more bread while you wait?" I'll get more water for you." When leaving the restaurant, the family thanks the waitress for the good service, telling her that she handled the situation very well and they look forward to coming back another time.

The questions

  • Imagine you are the guests. Everyone is hungry upon arrival at the restaurant. How would you react?
    • Has this ever happened to you? As a guest or as a waitress/waiter?
      • How was the problem dealt with and what was the outcome?
      • How did you feel?
  • The family tells the waitress that she had handled the situation very well.
    • How was it handled well?
    • How could she have handled it differently? (40 minutes went by before discovering)
  • Reflect on what happened before the the family discovered that their order had not been placed.
    • Do you think the service given might have impacted how they felt afterwards?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The price problem

A group of people are eating in a restaurant in the city center. This is the first time they visit Iceland, so they want to taste a variety of typical dishes. They ask the waiter for a recommendation, and he tells them about some high-quality dishes that are the speciality of the house. They follow the waiter's recommendation and decide to order them all to share. After eating, the customers, visibly satisfied, ask for the bill. When the waiter brings them the bill, the guests are shocked by the price and complain. The waiter, without paying much attention to them, interrupts their complaints and tells them that the dishes are of first quality, that they should have thought before ordering so much food and that it is evident that they had enjoyed the food without worrying about the price. The guests leave the restaurant upset.

The questions

  • When is the right time to inform guests about the prices of dishes?
  • Is it the guests' responsibility to ask about the prices or is it the waiter's responsibility to inform the guests?
  • What do you think of the attitude of the waiter towards the customers?
  • List the mistakes the waiter made when taking the guest's complaint.
  • What would have been the best response in this situation?
  • Do you think the guests will recommend the restaurant?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The telephone trouble

A group of senior citizens goes to a restaurant to celebrate together. They book a three-course meal and plan to stay for two hours for the meal. They arrive before rush hour, and everything is preordered as a group menu. Three waiters are serving. In addition to the senior citizens, there is one family and one couple in the restaurant and they have already received their order. One of the waiters takes the senior citizens to a table and brings them a menu. Several minutes later, one of the group asks for a glass of water and another asks for the wine menu. The waiter nods, but then starts chatting with his colleague about the trouble he had with his phone. The employees chat directly in front of the guests. One of the guests tries to contact the waiter by raising his hand, which the co-worker notices and points out to his colleague.

The questions

  • What is your opinion on this case? How would you have reacted if you were a guest?
  • Could the table have been prepared in a different way to meet the needs of the group?
  • What aspects of the employee’s behavior might provoke the customers?
  • What is it that the employee lacks awareness of with regards to client satisfaction?

 

Situational case developed by Enterprised.

The knowledgeable waiter

A group of friends decide to treat themselves and spend three nights in the countryside. The only thing they know about the town is that it has a great museum. That evening they rush to a nearby restaurant. They are immediately greeted and offered seats. The waiter notices that the guests are tourists who don't know much about the town and its surroundings. He asks them if they are going to check out the town. He also asks if they have decided what they want to see. When he realizes that the group has no plans, he tells the guests about the main places nearby that are popular. The group admires the way the waiter is able to share this valuable information without disrupting the meal. They also admire that the waiter is able to tell them about each dish and explain which ingredients are from the local area. What dampens this visit is that the group watches the people at the next table waiting for service! The restroom in the restaurant also has no towels or paper towels to dry off and the sink is dirty.

The questions

  • Why is it important for the waiter to immediately identify guests' expectations and wishes for their journey?
  • How does it affect the guests and their experience of the restaurant if the waiter recommends interesting destinations?
  • What do you need to keep in mind when recommending places of interest to guests? Is everyone able to do that?
  • What problems can it cause when staff give one customer too much time at the expense of another?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Compliments to staff

A happy guest sends an email to the owner of the guesthouse to thank the employee. The guest receives a positive response to the email from the guesthouse owner and the employee receives a copy. The email reads: "Greetings, My mother and I stayed one night at your guesthouse from the 15th-16th of August. The room was very nice and all the facilities were good. Our expectations were completely exceeded by the cheerful and helpful woman serving the breakfast buffet. She told us about fun places to see. I also overheard her helping others. This kind of staff makes the visit pleasant and memorable."

