| Recently, a chef called me on the telephone and | | | | the restaurant. |
| posed a question: "When is the correct time to | | | | That is the "book" rule, yet a few more points must |
| remove a plate after a customer is finished eating?" | | | | be added to this answer. What about the "situation |
| The chef who asked me the initial question had been | | | | at hand?" What about the customer needs "at the |
| sitting at the bar of his restaurant watching the dining | | | | moment?" |
| room service on his off hours. There were three | | | | The answers may actually warrant the act of clearing |
| people at the table, one person had completely | | | | that "one finished plate" immediately. What if the |
| finished the plate of food, but the other two | | | | customer had a train to catch and wanted to leave |
| customers were still eating their plates of food. The | | | | the restaurant quickly before the other two parties |
| chef felt that the "one finished plate" should have | | | | sitting with him/her? What if the customer asked to |
| been cleared immediately by one of the busboys or | | | | have the plate cleared? What if the customer, who |
| waitstaff. | | | | had finished eating, put the credit card on the table |
| His inquiry was a simple restaurant dining room | | | | wanting to pay and leave the restaurant quickly? |
| service question (quite legitimate) that may actually | | | | A big empty plate may get in the way of the |
| have more than one answer. It depends on the the | | | | customer signing the credit card receipt or counting |
| restaurant's "level of service," the "situation at the | | | | out the correct amount of cash to pay the check. |
| hand", and/or what the customer desires "at the | | | | Even worse, the dirty plate may soil the customer's |
| moment." Certainly in any restaurant service situation, | | | | sleeve with an accidental sideswipe of the plate. In |
| before clearing a plate, the staffer obviously must | | | | this instance, "by using common sense," the staffer |
| wait until the customer is finished eating from their | | | | can ask the customer: "May I remove your plate?" |
| plate. | | | | In a casual dining restaurant service situation, where |
| Whether it is a completely empty plate in front of | | | | the plates are enormous (and sometimes way too |
| the customer, or if the customer has placed their | | | | big for the tables), removing the plates ahead of |
| knife and fork side by side in the middle of the plate, | | | | time as customers may be the norm. There may be |
| or if the customer hasn't touched their food in 20 | | | | no other way to get the clearing job done before an |
| minutes, the staffer must make the proper decision | | | | enormous entrée course arrives. |
| to clear the plate or not. | | | | The main point is that there are always "standard |
| But to really answer this question in full detail, I had | | | | rules of restaurant dining room service." But |
| to ask some preliminary questions of my own, as | | | | occasionally, the servers and bussers must use |
| consultants often do, especially about the desired | | | | "common sense at the moment" to get the job done |
| level of service in the restaurant: Were there white | | | | safely, cleanly and efficiently. Again, one must always |
| tablecloths covering the tables? Was the floor | | | | politely ask before removing a plate as nothing could |
| completely rugged? What are some expensive items | | | | be more rude than trying to clear a plate while the |
| on the menu? | | | | customer is still enjoying it. But, unfortunately, this |
| After receiving the some answers, I concluded that, | | | | problems does occur with careless restaurant service. |
| yes, it was a fine dining restaurant. Therefore, my | | | | This situation is the "grey area" of customer service |
| immediate answer to the chef's question was to wait | | | | which should be taken very seriously and discussed in |
| until all of the customers are completely finished | | | | every restaurant staff training class. Since restaurants |
| eating, then start the process of clearing. In most | | | | are essentially a people business, there is truly an |
| cases for a fine dining restaurant, if the one plate | | | | infinite number of situations that can occur. The trick |
| only was cleared while the other two customers | | | | is to anticipate the customer's and the pro-act in the |
| were still eating, all three customers might have been | | | | hope that the end result will be a very pleased and |
| offended thinking that they are being rushed out of | | | | satisfied customer. |