Dos and Don’ts for the Wait Staff at a Catered Event

By Catering Staff | September 16, 2016

While the wait staff of a restaurant with catering services are usually trained in the dos and don’ts of their job, you may want to discuss certain things with the catering supervisor. Keep in mind that the performance of the servers (i.e., in buffets) and waiters (i.e., in sit-down dinners) is an integral part of the success of a catered event. Your job as the client is to ensure that, indeed, the catering supervisor and wait staff have a clear idea of your expectations on the job.

Hands to Yourself

Many clients complain that ushers and waiters in restaurants unnecessarily touch the diners, such as when guiding them to their seats, patting their napkins in place on their laps, or refilling their glasses. You should make it clear that the waiters should keep their hands to themselves, which means avoidance of unnecessary physical contact with the guests. While this may seem snobbish, perhaps weird, there’s a good reason for this suggestion especially in private events.  

Stop Touching Yourself

But the waiters should also stop touching themselves in inappropriate ways – and not just in the sexual way either. These include playing with their hair, touching their boogers, and picking at their zits, even rubbing their mouth, nose and eyes, while on the job. The reason: The servers and waiters are handling your guests’ food and you don’t want their hair, boogers, and germs to be transferred to others; it’s a matter of both cleanliness and politeness.  

Know the Menu

Your guests may have questions about the food and drinks being served especially on the buffet stations. You may ask the catering supervisor about the servers’ basic knowledge regarding the offerings, such as the ingredients in the dish, especially when a few guests have dietary restrictions. You needn’t require the servers to be culinary masters but they should ideally have basic knowledge about the food and drinks, period.  

Be Polite and Smile

Again, the attitude of the servers and waiters can have an impact on the overall mood of the event. You may want to observe them while they are at work in another catering event to determine their overall professional attitude. You will obviously look for catering workers who know the value of being polite to the guests as well as in being friendly without being too chatty, in smiling without being flirty, and in maintaining a professional distance at all times.  

While it’s not your job to train the servers and waiters in job etiquette, your willingness to look into this matter with sufficient interest will contribute to the success of your catered event.  Better yet, hire only the best catering company like Buca di Beppo with well-trained wait staff.