Waitresses... how long did it take you..?

Question

to memorize the menu? I'm 14 and have been drink hostessing at a local restaurant for a little over two months now and the manager told me that he was thinking of training me in as a waitress in the next month or two and he told me to start memorizing the menu. How long did it take you to memorize it and do you have any tricks to help you remember?

Answer 1

For my first waitressing job, it took me about 10 days or so. I made flash cards of the menu (menu item on one side, ingredients & preparation on the other) and some of the other servers would give me "situations." They would pretend to be guests, I would take their order and they would get super-complex with the modifications they made up, like saying they have a gluten allergy or are allergic to onions. It was great because it totally prepared me for guests when it was show time. He should also have you food run for a night or two so you see what each item looks like. Eventually, you'll know it like the back of your hand. Hopefully the chef won't do any major changes making your memorizing useless. That happened to me once. :-(

Answer 2

I would be more hands on and pay more attention to the plates coming out asking what they were that helped me super quick. Or how many of each- burgers, salads, etc  are on the menu. Take a menu home and don't try to memorize it all in one night, do sections daily and in a few days you'll have most of it down Very important to try to remember what sections include extra's like sides to ask for and soup or salad. It's easy as long as you pay attention to everything especially timing. Taking too long on one thing could really back u up. Write the specials, soup of day, salad dressings on the back of your book.  I've been waiting tables for 6 years and you could make some big bucks Good Luck!

Answer 3

it takes a bit...just get flash cards and study...but the best way it to actually take orders..and run the food your giving them so you can see it...and remember key thing that make certian dishes unique..and eating the food will help too..on your breaks try something new.

hopefully that helps