The questions

  • What effect does such a compliment have on the breakfast buffet employee?
  • How does this kind of review affect workplace morale?
  • Think about what the effect would be if there were complaints and insults in the email.

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The displeased tour guide

A situational case from an employee's point of view: "Today we had a very happy and cheerful group. We were not very busy and therefore had a lot of time to chat with them. We told them about the local area and asked them questions, for example: "What would you like to do? Have you seen...?" It was nice to hear that the travelers asked a lot and wanted help to make their stay as pleasant as possible. We told them about events in the vicinity, explained where our food was from and related this to stories about, for example, how hot spring bread is baked. One asked about Skálholt, another was an outdoor enthusiast, and so of course we mentioned the horse rental, etc. For some reason we had forgotten to take a drink order from a group that I thought had just arrived. The tour guide was displeased and told me off. I wasn't sure if I should invite him to discuss this someplace else because he was disturbing other guests. I made sure to use appropriate body language, count to ten in my head, speak at a normal volume, respond to the issue and not the person. I apologized profusely and said that the drinks would be on the house."

The questions

  • What effect does it have on guests if staff know their surroundings well and can educate and assist them?
  • What could have gone wrong in terms of preparation and organization for the second group?
  • Come up with a proposal on how managers could train their staff to be able to assist diverse groups of people in different situations.
  • How could this conflict have been avoided?
  • What is the best way to maintain sound judgment and make logical decisions in stressful situations?
  • Why was it important that the waiter did not retaliate against the tour guide?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The feedback

The shift manager said privately to an employee in the dining hall: "It is very important that you keep an eye on the tables you are supposed to be looking after. I noticed that earlier your guests had empty glasses in front of them. You didn't refill their glasses of red wine and beer or offer them more when the bottles were empty. I want you to make sure that the guests always have drinks and offer them more if needed. I am confident that from now on you will make sure to go to the tables and refill glasses and offer more when the bottles are empty." The next day the shift manager said: "I am very pleased with the way you are looking after the guests at your tables. You always refilled the glasses when they were getting empty and offered the guests to order more when the bottles were getting empty." The employee was very happy with the feedback. He still wondered if the shift manager had also spoken to his colleague who was crouching right next to him, wrapping cutlery in napkins in a strange slow motion.

The questions

  • What effect does monitoring the quality and timing of tasks and duties have on employees?
  • What effect do empty glasses on tables in the middle of a meal have on the guests' experience?
  • How does an employee who receives such an instruction feel?
  • Why did the employee start to wonder about the colleague's work?
  • What effect does regular constructive feedback have on employees and morale?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The vegeterian meals

A family was going to stay at the same hotel for seven days and half board was included, breakfast and dinner. The family's daughter is a vegetarian, so they decided to send an email and let the hotel know so the staff could prepare. In a reply from the hotel, it was stated that the restaurant's staff were not specialized in cooking vegetarian dishes, but they had received a similar inquiry before and would be able to accommodate the request for vegetarian meals. However, ultimately the daughter's food was very simple in comparison to the food the rest of the family got. She rarely finished the food and was seen going to the grocery store right next to the hotel every day, carrying a bag of nuts and fruit to the room to eat before and after dinner.

The questions

  • How do you think the family's overall experience of the hotel was?
  • Who is responsible for the guests' satisfaction?
  • What does the case tell you about teamwork in this workplace?
  • How can the employee who received the email ensure that the information is conveyed to everyone involved?
  • What should you do when guests have special needs?
  • How could the waiters and reception staff have checked regularly if everyone was satisfied with the meals?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The forgotten phone

After the guests had left, an employee noticed that an expensive mobile phone was lying on the floor next to one of the chairs. He took the mobile phone and put it in a locked safe. He remembered that these guests had made a table reservation and decided to try to look them up in the book where the table reservations were registered to check if their phone number had been registered. When he called the registered number, the mobile phone rang in the locked drawer. The employee noticed that his boss was shooting him a displeased look and other guests were waiting. So he went to take care of the guests, but it still bothered him that he could not to let the guest know about the phone. Suddenly, it occurred to him that since the guest had two names, he could find his friend on Facebook on his phone and let them know. As soon as he found the time, the employee took his phone and started searching on facebook. He found the person who had ordered the table and sent a message to the man and his wife. After just a few seconds, he received a reply from the wife with many smileys. The owner of the phone had search everywhere in the rental car and in the hotel room looking for the phone and was very grateful. The employee was very happy about the guest's reaction.

