COMPETENCY - BASED

LEARNING MATERIAL

Sector

TOURISM
Qualification Title

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII

Unit of Competency

PROMOTE FOOD AND BEVERAGE

PRODUCTS
Module Title

PROMOTING FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCTS

POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF DAVAO DEL SUR, INC.
Mac Arthur Highway, Brgy. Kiagot, Digos City

HOW TO USE THIS COMPETENCY BASED LEARNING MATERIAL

Welcome to the module in FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII

QUALIFICATION. This module contains training materials and activities for you to
complete.
The unit of competency PROMOTE FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCTS
contains knowledge, skills and attitude required for TRAINEES.
You are required to go through, a series of learning activities in order to
complete each learning outcome of the module. In each learning outcome are
Information Sheet, Self-Checks, Task Sheets and Job Sheets. Then follow these
activities on your own. If you have questions, dont hesitate to ask your facilitator for
assistance.
The goal of this course is the development of practical skills in supervising
work-based training. Tools in planning, monitoring and evaluation of work-based
training shall be prepared during the workshop to support in the implementation of the
training program.
This module is prepared to help you achieve the required competency, in
FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE NCII.
This will be the source of information for you to acquire knowledge and skills in
this particular competency independently and at your own pace, with minimum
supervision or help from your facilitator.
Remember to:

Work through all the information and complete the activities in each section.
Read information sheets and complete the self-check. Answer keys are
included in this package to allow immediate feedback. Answering the selfcheck will help you acquire the knowledge content of this competency.
Perform the task sheets and job sheets until you are confident that your output
conforms to the performance criteria checklist that follows the sheets.
Submit outputs of the task sheets and job sheets to your facilitator for
evaluation and recording in the Accomplishment Chart. Outputs shall serve as
your portfolio during the institutional competency evaluation.

A certificate of achievement will be awarded to you after passing the evaluation.

You must pass the institutional competency evaluation for this competency before
moving to another competency.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII

320 Hours
Contents of this Competency Based Learning Materials
No.

Unit of Competency

Module Title

Code

Prepare the Dining

Room/Restaurant Area for
Service

Preparing the dining

room/restaurant area for
service

TRS512387

Welcome guests and take

food and beverage orders

Welcoming guests and take

food and beverage orders

TRS512388

Promote food and

beverages products

Promoting food and TRS512389

beverages products

Provide food and beverage

services to guests

Providing food and

beverage services to guests

TRS512390

Provide room service

Providing room service

TRS512391

Receive and handle guests

concerns

Receiving and handle

guests concerns

TRS512392

MODULE CONTENT
Qualification

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICES NCII

Unit of Competency

PROMOTE FOOD AND BEVERAGE

PRODUCTS

Module Title

Promoting Food And Beverage Products

MODULE DESCRIPTOR:

This unit deals with the knowledge and skills required in providing advice to customers
on food and beverage products in foodservice enterprises.

NOMINAL DURATION:

50 Hours

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this module you MUST be able to:

LO1 Know the product

LO2 Undertake Suggestive Selling

LO3 Carry out upselling strategies

Learning Outcome # 1

Know the product

CONTENT:
1. Menu familiarization
2. Types of Menus
3. Food pairing
4. Beverage pairing
5. Suggestive selling techniques and principles
6. Upselling techniques
7. Food allergens
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Names and pronunciations of dishes in the menu are mastered.

Ingredients of dishes are memorized.
Sauces and accompaniments are known by heart.
Descriptions and of every item in the menu are studied.

5. Common food allergens are mastered to prevent serious health consequences.

CONDITIONS:
Student/ trainee must be provided with the following:
Food Information

Cooking method

Serving portions

Tastes and flavors

Ingredients including food allergens

Cooking time

Side dishes

METHODOLOGY

ASSESSMENT METHOD:

Modular (self-paced)

Interview (oral/ questionnaire)

Electronic learning

Observation

Industry Immersion

Demonstration of Practical Skills

Film viewing

Written examination

Demonstration
Discussion

Learning Experiences / Activities

Learning Outcome # 1
KNOW THE PRODUCT
Learning Activities

Special Instructions

Read: Information Sheet 3.1-1

Answer: Self Check 3.1-1
Perform: Task Sheet 3.1-1

This Learning Outcome deals with the development

of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you on
the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.
The output of this LO is a complete Institutional
Competency
Evaluation
Package
for
one
Competency of Food and Beverage Services NCII.
Your output shall serve as one of your portfolio for
your Institutional Competency Evaluation for
Promote food and beverage products.
Feel free to show your outputs to your trainer as you
accomplish them for guidance and evaluation.
This Learning Outcome deals with the development
of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you on
the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.
After doing all the activities for this LO1: Know the
product; you are ready to proceed to the next LO2:
Undertake suggestive selling.

Definition of Terms
Term

Explanation

Room Service

The service of food and beverage items in Guests rooms by designated room
service waiter. Also called In room dining

Menu

A range of food items offered for service usually written and including prices

Complimentary

Items served without charge

Amenities

Items supplied by the venue for the guests consumption such as pens,
notepads, matches etc

Supplies

Items supplied by the venue for the guests use while occupying the room for
example bathrobes, drinking glasses, cups and saucers

Mini Bar

Beverage and snack food items set up within a guest room for their use on a
pay as consumed basis

Compendium

Handbook or folder hard copy or electronic which contains information about

the venue including the Room service Menu

Concierge

Supervisor in charge of porters and responsible for a wide range of guest

services

Day use room

Room used between 9 & 5.for meetings

Guest Folio or Account

A record of all financial transactions between the Guest and the venue during
the guests stay

Guest Profile

A record of the guests personal details including food preferences and

allergies

Honour System

A system of relying on the Guest to record consumption of chargeable items

in their room including Mini Bar, to be added to their room account

Housekeeping

The department that is responsible for the cleanliness of a Guest room during
their stay

Porter

Responsible for luggage management ,Valet parking and Guest services such
as visitor information

Market segment

Categories of guest with similar traits needs and wants

Package

Room rate plus several services at one price. E.g. bed and breakfast with car
parking

Posting

The recording of financial transactions on the guests folio

Public Areas

Those areas in a Hotel or resort where the general public have access, such as
Bars & Restaurants

Passerby

A feature is primarily used to handle transactions for non-guests or

transactions a guest doesn't want on their room account

Suite

A room with separate living and sleeping areas

Term

Explanation

Suggestive selling

The selling of products or services by suggesting alternatives in a way that

creates desire highlighting special features, benefits and value

Point of sale

A cash register which records a financial transaction on a guest folio at the

time of consumption

SPATT

Special attention Guests

VIPs

Guests who are Very Important Persons.

Condiments

Items such as sauces, mustards and other seasonings or side dishes which are
served as an accompaniment to a dish

In House

Guests in occupancy

Hot Box

A small pre-heated insulated box that fits under a trolley or at the base of a
multi tray trolley to keep hot food hot.

Floor check

To check floor by floor for used items.

Information Sheet 3.1-1

1. Research general information on food and beverage
products
Introduction
In order to obtain product information on food and beverage
products it is essential to be proactive.
You must make an effort and take action to find things out.
This section describes sources of this information and
identifies the aspects of food and beverage products about
which you should obtain information.
Need for product knowledge
It is vital for every hospitality employee to have an excellent
knowledge of the products and services offered by their
workplace.
In particular, you need this knowledge so you can take every opportunity to demonstrate
professionalism, promote dishes, recommend beverages and generally assist customers.
Opportunities to promote products frequently arise during service sessions, and
elsewhere in the general hospitality environment.
These opportunities mainly occur when taking orders, and present an excellent
opportunity to show-off your skills, as well as to inform the customer of the various
products or services offered by your place of work.
Product knowledge is at the heart of providing information on food and beverages.
What is product knowledge?
Knowledge about food, beverages, the services you offer and the facilities available is
called 'product knowledge', and you can never have too much of it.
Product knowledge involves almost anything relating to the area and venue where you
work.
Food waiters are expected to have detailed food knowledge, a good knowledge about the
venue generally but less knowledge about beverages.
Beverage waiters are expected to have detailed knowledge about drinks, a good
knowledge about the venue generally but less knowledge about food.
Those who are as both food and beverage waiters are expected to have a good
knowledge about both.

Product knowledge is different to skills/competencies: for example, a food waiter may

have knowledge about gueridon cookery but not have the skills to provide gueridon
service.
Food staf
For food staff product knowledge should include information about:

Menu items (dishes offered on the menu - you should know what is available and what
is not

Serve or portion sizes

Prices

Cooking styles

Cooking times

Ingredients

What is fresh and what is bought in, frozen, and or pre-prepared

Suitability for those with certain dietary or cultural requirements

Cutlery and crockery required for service of individual menu items.

Beverage staf drink waiters and bar attendants

For beverage service staff product knowledge should include information about:

The drinks/mixed drinks available from the bar including cocktails where applicable

The brand names and types of spirits, liqueurs and fortified wines available

The table and sparkling wines available bottled and

bulk (house wine)

The soft drinks available including juices, aerated

waters and mocktails

The beers available draught and packaged

The pre-mixed/ready-to-drink beverages available

Prices

Knowledge about individual beverages such as wine

knowledge, how various liqueurs may be served, the
alcoholic strength of different liquors, whether products
are domestic or imported

Knowledge about matching menu items to menu items

Glassware for the service of all drinks.

