In Room Dining : An Integral Part of Food & beverage Service! By Vivek Salhotra
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In-Room Dining
Room Service: It implies serving food and beverage in guest rooms of hotels. Small orders are served in trays. Major meals are taken to the room on trolleys. The guest places his order with the room service order taker.
The waiter receives the order and transmits the same to the kitchen. In the meanwhile, he prepares his tray or trolley. He then goes to the cashier to have a cheque prepared to take along with the food order for the guests’ signature or payment. Usually, clearance of soiled dishes from the room is done after half an hour or an hour. However, the guest can telephone Room Service for the clearance as and when he has finished with the meal.
There are two types of Room Service:
Centralized: Here all the food orders are processed from the main kitchen and sent to the rooms by a common team of waiters.
Decentralized: Each floor or a set of floors may have separate pantries to service them. Orders are taken at a central point by order-takers who in turn convey the order to the respective pantry.
The guest may call for service by pressing a button that lights up a series of colored lights in the corridor or alternatively lights up a panel in the floor pantry divided into numbered sections denoting the rooms. The customers may telephone directly to the floor pantry or to the reception or the restaurant or dining room.
MOBILE: This type of operation is found in resorts. In resorts, there are mobile vans that go to the cottages and prepare the food in front of the guests or bring prepared food in it.
DUMB WAITER: Dumb waiter is a specialized elevator for room service. Mainly used in countries which are technically improved and have a shortage of manpower. They are of 3 types
-one in which there is a waiter standing in the elevator and prepares the food inside the elevator and goes to the room and serves.
-The second one is in which the elevator along with the prepared food opens into the floor pantry and the food is served from the floor pantry to the guests in their rooms
-The third one is found in really technically improved countries in which the elevator along with the prepared food opens into the guest room and the food is directly served to the guests
Features
1. 24 hrs room service in very good hotels
2. Room service is multi-cuisine in nature- Except items which need a lot of garnishing, are not served at rooms because by the time it reaches the room it won’t be in the proper condition. Even noodles and pasta are not served
3. All meals- The various meals one has in a day are served. E.g. Bed Tea, Afternoon Tea etc.
4. Dearly priced- It is priced more because it is served at the rooms and even lot of effort and equipment are required for the transportation of the food
5. Low turnover- The majority of the resident guests only take breakfast in their room which is much cheaper. They may have their lunch or dinner outside. Room service depends on the number of resident guests. And even there is no way of promoting room service in a hotel as in restaurants they do by advertising
6. Dispense Bar/ Mini Bar- A bar situated in the back area of a restaurant or in the pantry is known as Dispense Bar. The bar situated in the restaurant is known as American Bar or Cocktail Bar. A small refrigerator inside the room stocked with mineral water bottles, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages is known as a minibar.
7. Ordering through the phone- Order taker is one of the most important people in-room service. An order taker should be attentive and listen properly to the guest and should repeat the orders
The pantry from which the floor service staff operates may be linked to a mini stillroom and holds the equipment required for the preparation and service of any meal. This equipment should include:
• Sink unit
• Hotplate
• Refrigerator
• Loft to the central kitchen
• Salamander
• Open gas rings
• Small still set or other coffee making machine
• Cutting boards
• Knives
• Storage space shelves and cupboard for china
• China
• Silverplate, hollowware
• Cutlery. Flatware
• Glassware
• Cruets, Worcester sauce, sugar, etc
• Linen
• Gueridon trolley
• Chafing lamps and Suzette pans
• Wine service equipment
In some hotels breakfast service is available, in this menu itself acts as an order which when completed is hung on the outside of the guest’s bedroom, the bottom portion of the card is detachable and sent to the billing office for charging the guest’s account. The remaining portion goes to the central kitchen. Trays are then made up and delivered to the room within the appropriate time range.
Doorknob card: A card that can be hung on the doorknob mainly for breakfast. During or at the morning most of the guests order for breakfast and there is fewer few of order takers so guests can order their breakfast through Breakfast Doorknob Card.
Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray
These are the step-by-step what you need to do on Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray preparation. Be very focus in every detail because these steps will make your routine operation very effective and efficient. Will anticipate guests’ complaints and guard your company's standard of performance in an excellent way. These standards could vary depends on your company situation and conditions but this guide of Breakfast Basic Set Up On The Tray is used in so many 5 stars hotels all around the globe and been tested for many years with so many compliments earns. Focus on the details is key before you deliver anything to the guest’s room and start your service role. Teamwork will make your service PERFECT!
• Tray is ready with a neat and clean tray mat.
• Set up the tray with the following things.
Flower vase on the tray
Salt &Pepper
Sugar bowl (white sugar, brown sugar, sweet low, and candela)
Preserves and butter before you pick up the food
B&b plate.
Cutlery folder ready with bread and butter knife Main course fork and knife and dessert spoon.
Coffee cup with underline and teaspoon
Milk creamer with the coffee or tea orders as per the guest requirements.
Juice glass.
