Learn hospitality skills here

  • We will scour the net and provide you with links and videos to develop your skills
  • Use to develop your business, your career or to use at home.

Front of House

Carrying three plates

  • Learn how to carry three plates.
  • Honestly, this will also be of benefit at home!
  • Provides a more professional look for your service.
  • No more dropping cutlery as you clear the table (at work or home).
 
 

Clear dinner plates

  • Clear plates; cleanly and efficiently
  • Use this technique at home too.
  • Save on time walking back and forth to your kitchen
 
 

Bar skills

Carry a lot of wine glasses

  • Save time and effort by carrying a lot of wine glasses.
  • This video shows how to carry 9 glasses.
  • At home, carrying four will probably suffice!
  • I use this a lot; every time I empty the dishwasher.
 
 

  • Open a bottle of Champagne correctly
  • Spraying sparkling wine is not good. You'll waste the wine!
  • As a barman I learnt many years ago that you twist the bottle, not the cork.
 
 

  • Pouring a pint of cask ale
  • From Theakstons, who know a thing or two about it!
 
 

This is interesting!

  • A beer sommelier shows how to pour the perfect beer from a bottle.
  • Have to admit, it's not the way I was taught.
  • And I can think of a few 'regulars' over the years who wouldn't be happy!
  • Still, he's a beer sommelier and I'm not so worth watching.
 
 

Tips storing wine (relevant to home as much as business).

  • Store in a stable environment
  • Avoid fluctuating temperatures
  • Avoid direct sunlight and vibrations
  • Bottles with corks should be laid down
 
 

Serving red wine

  • Ensure the temperature is correct. 
  • Room temp or slightly chilled depending on the wine.
  • Using a 'waiters friend' take off the foil.
  • Gently pull out the cork.
  • Ideally use a decanter
  • Pour (leave enough room to give glass a swirl).
 
 

Opening and serving white wine. From the University of Johannesburg school of tourism and hospitality.

This video appears to be aimed at high end restaurants.

  • Hand the wine list to the host (unlikely to happen at home!)
  • Present the unopened bottle to the guest (again, unlikely to do this at home but might be quite funny).
  • Using the waiters’ friend (goes into a little more detail that the red wine video)
  • Pouring the wine (ladies first)