Venue knowledge
All staff should have general information about the venue itself, such as:

Opening hours

Methods of payment accepted

Booking policies and procedures including need for deposits

and requirements in relation to booking confirmations

Complaint handling procedures

Facilities and services available elsewhere in the venue

Names of managers/owners

Legal issues as they apply to issues such as the service of

liquor and safe food handling.

What information sources are there?

Internal sources
Within the property you can obtain product knowledge information from:

Menus, drink lists, wine lists and cocktail lists many of these contain descriptions
about beverages and dishes

Taste the products subject to whatever workplace restrictions apply, one of the best
ways to really learn about food and beverages is to experience them smell them,
feel them, taste them!

Recipes for information on individual dishes such as

ingredients and cooking styles

Experienced staff such as chefs, cooks, cellar staff, senior

F&B service staff, purchasing officers, bottle shop sales
assistants, managers and owners

Operational manuals for details relating to the way things

should be done in the room/property

Policies and procedures manuals for background

information about the venue

Wrapping and packaging material many items are delivered in packaging that
contains information about the product

Doing a tour of the premises to meet staff, find the locations of departments and
facilities, and to generally learn about the property

Talking to customers to benefit from their experience/s, what they have learned and
their preferences.

External sources
Outside the venue you can obtain product knowledge information from:

Product suppliers by asking direct questions to the sales office or sales

representatives, or by asking them to send you product information sheets

The media it must become standard practice for you to read, watch or listen to
anything that relates to food and beverages: this should include reading, watching and
listening to the general media as well as obtaining and reading trade magazines and
journals

Books see what your local library has, check out

the newsagents, visit the local library

Internet loads of information is available through

targeted searches: see below for some examples

Trade shows, exhibitions and F&B festivals keep

an eye on the media and invitations sent to your employer. Make the time to go
many shows/exhibitions are free to industry personnel and they are a great way to
establish industry networks and keep abreast of what is happening in the industry

Food and cooking demonstrations you can always learn something from these
events even where they are conducted by a company with a vested interested in
promoting their range of products

Promotional activities many suppliers run promotional events to advertise their

products and you should attend these whenever possible. Trade magazines, local
media and invitations sent direct to your workplace are the best sources of when and
where these are conducted.

Food knowledge required

General background
Your product knowledge needs to reflect the needs of the place where you work.
This means the waiter in a fine dining restaurant will have knowledge about different
things to a person serving food from a Bain Marie in a fast food outlet.
While it is good to develop a broad and detailed level of product knowledge, it is essential
to first gain the product knowledge necessary for your nominated job.
With this in mind, food knowledge may relate to:

Appetisers
Appetisers are menu items offered for guests to eat prior to
their main course.
They may include:

Hors doeuvres

Canaps

Antipasto

Tapas

Finger foods

Sandwiches.

You need to know what ingredients are used, what things taste and look like, what they
cost, how long they will take to prepare and cooking styles.
Soups
A traditional course on many menus, soups provide low food cost items for many
premises.
Soups may be classic or contemporary, may be served hot or cold and can reflect ethnic
flavours from many countries.
Options include:

Clear soups

Broths

Pures

Cream soups

Bisques.

Meat, poultry, fish and seafood entres and main courses

Meat, poultry, fish and seafood are common raw materials for all courses (except
desserts) including entres and main courses.
As staple ingredients meat, poultry, fish and seafood can be the stand-alone ingredient for
a dish (such as steak, fillets of fish, or lobster) or they can be ingredients in other menu
items such as sauces and wet dishes.

Meat includes:

Beef

Lamb

Veal

Goat

Pork.

Cuts and options vary between the meat items but can include:

Steaks

Chops and/or cutlets

Mince

Joints for roasting.

You need to know the cuts being used, whether things are fresh or frozen, the type of
product being used as well as what things taste and look like, what they cost, how long
they will take to prepare and cooking styles.
You also need to know the answer to the question Is it tender?
Poultry includes whole birds or cuts and includes:

Chicken

Turkey

Squab

Pheasant

Duck

Goose.

You need to know the cuts being used, whether things are fresh or frozen, the type of
product being used as well as what things taste and look like, what they cost, how long
they will take to prepare and cooking styles.
Options include whole birds, legs, wings and breast.
Fish may be fresh, frozen or preserved and can be obtained from the sea of from
freshwater.

Fish can include:

Flat fish and round fish

Whole fish and fillets

Whitefish

Oily fish.

Seafood includes:

Shellfish (also known as crustaceans)

generic term for seafood from a fish with a shell (such as crayfish, crabs, lobster,
prawn, shrimp)

Molluscs octopus, cuttlefish, squid, clams, whelks, winkles, mussels, scallops,

cockles, oysters.

You need to know the type of fish or seafood being used, whether things are fresh or
frozen (a very common question in relation to fish and seafood) as well as what things
taste and look like, what they cost, how long they will take to prepare and cooking styles.

Desserts
Desserts are served after the main course and also known as sweets.
In some properties a separate menu is used for desserts.
They can be either hot or cold many are served with sauces - and include:

Puddings

Pies, tarts and flans

Fritters Banana fritters, or pineapple fritters

Custards and creams

Prepared fruit fruit which has been peeled and cut ready for eating

Charlottes such as Apple Charlotte

Bavarois and mousse

Souf

Sabayon

Meringues

Crepes and omelettes

Sorbets

Ice cream

Bombes

Parfaits.

Snacks
Snacks are light meals, commonly provided for people who are in a hurry or who are not
especially hungry.
One characteristic of a snack is that it can often be easily taken away by the purchaser.
Snacks can include:

Hot chips and potato wedges

Biscuits, crisps and crackers

Hot dogs

Pies, pasties and sausage rolls

Croissants

Sandwiches and rolls

Baguettes

Hamburgers

Ploughmans lunch cheese, greens and pickled onion.

Some snacks can also be meals for example, a slice of pizza is a snack, but a whole
pizza is a meal.
Cheese
Cheese can be made from cow, sheep or goats milk.
Basic cheese options include:

Soft cheeses Brie, Camembert and cottage

Semi-soft cheeses Edam and Gouda

Hard cheeses cheddar and Parmesan

Blue vein cheese (such as Gorgonzola, Stilton and Roquefort) coloured by an edible
penicillin mould.

Cheese can be used in sauces or served on its own on a cheese platter.

Pasta
Pasta can be bought-in as dried pasta and re-constituted on-site, or it may be made fresh
on-the-premises.
Pasta comes in a wide variety of types (flat, tubular and shaped) and sizes and may be
filled or plain.
Pasta is traditionally served with a variety of sauces but can also be used in soups and as
a substitute for potato.

Examples of pasta include:

Gnocchi

Spaghetti

Fettuccini

Lasagne

Tagliatelli.

Noodles
Noodles are made from flour (wheat) and water, and/or eggs.
In many ways they are similar to pasta.

Vegetables
Vegetables are traditionally used as an accompaniment to a main dish.
Some vegetables can also be used in salads.
Root vegetables grow underground.
Examples of vegetables include:

Potatoes root vegetable

Onions root vegetable

Carrot s root vegetable

Broccoli green vegetable

Sprouts green vegetable

Celery green vegetable

Peas green vegetable

Beans green vegetable

Spinach green vegetable

Cabbage green vegetable

Tomatoes technically a fruit but commonly referred to as a vegetable.

Fruit
A growing focus on healthy eating has seen increased up-take of fruit in premises.
Fruit is almost mandatory with breakfasts, and supplied free-of-charge by some properties
to house (in-room) guests and/or at reception.

Fruit options include:

Pieces and platters of fresh fruit pineapple, watermelon,

apples, bananas, rambutan, jackfruit, star fruit, mango

Fresh fruit salad available with or without cream,

yoghurt or ice cream

Tinned fruit such as pears, peaches and apricots

Dried fruit such as dried apricots, figs, sultanas, raisins

and currants.

Salads
Healthy eating has also seen the rise in the popularity of salads.
Salads may exist as a stand-alone menu item (such as a Warm Chicken Salad) or as an
accompaniment to a main course dish such as green salad or a mixed salad.
Salads may be classical or contemporary, varying in ethnic and cultural origins, served
either cold, warm or hot, and may contain a variety of cooked and uncooked ingredients.
Dressings are applied to some salads.
Salad vegetables include:

Lettuce various types

Tomato including cherry tomatoes

Radishes

Celery

Onions and spring onions

Shredded cabbage in coleslaw (salad made with shredded/grated cabbage, onions,

carrots, seasoning and mayonnaise)

Mushrooms

Carrots

Beetroot

Peppers red, green and yellow.

Many vegetables can be used as salad vegetables and many salad vegetables can
also be used as vegetables.
Pre-packaged food items
Pre-packaged food items include:

Food items are items bought in from suppliers and sold behind the bar or in other retail
areas they include items such as chips and nuts

Portion control items these are the single/individual serve units such as pats of
butter and margarine, sachets of sugar and sugar substitute, foils of jams and sauces

Any food item bought-in and served (or sold) as is such as cakes and cheesecakes.