• All hot and cold food should be covered with the plate cover as soon as picked from the kitchen.
• Service napkins to be used for placing hot food or for other services
Order Taking Useful Sentences
• Just a moment, please
• Bear with me one moment, please
• May I put you on hold, please
• Allow me to transfer you to the …….department
• Thank you for your patience
• My pleasure
• Certainly
• With pleasure
• It’s my pleasure
• Thank you for calling,
• We will take care of it
• It will be taken care of, Mr. ……
• Our minibars contain soft drinks, beer, mineral water, …..
• We offer top-branded/ Premier Grand Cru wines, such as……
• We have a great selection of wines, which can be accompanied by your meal
• We are pleased to know that you have enjoyed your breakfast
• We boast exquisite dishes, such as…….
• All our meals displayed on our menu list are succulent/ scrumptious/ tasty
• We have a wide range of homemade & appetizing cakes, tarts, cookies, chocolates, etc.
• Have a pleasant/ marvelous/ fantastic/ majestic day!
• Enjoy your breakfast/ lunch/ dinner!
All those order-taking useful sentences are commonly used for order taking in the restaurant or other food and beverage outlet also including room service department in the hotel when an order comes by phone from the guest rooms. These order-taking useful sentences have been used for a long time ago with full manners to answer or questioning guests regarding any information the guest needs. Practice with these order taking useful sentences and learn for more conversation applied and make your performance grow up as well as your career in your industry. These order-taking useful sentences also will make great impact for your guest during in the Hospitality industry. Practice your order taking useful sentences every day to build your habit for your future improvement and as well develop your personality to become warm and polite full with manners.
Basic Steps in Entering a Guest Room
• When approaching the door of the room you will enter make sure you know the guest’s name.
1. HOW? Check a vacant room report, ask the Butler on the floor, call the operator or front office to check in the system.
2. WHY? It is an international basic standard to use the guest’s name all the time.
• Observe the signage on the door (DND/Service Room)
1. HOW? Look at the panel beside the door where you swipe your master key to get in.
2. WHY? We do not want to disturb a guest if they have placed the DND sign-on.
• Check if the room is not double locked
1. HOW? Swipe the key and see if the red light appears and there is no sound of the lock opening.
2. WHY? If it is early in the morning or late at night the guest might not want to be disturbed and did not place the DND sign. It would be then better to ask the Butler to call the guests room to see if the guest doesn’t mind that someone comes in.
• Ring the bell once and wait for 10 seconds. Announce the department and wait for another 5 seconds.
1. HOW? Press the bell picture on the panel near the door. (Do not press to hard as the panels are delicate).
2. WHY? We have to wait as the guest might be in the bathroom, on the balcony or getting changed. We also want the guest to know who is waiting at the door and for what reason.
• If the guest opens the door say ‘Good Morning Mr/s. guests name I am your name from your department may I state your purpose in the room’. Proceed if the guest agrees or come back at the requested time
1. WHY? We want to make sure that we use the guest’s name, and they know who you are, and what you are going to do in the room. Remember to be very clear when you speak as some of the guests do not speak English very well.
• If there is no response from the room repeat the above-mentioned step.
1. WHY? We have to give the guest adequate time and not rush them or they might be watching T.V and did not hear the first time or in the bathroom having a shower and not hear the bell
• Open the door slowly, knock twice and announce your department again. Only open the door till you can see the first light switch
• Check the bathroom and if the door is locked then knock again and announce your department.
• Check the bedroom and the balcony to reconfirm that there is no guest on the room. When you reach the wardrobe area, announce your department once again.
• If there is no one in the room proceed with task.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
• Always use the guests name wherever possible.
• Never fully open the door when entering without the guest having opened the door for you.
• Always give the guest enough time to get to the door.
• Check the bathroom and the balcony for guests sitting outside.
• Never block or obstruct the doorway or corridor with whatever equipment you are going to use.
• For Housekeeper’s always hang the ‘Make Up’ sign outside the door.
• Help your colleagues out; if you see that there is clearance or guest laundry in the room inform the relevant department.
• The main differences between laying a tray and a table for the service of breakfast are as follows:
• A tray cloth replaces the table cloth
• Underplates are usually left out because of lack of space and to reduce weight
There will be no ashtray or table number on the tray.
Brief About Writer:
Vivek Salhotra
Assistant Professor in Shree Hanumat Institute of Management and Technology. He started his career with Oberoi's Clarkes as a trainee which is the first property of Oberoi's since 1898, and his first job was with The Oberoi Cecil as a Front Office Assistant, in Shimla. He worked with Chili's Gurgaon, A Taxmax cuisine Restaurant, BRD College Roorkee Uttarakhand, Hotel Altius Chandigarh, and The fern residency Chandigarh, After a decade in the industry he moved to Academia in KC group Nawanshahr, Punjab as an Assistant Professor, the journey of Academia starts from here, worked with Chandigarh Group of colleges and now working with Shree Hanumat IMT.
