Education programs should teach new servers about proper etiquette, personal hygiene, customer service and working as a team. Servers must be clean and neat in appearance, practice good hygiene, such as hand washing, and nail care. They should act courteous to not only customers but also co-workers and leave personal problems at home. Customer service includes fulfilling special requests, recommending menu items and being attentive.
Schools offering ongoing training courses for experienced servers should reinforce new server skills as well as instruct on time management, multi-tasking and selling. Experienced servers are responsible for many tables and customers at one time; therefore, managing time equally and being able to multi-task is essential for providing excellent customer service. In addition, some menu items are more profitable than others are, servers should be aware of this and be able to suggest additional menu selections.
Training schools educate hosts about telephone skills, greeting customers and professional conduct. Bus people learn about proper hygiene as well as public health regulations regarding food handling and restaurant sanitation. Restaurant hosts and bus people are in direct contact with customers and typically assist servers as needed. Therefore, they require server training in addition to their specific job skills courses.
Many states require any person serving alcoholic beverages to pass an alcohol certification program. Alcohol server training includes instruction on blood alcohol concentration, legal limits, and recognizing signs of intoxication. In addition, servers learn about the impact of food consumption, body size and elapsed drinking time on a person's blood alcohol level.