Some pre-packaged foods may:

Require some basic preparation such as boiling or heating

Be further prepared prior to service by the addition of extra ingredients and/or sauces
to enhance presentation and taste.

Specialist cuisine food items

Specialist cuisine food items commonly relate to cuisines of various cultures but can also
include specific cuts of meats, poultry and game as well as specific types of fish and
seafood.
In some cases, an item which is standard in one establishment may be regarded as
specialist in another. For example pork ribs might be on the menu all the time in one
venue but be regarded as a specialist dish in another.
For example, eye fillet could be regarded as a specialist cuisine item if it is not normally
used but required only for a certain dish. A steak which is cut in a butterfly cut may be
specialised. The use of a chicken leg and thigh connected to each other may be
specialised.
The way the item is grown may also classify an item as specialist for example organic
vegetables or grain-fed beef.
National dishes
It is vital you understand the traditional national dishes of the country in which you work.
Many tourists visit your country and your workplace to experience the local cuisine and
you must know:

The names of these dishes

The ingredients in them

Any relevant history (as applicable) how and when they were invented; who they
were named after

The cooking processes used to produce them

Their flavours and appearance

Serve size and how they are served

Cost.

Signature dishes
Venues may or may not have one or more Signature
dishes. These are dishes the venue (or the chef) is famous
for.
Many visitors will come to the venue just for this possibly
world-renowned dish.
Signature dishes may be a local/regional dish or from another culinary area.
Venues will strive to always have the Signature dishes available, all the time the venue is
open.

Other specialist foods

Other specialist foods may be special in one venue but common in another.
It is there lack of common usage in this case which make them special.
This means other food items that could be seen as specialist in some properties could
include:

Offal

Aromatics, flavourings, spices, spice mixes and herbs

Garnishes

Seeds and nuts

Grains, rice and pulses

Fungi

Preserves, condiments and accompaniments

Fruits, vegetables, flowers and salad items not commonly used/available

Aquatic plants such as seaweeds

Specialist cheeses and dairy products

Sweeteners such as palm sugar, honey and glucose

Fats and oils

Local food items/ingredients.

Beverage knowledge required

General background
Your product knowledge needs to reflect the needs of the place where you work.
It is important that you learn what drinks are available, and develop an
understanding of similar or like products so that when a customer
orders something you do not have, you can suggest a suitable
alternative.
For example, if a customer orders a Tanqueray and tonic water you
need to know Tanqueray is an imported gin and if you do not stock it
you could recommend another imported gin you do stock (such as, for
example, Gordons or Beefeater)
The type of general information about alcoholic beverages you may need to pass on to
customers includes:

Which ones are suitable drinks for aperitifs

Which ones are suitable for drinking during and after a meal

Suggested basic wine and food combinations

What they taste like, look like, smell like and where they come from

What their alcoholic strength is

Whether they are domestic or imported beverages

Information specific to wines details relating to wine makers, wine styles, wine
growing areas, grape varieties, wine characteristics and information relating to wine
shows and the wine industry

Size of serves, bottles, cans and glasses

The variety of ways in which different liquors can be served.

Wine
Wine is defined as the naturally produced beverage made from the fermented juice of
grapes.
The making of white wine
White wine can be made from red or white grapes because grape juice is clear: wine picks
up its colour from contact with the skins, so a white wine made from red grapes would
spend virtually no time in contact with the red skins.
The process for making of both white and red table wine is very similar.
White table wine production
The basic procedure for producing white table wine is:

Grapes are harvested

Grapes are crushed at the winery - to release free-run juice

Pressing occurs to remove all available juice

Sulphur dioxide is added to prevent yeasts that are naturally occurring on the grapes
from starting an unwanted and unpredictable natural fermentation process

The juice (called must at this stage) is chilled and allowed to settle

Must is filtered through a centrifuge to remove large

particles/matter not wanted in the final product

A commercially prepared yeast is added to the must to

start a fermentation process that is predictable and stable

Fermentation occurs under refrigeration to control the

heat generated during the fermentation process

Fermentation is stopped when the wine has reached the required level of dryness or
sweetness or as the wine makers scientific and taste-testing observations indicate

Yeast protein, skins and other residue are allowed to settle out and the wine is
pumped out to undergo a 'fining' (filtering) process to remove the unwanted matter
generated during the fermentation process

The wine is aged (sometimes in wood but often in large stainless steel tanks (the tank
farm at the wineries) it is then bottled, may be bottle aged, and is then sold.

Making red wine

Red wine can only be made from red wine grapes.
The main difference between the production of red and white table wines
is that in red wine production, the grape juice is allowed to spend time in
contact with the grape skins to pick up colour (and tannins which play
critical roles in the ageing of the wine).
The basics are:

Grapes are harvested

Grapes are crushed - and juice stays in contact with skins

Winemaker determines how long juice stays on the skins

Grapes pressed to extract all the juice and other juice may be added
many red table wines are blends of different grape varieties

Fermentation occurs

Wine is fined, filtered and stored in wood

Wine is bottled, aged further in the bottle, and then is ready for sale.

Wine categories
In addition to red or white table wine, wine can be further categorised as follows:

Varietal or generic

Sparkling

Fortified.

Varietal wines

Varietal wines are wines made from one (or more) nominated grape varieties:
the name of this or these grape varieties appears on the label of the bottle.
Where a wine claims to be made from a certain grape variety, the wine must be
made from a minimum percentage of that stated variety.
Where a wine claims to be made from grapes of a certain year, then a minimum
percentage of the wine must be from that specified year.
Where a wine claims it comes from a nominated area, then a minimum percentage of the
wine must come from the stated area.
Varietal white wines
White grape varieties include:

Chardonnay a full-flavoured dry white wine

Chenin Blanc a pleasant fruity 'drink now' wine with a refreshing acid finish

Riesling a delicate wine with fruit character and a trace of sugar that varies hugely
depending on the region in which it is grown

Sauvignon Blanc a dry white wine with distinct varietal flavour (melon, pineapple,
tropical fruit)

Semillon a dry, crisp white wine

Traminer a fresh and fruity wine with a spicy smell and taste.

Common bottle size is 750 mls.

Varietal red wines
Red grape varieties include:

Cabernet Sauvignon an aromatic red which may have berry, mint, capsicum or
blackcurrant highlights

Malbec a fruity, soft wine

Merlot another fruity and aromatic red reminiscent of plums, pumpkins and fruitcake

Pinot Noir a lighter style red, thin in taste and colour

Shiraz this grape produces fine full-flavoured reds that vary greatly from region to
region; often blended.

Common bottle sizes are 200 mls, 750 mls and 1 litre.
Generic wines
Generic is the term used to describe wines are made to a style, usually naming a
European location as its origin, such as Hock, Moselle, Claret and Burgundy. There is no
indication of grape variety/varieties used.

Generic white wines include:

Chablis - a very dry, flinty wine

Hock - a very dry white wine

Moselle - a popular and pleasantly semi-sweet wine, less sweet

than Sauternes

Rhine Riesling - drier than Moselle: often described as fruity and

has its fruitiness confused with sweetness

Sauternes - produced from fully ripe grapes; a very sweet wine

White Burgundy - a fairly dry white with full flavour.

Generic red wines include:

Burgundy - a soft and fruity red wine

Claret - a dry red with more astringency than burgundy.

Blended wines
Blended wines, as the name suggests are made from two or more grape varieties.
This may be done by a wine maker to create a unique taste, to mask a deficiency in one
grape (such as lack of colour, lack of flavour) or because of economic necessity (some
grape varieties are cheaper than others).
A blended wine is not to be seen as inferior to a straight varietal wine it is just different.

Premium wine by the glass

Some properties feature a system allowing bottles of premium quality wines to be sold by
the glass.
These systems use nitrogen to dispense the wine thereby avoiding the oxidising problems
involved when wine bottles are opened.
Where these systems are in use, any bottled wine can be hooked up to the system.
Sparkling wines
The word Champagne is now legally reserved for
sparkling wine produced from the Champagne region in
France.
All other similar wines are called by the generic term
sparkling wine.
Sparkling wines may be made using one of four options, each producing vastly different
quality products:

Naturally carbonated wine

The traditional way of producing sparkling wine is using the French method known as
mthode champenoise, whereby bubbles naturally occur in the bottle as a result the
fermentation process.
Many sparkling wines are made using this process and highly regarded around the world
as outstanding of the champagne style even though they are not by strict definition
champagne.
This method is also called mthode traditionelle, or mthode classique.
Carbonated or Injection method
This is the cheapest and quickest method and the one producing the lowest quality
sparkling wine.
The base wine is placed in a closed tank and chilled. Carbon dioxide is pumped in under
pressure and absorbed into wine: cola and lemonade are made in the same way.
This method produces wine with comparatively large bubbles which disappear quickly in
the glass. The wine may be called 'Carbonated wine'.
Cuvee close, Charmat, Bulk or Tank method
The base wine is pumped into stainless steel tanks, where yeast and sugar is added to
start a second fermentation (the first fermentation has happened to get the initial base
wine).
It is this second fermentation which puts the bubbles in the.
The wine is allowed to settle, filtered and transferred to another tank still under pressure
where it receives a dose of sweetener/liqueur for the desired level of sweetness.
Transfer method
This represents a compromise between the Charmat method and the best, most
expensive and most time-consuming method mthode champenoise.
The secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle in the mthode champenoise way,
and wines are also aged for a short while in the bottle.
The wine is transferred under pressure from bottles (after the secondary fermentation) to
tanks where it is allowed to settle and is filtered: a sweetener is added while the wine is
still under pressure and then it is bottled for sale.
The label will state 'fermented in the bottle'.
Styles of Champagne
Non-vintage (N.V.)
This is the most common style and is made from base of two to three wines every year to
enable consistency of product.

