Server Customer Service Training Checklist

Pull the trainee's certifications from the personnel folder before they touch a tray. ServSafe Food Handler is required in most states; allergen-aware certification (PCFP, AllerTrain, or state equivalent) is required for at least one manager per shift in MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI. Expired certs mean the trainee shadows only — no solo tables.

Book the trainee into the next ServSafe or allergen-aware session and note the expiration in the personnel file. Until renewed, they may shadow but cannot run a section or handle allergen tickets.

Federal FLSA requires written notice to the tipped employee before any tip credit is applied. Have the trainee sign the acknowledgment form and file it. Missing this is a class-action trigger — operators have paid back full minimum wage retroactively when the notice was missing.

Tour the assigned section, number every table (deuce, four-top, banquette), and confirm Toast or Square login works at two terminals. Print a test check and run a test card to surface terminal issues before service.

Approach the table within 30 seconds of the host's seat. Eye contact, smile, name, water service. The 30-second standard is what guests rate in post-visit reviews — anything longer reads as ignored.

Before approaching, check the reservation profile in Resy, OpenTable, or SevenRooms for birthdays, anniversaries, regulars, and flagged allergies. A VIP greeted by name on the second visit is the single highest-leverage hospitality action in the playbook.

Ask the table directly during the greet: any allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions. Flag the ticket in the POS so the line knows before fire. Cross-contamination at the plate (shared fryer oil, same gloves, same board) is the highest civil-liability risk in the building.

Pull the 86 list from the pre-shift lineup and have the trainee read back the features, the price points, and the allergen flags on each special. Servers who can't speak to a feature lose the upsell and erode per-person average.

Take a mock order from the trainer, repeat the full ticket back to the guest including modifiers and temperature calls (mid-rare, no onions, sub fries for salad), then enter it in Toast with correct seat positions and modifier paths. Wrong modifiers are the top comp-cost driver on most P&Ls.

Ring the ticket with the allergy modifier flagged in the POS so it prints highlighted at the line. Expediter assigns dedicated board, gloves, and pan; no shared fryer oil for fried allergen items. The allergen-aware manager on shift owns the plate-up walk before the runner takes it.

Practice one BTG wine, one cocktail, and one non-alcoholic suggestion per entrée category. A two-dollar lift per cover across a 60-cover shift is meaningful labor-cost coverage. Never push alcohol on a guest showing signs of intoxication — that's a license-level violation under state ABC rules.

Apps within 8 minutes of fire, entrées within 18, desserts within 6. Runners deliver auctioneer-style if needed; servers cover the table maintenance gap. Hot food held under heat lamp degrades fast — a re-fire costs the line a station for 6 minutes.

Return to the table within two minutes of the entrée drop, after the guest has taken a bite. Ask an open question ("How is the steak cooked?") not a yes/no. Catch a mis-cook here and you re-fire; catch it on the check-out and you comp.

Refill water at half-full, never empty. Clear apps before entrées land. Pre-bus glassware and silver between courses. The 80/20 FLSA rule is real — if non-tipped duties exceed 20% of the shift the tip credit can't be claimed, so weave maintenance into service, don't batch it into side-work.

Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank. Trainer plays an unhappy four-top with an overcooked steak; trainee walks through the framework without defensiveness or blame on the kitchen. Never argue the cook temp with a guest at the table — re-fire or comp.

Minor (wrong side, slow refill): server handles with a comp side or round. Major (allergen exposure, foreign object, foodborne illness claim, intoxication incident): manager comes to the table immediately and the incident gets logged for the GM's weekly close.

Document the table number, time, server, nature of the incident, guest contact if offered, and the resolution. Allergen exposure and suspected foodborne illness get same-day notification to the GM and the allergen-aware manager — these are the incidents that turn into civil claims if not papered.

Run the server-banking report in Toast, count the drawer, reconcile against the POS, and compute the tip-out to bar, runners, and bussers per the house formula. Log any drawer variance — recurring $5 shorts per shift add up to $1,800/year per server and are the canary for skim.

Silverware rolled to par, condiments refreshed, station wiped, vacuum the section, restrooms checked, candle wax cleared. Manager walks the section before the trainee clocks out — anything missed becomes tomorrow's opener's problem.

After five trailing shifts the GM signs off on whether the trainee is cleared to run a section solo, needs additional trailing, or is not progressing. Sign-off captures the GM signature and the date — this is the audit trail if a wage or service complaint surfaces during the trainee's first solo weeks.

Book three more trailing shifts in 7shifts or HotSchedules pairing the trainee with a strong veteran server. Re-run the sign-off after the additional shifts; do not assign a solo section until the GM clears.