Qualification : Food and Beverage Services NC II

Module Title : Promoting Food and Beverage Products

Learning Outcome No. 2 : Undertake suggestive selling.

Assessment Criteria

1. Information about the food items are provided in clear explanations and descriptions;
2. Items on specials and promos are offered to assist guests with food and beverage
selections;
3. Names of specific menu items are suggested to guests rather than just mentioning
the general categories in the menu to help them make the choice and know what
they want;
4. Standard food and beverage pairings are recommended;
5. Several choices are given to provide more options to guests;
6. Descriptive words are used while explaining the dishes to make it more tempting and
appetizing; and
7. Suggestive selling is carried our discretely so as not to be too pushy or too
aggressive.

Resources

1. Menu
2. Examples of Specials and Promos
3. List of standard food and beverage pairings
4. List of words to describe a dish or menu

Reference

The Waiter’s Handbook (3rd Edition), Graham Brown and Karon Hepner, Pearson South
Asia Pte. Ltd. (Philippines), Copyright @2005.

Food and Beverage Services. Leonora D. Basbas. Rex Printing Company, Inc., Metro Manila
(Philippines). Copyright @ 2017.
Learning Outcome No. 2 : Undertake suggestive selling

Learning Activities (Set up the classroom Special Instructions/Outcomes

in to a restaurant setting to be able to do role
playing)

1. Simulate the following:  Show courtesy, professional and

friendly manner in dealing with
1.1 Showing the menu and guests.
providing information to
guests about each dish rather
than just general categories in
the menu;
1.2 Offering special and promo
items to guests;
1.3 Suggesting available food and
beverage pairings;
1.4 Suggesting several choices to
provide the guests more
options; and
1.5 Carrying out suggestive
selling.

2. Prepare
 List of
2.1 A list of food and beverage  Food and beverage pairings
pairings; and  Adjectives to describe a dish
2.2 A list of adjectives that may be
used in describing the dishes
INFORMATION SECTION

Presenting the menu

A waiter should not simply take orders. The waiter’s job is more proactive -
waiters should make things happen. They are sales people as well as service
people.

Presenting the menu is a time for suggestive selling. The waiter has the
opportunity to actively sell items on the menu, and ‘specials’ and side dishes
that may not be on it. At the no other time does the waiter have so much of
the guests’ attention and it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Before presenting the menu, the waiter must understand all the items and be
able to describe how they are cooked and served. The waiter must also know
the details of the daily specials.

Menus must be offered in such a way as to encourage the guests to select their
meals reasonably, quickly without appearing to put any pressure on them to do
so.

Describing and recommending dishes

The waiter is now likely to be asked questions about the ‘specials’ and about
the menu. He must be able to describe the dishes and how they are cooked
and served briefly, accurately and clearly.

The waiter may also be asked to make recommendations. Be prepared to assist

the guests in making their selections. To say ‘Everything is good’ is not helpful.
Establish what sort of dishes the guests want – fish or meat, hot or cold – then
direct the guests to those dishes that seem most appropriate.

This is the time when the waiter’s skill as a salesperson comes into play. ‘Hard
sell’ technique are seldom effective. Sales are made by suggesting items they
might well have ordered had they known of them. What the waiter is providing
is better service, making the guests experience more complete and enjoyable,
rather than a series of sales pitches. The waiter might helpfully say, for
example, that the fish of the day is fresh from the market or that buffalo steaks
are a new menu and have proved very popular.
It is a basic sales technique not to invite negative answers. Instead of saying:
‘Would like to have a starter?’ which invites the answer ‘No,’ rather ask “What
would you like to start with?’

Some establishments (in particular American-based chain restaurants) give

detailed instructions to their waiting staff in sales techniques, in others, the
whole emphasis is on helpful service without any mention of the word ‘sales’ –
‘sales might almost be thought of as a dirty word – but the effect of food
service must be the same in either case: contented guests and profitable food
sales for the establishment.

To be an extremely effective salesperson, need only be sincerely helpful ,

friendly, attentive and enthusiastic, with a thorough knowledge of the menu
and the ability to describe and recommend suitable items or engage in
suggestive selling.

Source: Graham Brown and Karon Hepner. The Waiter’s Handbook (3rd
edition). Pearson Education Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Philippines). Copyright
@2005.

The Waiter’s Handbook (3rd Edition), Graham Brown and Karon Hepner, Pearson Education
Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Philippines), Copyright @2005, p.35.
SELF CHECK

After the learning activities, the following checklist may be used. Put a checkmark on the space
corresponding to your response:

Action Yes No Remarks

 Did I provide information about the

food items in clear explanations and
descriptions?

 Did I offer items on specials and

promos to assist guests with food
and beverage selections?

 Did I suggest to guests names of

specific menu items rather than just
mentioning the general categories in
the menu to help the make the
choice and know what they want?

 Did I recommend standard food and

beverage pairings?

 Did I provide more options by giving

the guests several choices?

 To make the dishes more tempting

and appetizing, did I use descriptive
words in explaining them?

 Did I carry out suggestive selling

discretely? Was I too pushy or too
aggressive?
FEEDBACK

Comments and suggestions on the Remarks column may be used as feedback to self-check.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Criterion Yes No

1. Information about the food items provided in

clear explanations and descriptions.

2. Items on specials and promos are offered to

assist guests with food and beverage
selections.

3. Names of specific menu items are suggested

to guests rather than just mentioning the
general categories in the menu to help the
make the choice and know what they want.

4. Standard food and beverage pairings are

recommended.

5. More options are provided by giving the

guests several choices.

6. To make the dishes more tempting and

appetizing, descriptive words are used in
explaining the dishes.

7. Suggestive selling carried out discretely; not

too pushy or too aggressive.
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST

Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase to make the statement complete and
correct.

1. The waiter is not just a service person but also a __________ person.
2. To be an effective sales person, the waiter must be able to undertake
___________ selling.
3. Presenting the __________ is a time for suggestive selling.
4. It is also an opportunity for the waiter to sell __________
5. and __________ that may not be on the menu.
6. When presenting the menu, the waiter must know the details of the
__________ of the day, e.g. soup or drink.
7. When asked for recommendations, it is not helpful to say: __________.
8. The waiter should not ask questions that will invite the answer
__________.
9. The effect of good service should be __________
10. and __________.
Answer Key:

1. sales 6. ‘specials’
2. suggestive 7. ‘Everything is good’
3. menu 8. ‘No’
4. specials 9. contented customers
5. side dishes 10. profitable restaurant