The end product cannot be legally identified as coming from a

specified year, hence the term N.V.
Vintage
This is a rarer and more expensive wine made solely from wine of
the one nominated year.
It is usually a better quality champagne.
Vintage champagne not made every year it depends on grape
quality and the season.
Ros
This style may be made from leaving the grape juice in contact with the red or black
grapes for a period so the wine can pick up some colour from the skins (or some red wine
may be added) to the white base wine prior to the second fermentation.
Crmant
'Crmant' means 'creaming'.
The wine is a gently sparkling wine, giving the impression of
creaminess, preferred by many especially with desserts.
Blanc de blancs
This wine is made exclusively from white grapes.
Blanc de Noirs
This wine is made only from red grapes.
Degrees of sweetness or dryness
Sugar levels vary between brands so a brut in one brand may well not be as dry as a brut
in another.
The following is a general guide to sweetness/dryness:
Driest

Extra brut
Brut
Extra dry
Sec
Demi-sec

Sweetest

Doux

Champagne will improve in bottle over a certain time, but if kept for too long there is an
increased risk of the wine going flat as the carbon dioxide which gives the wine its
sparkle eventually seeps out.

It should be chilled before serving, and served at 7.5C using champagne flutes.
Champagne bottle sizes
Champagne comes in half bottles (375ml) and full bottles (750ml) some are also
available in 200 ml bottles - as well as a range of larger bottles each with their own name:

Magnum equivalent to 2 bottles: common for parties.

Other sizes are usually only sold for special occasions:

Jeroboam equivalent to 4 bottles

Rehoboam equivalent to 6 bottles

Methuselah equivalent to 8 bottles

Salmanazar equivalent to 12 bottles

Balthazar equivalent to 16 bottles

Nebuchadnezzar equivalent to 20 bottles.

Famous brand names

Well-known brands of Champagne include:

Moet & Chandon

Veuve Cliquot

Mumm

Piper-Heidsieck

Tattinger

Pommery

Yellowglen

Dom Perignon

Krug

Bollinger.

Fortified wines
Fortified wines are base wines which are strengthened or 'fortified' by the addition of
grape spirit or brandy.
The addition of the grape spirit stops fermentation, increases alcoholic strength, adds
sweetness, imparts keeping qualities, and in the case of port provides the brandy
character.
Fortifieds range between 17 22% alc/vol.
The standard industry size serve for a fortified wine is 60 mls.
Fortified wines include:
Sherries
Served as an aperitif, sherries are available in:

Dry which is often kept under refrigeration and served chilled

Medium

Sweet

Cream.

You can tell the difference between a dry sherry and a sweet sherry that are on a drinks
tray because the sweet sherry is usually darker in colour.
Vermouths
Vermouth is a white wine that has been infused with various herbs, spices, flowers, fruits
(depending on the manufacturer).
It is available in red (rosso) which is sweet and often referred to as Italian, or white
(bianco) which dry and is also referred to as French. It is used (or mixed) as a pre-dinner
drink.
Ports
White port is produced in the same way as other port, with the same difference in
production as the difference in production of red and white table wines the time on skins
is either far less, or non-existent.
The final product in white port is usually much sweeter than the red
port, even where the labels read 'dry' or even 'extra dry'.
Ruby port is amongst the simplest and most inexpensive due to the
fact that it is aged in bulk vats - not smaller barrels and bottled
young (after 2 - 3 years) after blending. It retains a deep ruby colour
and a 'fiery' taste.
Mulberry flavours are often traditionally associated with ruby wine.

Tawny port gets its name from the tawny colour that port gets from its wood ageing and
or the use in tawny of a lighter base wine, or the blending of a red port with a white one.
Vintage port is a port that is simple to make being made blended wines
from the one vintage, yet is the most expensive in part due to the fact that
only the very best grapes are used.
Not every year will be a year when a 'vintage' can be declared.
Despite being a fortified wine, vintage port has a limited shelf life: after
opening it should be consumed within 2 3 days.
Liqueur port is produced when after some time tawny ports become so concentrated (or
liqueured) through evaporation through casks that their very nature has changed.
The evaporation reduces the liquid volume but concentrates the sugar, colour and flavour
present and results in a port of liqueur-like character.
Alternatively, and more cheaply, a sweet white wine can be added to the tawny before
bottling producing a vanilla or nutty flavour.
Muscats
The name can refer to either grapes, or to the wine they make.
Muscat is a red dessert wine with a rich raisin taste and smoky characteristic.
The Liqueur Muscat is made in the same way as the natural liqueur port.
World wine countries
Many countries have established a reputation for wine.
More than the following countries produce their own wine but the following may be
regarded as notable wine-producing countries.
Famous wines and/or wineries for each country are also listed.

Australia Penfolds Grange Hermitage, Wolf Blass, Hardys, Rosemount, Seppelts,

Lindemans, Jacobs Creek, Yellowglen, De Bortoli, Yalumba, Tyrrells, Margaret River

France Chteau Neuf de Pape, Ch. dYquem, Bourgogne Chardonnay, Chteau

Mont-Redon, Ctes-du-Rhne Rouge, Laurent Perrier, Domaine, Ch. Latour, Ch.
Lafite Rothschild

Italy C del Bosco Franciacorta Annamaria Clementi, Villa Raiano Fiano di Avellino,
Venica Ronco delle Cime, Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca, Giacomo Conterno
Barolo Monfortino, Gaja Barbaresco, Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella, Banfi
Brunello di Montalcino Poggio allOro, Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ry,
Incisa della Rocchetta Sassicaia

Germany Liebfraumilch, Moselblumchen, Zeller Schwarze, Eiswein, and sweet

styles including Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese

New Zealand Giesen, Cloudy Bay, Jackson Estate, Wairau River, Seresin Estate,
Esk Valley

Chile Almaviva, Antiyal and Kuyen, Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalt, Concha y Toro Don
Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, Concha y Toro Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon, Concha
y Toro Carmn de Peumo Carmenere, Errazuriz Don Maximiano 2006, Montes 2005
Purple Angel, Montes Alpha M 2010, ina San Pedro 1865 Limited Edition 2007 Syrah
(Source: http://www.chilean-wine.com/best-chilean-wines)

South Africa Vergelegen, Meerlust, Rust en Vrede, Kanonkop, Klein Constantia,

Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Simonsig, Rustenberg,
Cederberg. (Source:
http://goafrica.about.com/od/capetownatravelguide/tp/topcapewineries.htm)

Spain Palacio del Conde Gran Reserva, Los Hermanos Manzanos Reserva Rioja,
La Cantera Reserva Carinena, Conde Galiana Gran Reserva de la Familia, Altos de la
Guardia Rioja Blanco, Ermita de San Lorenzo Gran Reserva (Source:
http://www.winepeople.com.au)

USA 2005 Pine & Post Washington Chardonnay, 2006 Meridian Vineyards Santa
Barbara County Chardonnay, 2006 The Brander Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling, 2005 SKN Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Michael Pozzan Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon,
2005 Blackstone California Zinfandel (Source:
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/sixty-seven-best-american-wines)

Portugal Casal Garcia Vinho Verde, Moscatels, ross, Dours wine, ports.

See:

http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-wine-producer-countries.html

http://wineinsights.com/wine-growing-regions/world-wine-growing-regions.

Spirits
The type of base ingredient used varies with the spirit produced grape wine for brandy;
sugar for rum; grain crops for whisky, gin and vodka.
There are six popular spirit types in most bars:

Whisky

Rum

Gin

Vodka

Brandy

Tequila

Whisky
Whisky is distilled from grain (barley, rye, maize, cereal) made in either a Continuous or
Pot still.
Whisky is produced in many styles with the four most popular being Scotch, Irish, Bourbon
and Rye.
Scotch whisky
There are two distinct types malt and grain.
Blended together they make a third Blended version the
common whiskies such as Haig, Johnnie Walker and J & B are
blends.
The standard blend is 60% grain to 40% malt.
Blending can involve up to thirty whiskies of different ages and from various distilleries
making a standard blend.
Traditionally only the malt whisky from the Highlands was true whisky: malts are well liked
by whisky connoisseurs who have personal preferences a malt whisky is lighter in colour
and smoother than other whisky.
Grain whisky
Scotland's grain whisky is made from maize with malted and sometimes un-malted barley.
The product is light with no peat flavour.
There is little demand for it to drink straight and it is primarily used for blending.
De Luxe Scotch whisky
Is older and mellower with a blend age of seven to twelve years.
Malt whisky

Is made from malted barley.