The questions

  • Generally, what can be done in situations such as this one?
  • What do you think of the employee's reaction?
  • What effect can it have on other guests if a long time is spent on this kind of service?
  • Explain the impact of employee initiative on guest satisfaction, reviews and customer loyalty?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Thoughtfulness in light of special needs

A large family was traveling around Iceland together. They were lucky to get a table with short notice at a good restaurant. The staff greeted them with a smile and were thoughtful about making sure they could all sit together. One of the members in the group was allergic to fish. The staff were not sure if they had deep fried the fish in the same oil as the french-fries. To be absolutely sure, they changed the oil in the deep fryer, then fried the french-freis specifically for the guest who was allergic to fish. The guest was very thankful for this display of thoughtfulness.

The questions

  • What effect does a review like this have on workplace morale?
  • How much work did it take to provide this special service?
  • What can staff do right from the start to check if guests have special needs?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

The wait for the order

A group of friends went to a well-known steak house on a Saturday night. One of the group told her co-workers about the evening as follows. "When we arrived, there was a wait for the table, but we were offered a seat at the front and our drink order was taken. There was no music playing and we were quite exposed because the lighting was strong. Since the area was right at the entrance, we looked at those who got a table before us. We were finally shown to a very comfortable table. A friendly waiter brought the menus and then another equally lovely one came to educate us about the menu and take drink orders. The drinks were returned to us, all but one. After a long drink we decided to ask about the drink. We quickly received the answers that he had unfortunately been forgotten but would come to our attention, which he did along with a sincere apology. We were told that it was free of charge. Meanwhile we ordered from the menu. The starters were delicious, but then there was a long wait for the main course because the chef had unfortunately miscalculated. To make up for the wait, we had an extra appetizer that was even more glorious than the first. After some waiting, the delicious main courses finally arrived. The dessert order has been washed away, so the wait started again. We were pressed for time because we were going to a concert. Desserts were quickly declined and a bill was asked for in one green. On the way out the door, we saw that there were quite a few people waiting for a table."

The questions

  • What causes an order to be misplaced?
  • How can this be prevented?
  • How much did the evening's mistake cost the restaurant?
  • What does the case say about teamwork at the restaurant?
  • How can you prioritize and plan your time efficiently to complete tasks?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

Sweet cocktails with the steak

A review posted on Tripadvisor said: “I warn others against this place! My husband and I were determined to have a happy day and celebrate our silver wedding anniversary with good friends. So we booked a table at a well-known restaurant long in advance. It didn't quite work out - in short, the food was wonderful, but we were very disappointed with the service. An employee soon brought the menu and mumbled something unintelligible. When I said I didn't hear what he said and asked him to repeat, he looked offended and repeated what he mumbled earlier with a sly expression and hurried away. Fifteen minutes later another employee came and we ordered the food and aperitifs (cocktails). We noted that we wanted the drinks before the meal. We immediately got water on the table but no cocktails to toast the wedding anniversary. Another fifteen minutes later, patience broke and we asked the employee when we expected the aperitifs. He became one big question mark in the front and said he didn't know! A short while later he brought the cocktails and the food a moment later. We ended up drinking sweet and savory cocktails with the steak!”

The questions

  • What memories will the couple have of this restaurant?
  • What can explain the behavior of the employee who brought the menu? How did the guests see that he looked offended?
  • In what way did the employee who took the inquiry about the missing cocktails act amiss? How should he have reacted?

 

Situational case developed by Gerum betur.

  • Skipholti 50b | 105 Reykjavík

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