Restaurants and Their Services

Structures

Describing eating and drinking establishments

The Cafe Grande is like a coffee shop, but it serves . . . / doesn’t serve . . .

it has . . . / doesn’t have . . .

the customer can . . . / can’t . . .

Saying time

PRACTICE

You will hear staff members from four of the above establishments. They are answering telephone enquiries about opening times. Listen, and put ticks (√) to show the days when they are open, and crosses () to show when they are closed. Then listen again and note the opening hours.

Work with a partner. Take turns to be A (a waiter/waitress in an eating or drinking establishment) or B (a customer). Student A should think of the opening days and times of four formal or four informal establishments. (They can be places you know, or you can invent them.) Student B should telephone Student A for the information.

Work with one or two other students. Imagine that you are going to open a new restaurant. Use the following hints to discuss with your friends.

- the kind of restaurant

- its opening times

- the kinds of menu and the prices

- its location

- its services and amenities (enjoyable features, for example a band, a beautiful view, etc.)

Then write a small advertisement for it, and post it in class.

Vocabulary

Eating and drinking establishments

Members of staff are on the telephone, explaining the services at the five establishments:

1. bar
2. coffee shop
3. informal restaurant serving national and regional dishes
4. luxury restaurant
5. nightclub

Decide which sentence to apply to which establishment. Write the letters before the sentences. (Some sentences may apply to more than one establishment.)

d

1. Dinner is a la carte, Sir.
2. We serve typical local dishes.
3. You can dance to our band.
4. You can have a snack with you drinks.
5. We have an excellent floorshow.
6. We have two sorts of dinner menu: a la carte and a three-course, fixed price menu.
7. You can have a quick snack here any time.
8. We make all the pasta ourselves.
9. You can gamble if you like.
10. We are noted for our haute cuisine, Madam.
11. We serve sandwiches, salads, cakes and beverages.

Pre-reading

Discuss the answers to the questions below with your friends.

1. What elements are included in the service industry?
2. Name five specific jobs restaurant staff members do.
3. What do restaurant staff members do with these jobs?

Reading

Preparatory work (mise en place)

Preparatory work creates the conditions that make smooth service possible. It includes every behind-the-scenes task, from setting the table for the guests to filling saltshakers, that is performed by the service staff. In all preparatory work, order and cleanliness play a major role, to say the least. A perfect mise en place is essential for good service.

Guest service

Guest service is the area that demands the most from service personnel, involving conduct, self-discipline, and an ability to empathize.

Your concern for the welfare of your guests clearly indicates your level of professionalism: to provide quality service, you must assume responsibility for your guests' enjoyment of their dining experience. You cannot provide such service by rushing through your work, expending a minimum of effort. Pleasing the guest is the primary concern in this profession, and because you are dealing directly with those who will judge your performance, the results of your efforts (or lack thereof) are immediately evident.

Hierarchy for a Large Establishment

Hierarchy for a Medium-Sized Operation

Decide whether the following statements are true (T), false (F) or impossible to know (I).

1. ________ A captain is the one who has to serve approximately 20 to 25 guests.
2. ________ Your love in the profession determines your achievement in your career.
3. ________ It takes a front waiter 2 years to become a captain.
4. ________ It takes an apprentice from 1 to 2 years to become a front waiter.
5. ________The hierarchy in every restaurant is almost the same.
6. ________ A maitre d'hotel is the one who has been trained abroad.
7. ________ The member who is assigned to take care of the whole management of service is the headwaiter.

Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks with NO MORE THAN three words taken from the reading selection.

Preparatory work is ___________ for the successful operation of the service profession. Service workers have to prepare almost everything from minor to major things while ___________ and ___________ are constantly maintained. In the front, ___________ requires employees to work with their enthusiasm, professionalism, and ___________. Service staff's jobs are, therefore, to enhance customers' ___________ when they come to the restaurant. ___________ customers is the main task to those who work in the service industry.

Speaking

Discuss the questions below with your friends.

1. What are other jobs in a typical restaurant in your region that are not mentioned in the text?
2. What jobs are you most interested in? Why?
3. Imagine that you were going to run a restaurant. What positions and jobs would you take in account? Why?