Malting consists of spreading wetted barley on a warm floor, so the seeds begin to
germinate this converts starch into sugar (maltose).
To halt the process it is next dried at a hotter temperature using peat.
The peat fumes give the unique flavour.
Common brands
Popular brands of scotch include:

Johnnie Walker red label, blue label, black label, green label and gold label

Ballantines

The Famous Grouse

Teachers

Grants

Dewars

Black and White

Vat 69

Chivas Regal

Haigs Dimple

Glenfiddich Single Malt 12 years old.

Irish whiskey
Always spelt with an 'e' and is made basically the same as whisky with some variations.
The base cereals may not be wholly barley, drying is by coal fire not peat, and stills differ
in design.
Examples of Irish whiskey include:

Jameson

Paddys

Tullamore Dew.

Bourbon and Rye Whiskies

Bourbon is made in the state of Kentucky in the USA. The neighbouring state of
Tennessee produces a well-known whiskey, Jack Daniels, which is therefore not Bourbon.
Rye is made in USA and Canada.

Both are produced from grain (mainly maize) distilled in a Continuous

still, and aged in charred oak barrels.
Bourbon is aged in cold warehouses, Rye in heated rooms: both are
lighter than scotch.
Popular brands include:

Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey

Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Cougar Bourbon.

Canadian Club is a rye whisky bourbon.

Rum
Rum is distilled from molasses which is a by-product of cane sugar.
Rum is distilled by Pot or Continuous still and often blended.
It is aged in oak and caramel can be added for colour.
Jamaican rum
Known for highly-flavoured rums, but today light rums are distilled too with a trend for
these.
Barbados and Trinidad rum
Both specialise in lighter, as well as colourless rums.
Popular brands
Popular brands of rum include:

Captain Morgan spiced gold, dark, deluxe, white and gold

Bacardi white, black and gold.

Check out http://www.bacardi.com/#.

Proof
Proof is another way of indicating the alcoholic strength of drinks. Alcohol by volume as
a percentage is the more common way.
Proof is double the alcohol by volume figure.
For example, a product that is 80 proof is 40% alc/vol
Rum labelled overproof is more than 50% alc/vol
Gin

Gin is produced by rectifying a pure spirit with berries and botanical herbs juniper
berries and coriander seeds are the main flavouring agents, along with calamus root,
cardamom seeds, angelica, orange and
lemon peels, almond and orris root.
London Dry Gin
May be clear (like Gilbey's London Dry
and Gordon's), or straw coloured (like
Booth's).
This is most commonly asked for type.
Sloe gin
With an emphasis on the sloe berries used in its production.
Vodka
Is distilled from a base of grain or molasses and is highly rectified meaning impurities
have been removed.
No flavourings are added, indeed charcoal is used to filter it and produce a clean and
smooth spirit.
Flavoured vodkas
Polish vodka is also excellent, some varieties being flavoured with fruit or herbs.
Growing in popularity, flavoured vodkas can feature cherries, rowan berries, pears,
cranberries, green apple, strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, oranges or lemons.
Popular brands include:

Stolichnaya

Karloff

Finlandia

Wyborowa

Smirnoff

Skyy

Absolut.

Brandy
Is distilled from grapes and is produced in nearly every wine growing region: it may be
consumed neat but is popular with a mixer, or in cocktails.

Popular brands include:

St Remy

Hennessy

Remy Martin

Chatelle Napoleon.

Cognac
The most famous brandy is Cognac made in the Cognac region of France.
When drinking cognac, a nip is poured into a balloon glass of moderate size: the hand is
cupped around the balloon and the cognac gently swirled, warming it and releasing its
bouquet.
Popular brands are Courvoisier, Remy, Camus and Audry.
Tequila
Is a Mexican spirit ranging from clear to pale gold in colour.
True Tequila is made in the areas surrounding the city of Tequila.
Some bottles feature the classic worm in the bottle.
Tequila is made from Maguey cactus plants.
Popular brands include:

Jos Cuervo

El Toro

Coyote.

Service of spirits
With spirits, there are several options available to customers.
They may order a full nip (30 mls) with a mixer in a short or long glass, or they may order
a half nip (15 mls) with a mixer in a short or long glass.
Sometimes customers order a double (60 ml) but many venues have banned these due to
Responsible Service of Alcohol concerns.
Drinks may be ordered with ice, or without ice.
Industry practice where the customer does not specify nip size, glass size or ice
requirements is to prepare a drink comprising:

A full nip

Ice

Long glass.

Guests may also order the spirit 'neat' which

means without any mixer, and without ice or they
may order it 'on the rocks' which means neat with
the addition of ice.
Common mixers with spirits
Common mixers (soft drink) used with spirits are as follows:

Gin tonic water, lemon squash, bitter lemon, lemonade, orange juice: Pink Gin is
gin with the addition of a few drops of Angostura bitters that have been swirled around
the glass

Brandy dry ginger, cola, lemonade

Whisky - dry ginger, cola, soda water

Rum cola

Vodka lemon squash, orange juice, tonic water, tomato juice.

RTDs
RTD stands for Ready To Drink and refers to the large and growing range of pre-mixed
drinks that are available in bottles and cans.
They may be spirit or wine-based.
Examples include:

Bacardi Breezers

Vodka Cruisers

Canadian Club and cola

Jack Daniels and cola

Cougar bourbon with cola; cola zero.

Other spirits
Applejack
Brandy distilled from the fermented mash of cider apples in the New England region of the
USA.
The best is Pot distilled with a minimum maturation of 2 years in oak casks.
It may be bottled straight or combined with neutral spirits and sold as blended applejack.

Aquavit
Is the drink of Scandinavia and the word comes from 'aqua vitae', Latin for water of life'.
Grain or potato is distilled to produce a neutral spirit which is then redistilled with caraway
and other flavourings such as citrus peel, cardamom or anise.
Aquavit is served ice cold and as it is highly alcoholic it is usually served with food.
Calvados
A brandy made from a mash of cider apples produced in the defined areas of the
provinces of Brittany, Normandy and Maine.
The fermented mash is double Pot distilled and then matured in oak casks for up to 25
years, picking up colour and flavour from the wood.
Eau de Vie (Water of life)
These are true fruit brandies made by distilling the fermented mash of fruit.
They usually have a higher alcoholic content than most liqueurs and are dry to the taste
and the majority are colourless because they are aged in glass.
Kirsch
Originally double Pot distilled cherry brandy from the Alsace region in France.
Kirschwasser
German or Swiss cherry brandy.
Ouzo
Aniseed flavoured spirit of Greece and Cyprus.
Quality ouzo made by double distillation of the basic spirit and then the addition of
aniseed and other herbs before redistillation.
The better quality the ouzo the more milky it becomes with the addition of water.
Pernod
Origin is in Southern France. It was named after Monsieur Pernod who bought the recipe
in 1897.
The original recipe contained absinthe, however this was banned on 14th August 1914 for
making men mad and vicious.
Pernod has a similar taste to ouzo and goes milky with the addition of water.
Poire Williams
Eau-de-vie de poire is distilled from the pear known as Williams or Bartlett.
It is sometimes marketed in a pear-shaped bottle with a ripe pear inside.

Slivovitz
Plum brandy from Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries.
For more information go to http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/nieminen/spirits.html.
Liqueurs
Liqueurs are spirits flavoured with fruits, herbs, roots and plants, sweetened and
sometimes artificially coloured.
Liqueurs are proprietary or generic.
Proprietary brands are those produced by a single company such as Grand Marnier,
Cointreau, Tia Maria, and Galliano.
Generics are types of liqueurs that can be made by any company. As an example,
Seagram produce a range of generic liqueurs that includes Advocaat, Banana, Blue
Curacao, Butterscotch, Crme de cacao, Crme de menthe, Melon, Mint chocolate, Triple
Sec.
Many liqueurs trace their ancestry back to the monasteries where monks collected herbs
and turned them into medicines: in fact, many do have digestive properties.
Liqueurs are made by soaking flavouring materials in a spirit the number of flavourings
is huge with Chartreuse having a hundred and thirty herbs, and DOM Benedictine at least
thirty.
Liqueurs may be mixed, used in cocktails or served straight. May be lit (set on fire) and
served flaming
Standard serve size for a liqueur is 30 mls. Here are popular examples:
Advocaat
A low strength liqueur, thick yellow and creamy from raw eggs and spirit.
Anisette
Sweetened version of Anis, a name that comes from the star anise plant.
Bailey's Irish Cream
Cream blended with whiskey, neutral spirits, coffee and chocolate.
Benedictine DOM
DOM stands for Deo Optimo Maximo To God most good, most great.
It is a famous and popular golden liqueur with a complex, herb flavour.
Chartreuse - Green or Yellow
Brandy distilled with numerous herbs: yellow is sweeter but weaker.

Cointreau
Colourless liqueur of the Curacao family made by the Cointreau company. Clear in colour,
orange-flavoured with a dry finish.
Crme de Bananes
Sweet, banana-flavoured liqueur which might be consumed neat or poured over ice
cream.
Crme de Cacao
Sweet liqueur made from cocoa and vanilla beans.
Crme de Cassis
Sweet liqueur made from blackcurrants.
Crme de Menthe
Sweet, mint-flavoured liqueur, available in either a
clear or green colour.
Drambuie
Made from Scotch whisky, herbs and honey: sweet and golden.
Grand Marnier
Distilled oranges steeped in cognac.
Irish Mist Liqueur
Made from heather, honey and whiskey.
Kahlua
Mexican coffee-flavoured liqueur.
Curaao
Distilled from peel of bitter oranges.
Normally colourless but may be orange or blue using food colouring agents to achieve
this.
Jagermeister
A bitter tasting liqueur made from herbs, roots and spices.
Recommended to be served from the freezer.
Kummel
Distilled grain spirit flavoured with caraway seeds.
Maraschino

Sweet liqueur made from cherries.

Midori
Green honey dew melon-flavoured liqueur.
Parfait d'Amour (perfect love)
Sweet, highly scented, violet-coloured liqueur.
Peach Brandy
Peaches steeped in brandy.
Royal Mint Chocolate
Like a liquid after dinner mint.
Sambuca
Aniseed-flavoured colourless, red or dark blue (black) liqueur.
Often served with three coffee beans in the glass.
Strega
Means 'witch' in Italian: features many herbs and barks of trees.
Tia Maria
Distilled from sugar cane and flavoured with Blue Mountain coffee.
Van Der Hum
South African cape brandy with tangerine (naatje) and a touch of rum.
Websites for liqueurs
Check out the following for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liqueurs

http://www.tastings.com/spirits/liqueurs.html

http://www.drinksmixer.com/desc29.html.

Beer
Beer is available in draught and packaged form.
Draught beer is beer drawn through the tap from barrels or kegs.
Packaged beer is beer in large and small bottles and cans.
Beer Production
Beer is made by a process known as 'brewing'.

Precise times, temperatures and yeast type vary between breweries and brews.
The major production steps are:

Barley is steeped in water and germinates

It is dried by warm air and ground in the brew house

It is then mixed with water to make a liquid called 'wort'

The wort is boiled up with hops and sugar

The wort is then cooled and the yeast added to start the fermentation process

The beer is then clarified, stored and matured

Finally it is filtered, packaged and despatched for

consumption.

Boutique beer
A boutique beer is a beer that is not mass produced.
It is usually made by a small operator such as a pub
brewery (sometimes referred to as a micro-brewer).
Boutique beers may be domestic or international, with many
boutique beers only being available in the premises where
they were brewed, while others enjoy national exposure.
Commercially produced beer
Commercially produced beer may be seen as beer that comes from commercial brewers
others than boutique breweries.
These beers may be available in different alcoholic contents which are classified generally
as:

Standard strength which is around the 4.9% alcohol/volume mark

Mid-strength around 3.3% alc/vol

Light about 2.2% alc/vol

Low alcohol 0.9%alc/vol.

These beers may be domestic or international.

Citrus infused beers
A relatively recent addition to the beer market has been the introduction of citrus infused
beers.
These beers may be infused with orange, lemon and or lime.
Imported beers

Most countries now offer beers from many countries at least in packaged form. These
beers are in addition to the local brews. Popular imported beers include:

Fosters Australia

Lowenbrau Germany

Becks Germany

Frstenburg Germany

Knig Pilsener Germany

Stella Artois Belgium

Corona Mexico

Bass England

Budweiser USA

Hollandia Holland

Heineken Holland

Miller USA

Maes Belgium

Chimay Belgium

Duvel Belgium

Asahi Japan.

Asian beers
The following list names popular Asian beers and is taken from The Asian Beer Guide at
http://www.asianbeerguide.com/:

Beer Lao

Chang Beer

Kingfisher

Kirin Beer

San Miguel

Sapporo Beer

Singha Beer

Taiwan Beer

Tiger Beer

Tsingtao Beer.

More information is available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_and_breweries_by_region

http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/.

Or do a search for the country you are seeking information about, such as Vietnam+beer.
Beer variations
Most beer is consumed neat but some people prefer to add a little
something to their beer, in order to get a different taste.
Beer variations include:

Shandy Beer and lemonade

Beer with a dash Beer with a dash of lemonade

Lager and lime Beer with a dash of lime juice

Red eye beer with tomato juice

Black and tan Beer and stout

Half and half Beer and stout

Portergaff Stout and lemonade

Stout with a dash Stout with a dash of lemonade

Wedge of lime in neck of a Corona.

There is a wide variation in sizes of beer glasses from 200 mls upwards.
Non-alcoholic drinks
Non-alcoholic drinks should be available in all liquor outlets to comply with general RSA
principles. Non-alcoholic drinks may be hot or cold. Examples of non-alcoholic beverages
include:

Varieties of tea black, semi-black, blended, green, scented

Coffee including all espresso-based coffees and the flavours that may be added

Milk shakes and flavoured milks

Smoothies

Hot/iced chocolate

Juices bought-in and freshly squeezed juices

Cordials and syrups

Waters still, sparkling, flavoured

Soft drinks also known as aerated waters: either bulk

post mix products or products from bottles or cans

Non-alcoholic cocktails known as mocktails

Health drinks including energy drinks

Frapps

Childrens specialty drinks.

2. Identify information required to fulfill responsibilities of

job role
Introduction
The basis of doing any job properly is knowing what is required of you.
All jobs have unique activities (or tasks) attached to them and, in theory, if everyone does
what they should then the mix of everyones efforts will result in the intended objectives
and outcomes for the business and good service to customers.
This section looks at the roles requiring food and beverage knowledge and the tasks
those roles are generally required to fulfil.
Job roles whats required?
Waiting staff and bar attendants are the primary hospitality roles involved with food and
beverage service.
Service staff may include:

Head waiter also known as Room Supervisor or Matre dhtel

Food waiters

Beverage/drink waiters

Food and beverage waiters

Runners.

It is to be expected that the job requirements for your job will have been discussed at
some length as part of the job interview.
General requirements
Head waiter
This role has the following responsibilities:

Organising staff for the room/dining session

Creating a table/floor plan for individual sessions

Conducting the staff briefing before each session

Liaising with all service staff, guests and management

Welcoming guests on arrival known as greeting and seating

Overseeing activities during service to co-ordinate service duties,

assist as required, deal with complaints, respond to issues as they arise

Monitoring service standards

Conducting de-briefings at the end of service sessions

Making suggestions regarding changes to operational matters, recommendations for

special events and advising in relation to optimising sales and service.

Food waiters
This role performs the following duties:

Setting up of the room

Greeting guests

Taking orders

Serving and clearing food

Preparing and presenting accounts

Receiving payment

Farewelling guests

Stripping the room at the end of service.

The level of cash handling varies between properties and some food waiters may also be
required to reconcile takings at the end of the session.
Food waiters may be required to handle simple plated service, silver service, semi-silver
service, or gueridon work.
Plated service refers to the service style where food is put on plates (plated) in the
kitchen and then carried to the table.
See the videos below for examples of the following:

Silver service - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jVoMYMoVfs&feature=related

Gueridon service - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VrIrQyslik.

Beverage or drink waiters

Beverage or drink waiters may have responsibilities for setting up the glassware for tables
and assisting food waiters and or bar attendants in room preparation.
During service they have responsibility for:

Taking drink orders

Delivering drinks to the table

Serving drinks including wine

Making recommendations for beverages to accompany meals

Clearing glassware and empty bottles

Preparing and presenting the beverage account

Processing the drinks account

Farewelling guests.

At the conclusion of service they may be required to work with food waiters to strip the
room, or with bar attendants to clean the bar and/or prepare it for the next session.
Food and beverage waiters
The roles of the food waiter and the drink waiter may be combined into one in situations
where:

The property is small and cannot afford to hire a

separate food and drink waiter

Management prefers the food and beverage service

roles to be combined in to the one position for
example, management may feel that service flow for a
table will be better if the one person provides the food
service and the beverage service as opposed to having
a separate person for each role.

The duties involved are a combination of the duties listed

above for the Food Waiter and the Beverage/Drink Waiter.
Runners
Runners provide a support role for the food waiter. Also known as busboys/girls.
Their duties include:

Running dishes/meals from the kitchen to the waiters station for the waiter to serve

Taking used/unwanted items from the room to the kitchen for either cleaning or storing.

They also provide other support functions such as:

Preparing butters and napkins prior to service

Fetching extra things for a table/waiter as required during service

Conveying messages between waiting staff and/or kitchen staff

Dealing with spills.

Bar attendants

This role:

Prepares the bar for service by putting away stock,

preparing/polishing glasses, cutting fruit, and preparing
drink garnishes, fruit juices and cocktail requirements
(gomme syrup, sour mix)

Serves the beverages and mixes the drinks as ordered

by the drinks waiter

Serves customer direct where bar service is part of

the dining experience

Accepts payment for drinks/wines served

May be responsible for running the beverage accounts, finalising individual beverage
accounts for payment and reconciling the beverage takings

Orders stock to replenish supplies at the end of trading

Cleans/tidies bar at end-of-trade.

Specialist bar attendants are Cocktail bar attendants who specialise in the making of
cocktails and generally also create new drinks and display a high level of showmanship
in the discharge of their drink mixing tasks.
Specific establishment requirements
Information indicating the requirements of the individual roles can be obtained from:
Formal documents
These include Position Descriptions, Job Descriptions, Job Specifications and Job
Analysis sheets.
Where they exist they should:

Set out the main activities each position is responsible for which should provide a
fairly comprehensive list of the activities for each role

Name specific pieces of equipment that the person needs to be able to use this may
be a point of sale unit/register, or a hand-held ordering unit/system

Describe the nature of any relationship that exists between the position and other
positions

Who the position reports to

Other staff the position may be responsible for

Date the document was created and should be reviewed/up-dated.

Note: many Job Descriptions usually contain a statement at the bottom of the list of stated
tasks along the lines of Any other work as required by management.

This is a catch-all statement that allows management to ask any staff member to
undertake virtually any work that needs doing even though it may not be specifically
spelled out in the main body of the document.
Verbal advice from others
Commonly a staff member will simply be told by experienced or senior staff about the
work they are expected to do.
This may occur as part of a formal Induction program or be part of learning on-the-job.
The advice should:

Identify what needs to be done

Indicate when it needs to be done and by when it needs to be completed

Describe any standards that apply to the work

Include any special house techniques that are approved or used for the work

Detail any legal compliance issues that need to be observed.

In many cases additional advice is given where actual practice by individual staff
demonstrates they cannot/do not meet enterprise requirements.
Formal on-the-job training
Where an establishment provides formal on-the-job training, one of the first training
sessions usually covers the requirements for the job you have been employed to do.
Checklists
Some properties provide checklists for staff to follow to assist them in making sure that all
tasks have been completed as required for their role.
These may be posters/lists on walls in back-of-house areas.
More information?
Visit:

http://www.barkeeper.ie/page.asp?Page=656

http://www.hotelcareer.com/job-descriptions/food-and-beverage.

3. Develop and maintain product knowledge in line with

job role and responsibilities
Introduction
The previous section looked at the roles requiring food and beverage knowledge and the
tasks those roles are generally required to fulfil.

This section identifies how you can develop and maintain the required product knowledge
for various roles and responsibilities.
Context
The hospitality industry in general and food and beverages
in particular are a constantly changing landscape.
New products, tastes, trends are constantly emerging and
some products lose popularity and fade away.
To stay up-to-date with what is happening you need to use
a mix of informal and formal research techniques to keep
pace with these changes especially as they relate to your workplace.
Research
Research is the only way to develop and maintain product knowledge.
The key to effective research is you have to be proactive.
You must want to find out the information and you must take action to do so.
It is not usually the case information will seek you out you have to take the initiative and
seek it out.
Informal research
Informal research is not structured or formal. It almost occurs by the way as you do other
things.
Informal research occurs when you use workplace observation, or ask another team
member or supervisor/manager about the product and services offered by the
establishment and by your competitors.
It also occurs when you obtain information from catalogues or promotional and
information material provided by suppliers, and product manufacturers.
Other informal research options are reading F&B articles in the local newspaper, watching
F&B shows on the television, and reading books with information on food and beverages.
You could become proactive and ask for verbal customer feedback on a particular product
or service by (for example) engaging people in conversation as part of their
eating/drinking experience.
You may also talk to the delivery driver who delivers your F&B products, or the sales
representatives who call in at the workplace and notify the venue of new products and
price rises, and who also take orders for F&B products.
Formal research
Formal research is more structured and planned than informal research.

Examples of formal research include instances when you seek out further product
information by:

Enrolling in a recognised course at a school or training college

Attending product launches and promotions conducted by growers, manufacturers

and/or suppliers

Attending seminars or industry nights where certain aspects/products are the focus of
the session and where you can grow your network of
industry contacts.

Included in this research is attending or participating in in-house

training.
Customer feedback or workplace observation
Staff can learn a great deal about products and services by
observing the workplace and obtaining customer feedback.
This information can also be used to evaluate products, services
and promotional incentives offered by the establishment.
Observation in the workplace may include:

Being aware of new products and services offered on menus and drink lists

Being aware of product returns that is being aware of which products are frequently
returned, and finding out why

Familiarising yourself with promotional displays and printed materials so you

understand the information the venue is providing to customers

Speaking with other team members about the services and products they are familiar
with so you can benefit from their knowledge and experience

Observing customers' reactions to a particular product or service do they appear to

like the new drink or not? Do diners seem happy with the new food items on the new
menu? How pleased/displeased are they with the new/higher prices?

Need for a particular focus

For any research, questioning or observation to be successful it must be done with one
(or more) specific purposes in mind you must have a definite idea of what you want to
find out about.
It is also good to know why you want to know this information.
To obtain customer feedback the following have proved effective strategies to use:

Ask a customer for their comments after they have bought, eaten or consumed a
product/drink

Seek written feedback by distributing Customer Comment/Feedback cards and

encouraging customers to compete and return them these cards can be written to
request feedback on any topic of interest/concern to you

Advise patrons (where applicable) of your online Tell Us What You Think feedback
facility and encourage them to provide feedback using this option

Talk to customers as part of their dining/drinking experience and ask them questions
designed to elicit information about topics you want to find out about

Observe customer reactions to certain thing are they happy or unhappy about a
certain aspect of service? Do they appear to like or dislike a new dish?

What should I develop and maintain knowledge about?

Again, the best advice is to begin/focus on products and
matters which relate to your workplace while (at the same
time, but as a secondary focus) building general industrywide knowledge.
It is therefore necessary to concentrate on:

Current market trends identifying new products,

determining what is gaining in popularity and learning
what is losing popularity/flagging in sales

Local area products this means knowing what is produced/grown locally and
keeping in touch with developments in F&B produced by local growers and/or
businesses: many tourists to venues are eager to sample the local product and you
need to know what is local and what is not

Seasonal produce learning, for example which products are in season, and when
fruit and vegetables come in, and go out of, season

Enterprise menus and specials talking to chefs and participating in tastings at work
is essential so you can accurately pass on information to customers based on real-life,
personal experience of the food/drinks

Enterprise trends you should to keep up-to-date with changes in customer needs,
customer profiles (age; where they come from) and customer preferences as well as
management plans for the property

Current food and beverage festivals so you know what you can attend, and so you
can pass this information on to interested customers/tourists

Promotional activities to identify the Special Events that the venue is organising: so
you can promote it to patrons.

Sharing knowledge
It is important you share all new product knowledge with other staff as you become aware
of it.

Knowledge is no use until it is used and one way to use it is to share it.
Sharing your knowledge can be done in an informal fashion or a formal manner.
Informal sharing
Examples of sharing information informally include:

Talking to colleagues casually while at work or during work breaks

Telling people in a random manner about the information you found out

Replying to question by including the new information as part of the response.

Formal sharing
The following are ways you might formally share new F&B information
you have discovered:

Passing on information at a staff meeting

Sharing what you know with other employees at daily briefing and
de-briefing sessions

Developing a written handout containing the information and

distributing it to other workers.

4. Identify features of specific food and beverages which

have potential customer appeal
Introduction
Being able to identify features of specific foods and beverages which have potential
appeal to customers is an extension of the concept of product knowledge as described in
section 1.1.
This section identifies and in some cases reinforces previously presented information
specific F&B features which should be learned.
Why is there a need to learn this?
You must be able to describe the special features of F&B items in order to:

Meet customer expectations patrons expect you to know about this: they will rely on
you to advise them, provide information and make
recommendations/suggestions

Optimise sales the more you know about what you have
to sell, the more likely you will be to make increased
sales. Knowledge is not only power but it also usually
translated into revenue and profit

Enhance the customer experience the more you can

talk intelligently and professionally with customers, the
more they will enjoy the experience and the higher the
levels of satisfaction

Increase the likelihood of extra business the more you know and the better you can
advise customers, the greater the likelihood of those customers returning for another
meal/drink and the greater the chance they will tell their friends and family to come

Meet management expectations management expects all customer-contact staff to

be sales people and product knowledge is the key to being able to do this effectively

Demonstrate a focus on the customer and their dining experience as opposed to

focussing on (just) what the venue wants to sell/achieve.

Features to focus on
Features should relate to:

The relationship between specific foods and beverages

Knowledge of specific foods

Knowledge of specific beverages

Products sourced from the local area

Enterprise menus, specials and trends.

The relationship between specific foods and beverages

You should develop knowledge about the foods on your menu and the beverages which
work well together with them.
You should be able to recommend at least one generic food and beverage
match/combination for every item on you menu.
Matches are commonly food and wine, or food and beer combinations.
Some venues:

List possible matches on their menus

Have a poster behind the bar listing possible matches.

See section 2.1 for more information on this important topic.

Knowledge of specific foods
As a general statement you should learn about all the food items on your menus.
These menus may differ:

Between meals the lunch menu may be different

to the dinner menu

On days of the week the food offered on

weekends may differ to the menu items offered on
week days

Dependant on menu types there is always a

difference between menu items listed on table dhte, la carte and function menus.

You should seek to find out about:

Characteristics of dishes which can include capturing details about aspects such as:

Taste

Aroma

Consistency (tactile/in-mouth) of the product

Special growing/feeding of livestock

Cut of meat/part of the animal used

Cooking style

Time to prepare or is the item already cooked and ready to serve?

Service options is the dish available just as main course, or can it also be served
as an entre? Is it available only for eat-in dining or can it be served as a takeaway dish?

Price

Serve size how big is the menu item?

Origin of:

The ingredients in the dish which are local, which are national and which are
imported?

The name of the dish if the dish has a special name, what was the origin of that
name? For example, how did Monkey Gland Steak get its name?

Opinions (from experts and customers) in relation to their opinion of taste and valuefor-money

Cultural and dietary aspects identifying those for whom the dish would be
acceptable/suitable and those for whom it would not be.

Knowledge of specific beverages

You must develop knowledge about beverages available for consumption on the premises,
and those available for take-away consumption.
For all the beverages available in your workplace develop
knowledge about:

The alcohol strength for all alcoholic beverages

The country of origin of products

Prices for individual drinks and full bottles/units

Different (standard) serve sizes of drinks and packaged products

Taste

Colour

Special characteristics for example, the gold flakes in Goldwasser or the worm in
certain tequilas

Vintages available for the wines

Prizes/awards won by wines, spirits and beers

Uses for wines, spirits and liqueurs (as applicable) such as:

Beverages which can be served neat

Mixed drinks knowledge of the mixers which can be used with spirits

Cocktails

Cooking or other food-related uses.

Products sourced from the local area

Local has two meanings in this context:

The immediate region any place which is close by

The country in which you live anywhere in the country can be referred to as local.

To help the local economy and promote local products you must identify:

Local wines, beers and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages

Locally processed items

Raw materials/ingredients/food/products grown or raised locally including

famous/well-known and items as well as specifically national products not commonly
found elsewhere.

Information you should strive to learn includes:

Names of the products and their characteristics (flavour, appearance)

Names of growers/providers and their location and how to get there

Quantities/packages available for sale to the public

Whether there are customs restrictions on tourists taking these products out of the
country

Cost

How they are/may be eaten or consumed

Popularity of items with nationals/locals

Basics of how items are grown or produced.

Enterprise menus, specials and trends

Menus
Your knowledge of items must include information about:

Serve size

Taste hot, spicy, creamy, bitter

Which items are fresh and which are pre-prepared/frozen and reconstituted

Dishes which are cooked and ready-to-serve and the cooking time or waiting time for
other items

Items which may be served as main course and entre

Ingredients

Cooking or preparation style

Cultural and dietary acceptability.

Specials
Specials are items (or menus) only available for a limited time, to celebrate a certain event
(a public holiday or religious event; a wedding or party) and/or as part of a package deal a
visitor may have purchased.
Your knowledge of specials must embrace:

Items available as part of the special deal food and

beverages

When the special begins and when it finished

Cost

Who is eligible for the special the special may be

available to everyone or only to nominated
categories of people (such as tour group members;
those attending a wedding)

What makes the special, special is it the special low price? Is it the great value-formoney? Is it the dishes or drinks which are featured?

Trends
It is useful to understand the local or venue-specific trends which apply to food and
beverages as this knowledge can be used to:

Make recommendation about food and drinks

Engage customers in conversation

Demonstrate your professionalism in the industry and

your job

Further determine emerging trends trends by their

very nature are constantly changing.

Task Sheet 3.1-1

It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You
must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the
project to your Trainer by the agreed date.
1.1 Identify a venue which provides internal dining (food and beverages) and prepare
and present a detailed list which:

Identifies and gives a description of the menu items available on a standard

lunch or dinner menu including price, cooking style, and ingredients

Identifies and gives a description of the beverage available on a standard drinks

list.

1.2. Identify a food or beverage position in a venue and:

List the food and/or beverage tasks for the position

Explain the strategies you would use to gain initial product and F&B knowledge,
and the practices you could use to maintain relevant information as the role (or
other workplace requirements) change.

1.3. Identify one local food and one local beverage and for each item identify/describe:

The product name, taste, appearance, other characteristics

Name of supplier or provider or grower or processor

Cost

How and why the items are special?

Performance Checklist
Task Sheet 3.1-1
When obtaining product information on food and beverages:

Be proactive in finding relevant information

Do internal and external research to obtain facts, figures and product knowledge

Undertake formal and informal research activities

Learn about the different courses, dishes and ingredients used

Learn about cooking times, styles, specialist items, national dishes and signature
dishes

Be able to name all the food and drinks served and their ingredients

Learn about beers, wines, spirits, liqueurs and non-alcoholic drinks

Learn about service options for F&B items

Taste test items

Determine the specific F&B knowledge you need for your job role and learn that
first

Read all internal documentation menus, drink and wine lists, job descriptions,
training materials

Share new knowledge with other staff

Spend time learning about special features which have the potential to interest and
be attractive tourists/visitors.

Learning Outcome No. 2

CONTENTS:

Taking reservations
Table set-up
Napkin folding
Skirting buffet/display tables
Banquet set-ups

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Undertake Suggestive selling

1. Information about the food items are provided in clear explanations and
descriptions.
2. Items on specials or promos are offered to assist guests with food and beverage
selections.
3. Name 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.
7. Suggestive selling is carried out discreetly so as not to be too pushy or too
aggressive.

CONDITION:
The trainee / student must be provided with the following:

Specials or promos
House specials
Soup of the day
Combo meals
Best sellers
Chefs pick
Seasonal items

Menu categories
Meat
Vegetable
Dessert
Beverages
Entre
Seafood

METHODOLOGY:

Food and beverage pairings

Burgers and fries
Steaks and salad
Steak and mashed
potato
Dessert and coffee
Seafood with white wine

ASSESSMENT METHOD:

Lecture
Discussion
Film viewing
Demonstration

Oral examination
Written examination
Performance test

Learning Experiences / Activities

Learning Outcome # 2
Undertake Suggestive Selling
Learning Activities

Special Instructions

This Learning Outcome deals with the development

of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you
on the left column to gain the necessary
information or knowledge before doing the tasks to
practice on performing the requirements of the
evaluation tool.
The output of this LO is a complete Institutional
Competency Evaluation Package for one
Competency of Food and Beverage Services
NCII. Your output shall serve as one of your
portfolio for your Institutional Competency
Evaluation for Promote food and beverage
products.
Feel free to show your outputs to your trainer as
you accomplish them for guidance and evaluation.
This Learning Outcome deals with the development
of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you
on the left column to gain the necessary information
or knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.
After doing all the activities for this LO2:
undertake suggestive selling; you are ready to
proceed to the next LO3; Carry out upselling
strategies.

Information Sheet 3.2-1

1. Offer advice on suitable combinations of foods and
beverage where appropriate
Introduction
Many customers will require help or advice when choosing beverages to accompany their
selected dishes.
It is part of the standard service by any outlet for staff to help customers choose a
beverage to suit both their preferences and match appropriately with what they are eating.

This section offers advice in this regard.

When could you offer this advice?
Advice about drinks to accompany food can be offered in
response to enquiries, or offered as part of service provision
without being asked.
Typical occasions providing an opportunity or need to advise
customers in this regard include:

Serving a customer at the bar who is thinking about having

a meal

Serving the customer at a table who has ordered, or is

about to order, their food

Greeting and seating the customer by advising them of any Specials which may be
available

In public areas where customers approach you and ask a question about the dining
facilities available

Taking a reservation or enquiry over the telephone where customers make enquiries
about what is on the menu and drink lists

Responding to requests for room service to guest rooms

When helping customers in a bottle shop/take-away liquor situation by helping

customers to choose a beverage to accompany a meal being prepared at home.

Ask some questions first

There is a need to ask questions before advising customers about food and beverage
selections (see next section) and there is a need to ask questions before making
recommendation or suggestions for drinks to accompany food.
Basic questions which may need to be asked include:

Do they want an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink to accompany their food?

Do they want a beverage they can share with others, or is the request for assistance
just for them as an individual?

If they want wine, do they prefer red or white wine?

Do they prefer a still wine or a sparkling wine?

What have they selected in the way of food? It is

important to identify this in order for you to suggest
an appropriate food and drink combination

Do they want to try something local? Many

tourists/visitors are eager to try a local/national product specific to your country or
region

Are they looking for a new experience or do they want something they know they like?

All suggestions you make must reflect the identified needs, wants and preferences of the
guest/s.
One thing you must NEVER do
It is never acceptable to respond to the question What do you recommend to go with the
fish? with I dont know, I dont drink, or simply I dont know.
Even though you may not drink (alcohol), and despite the fact you might not have
personally tasted all the beverages on the drink list it is your job to provide an intelligent
response or suggestion to the patron.
A word of warning
You must understand your advice regarding suitable food and
wine combinations will never always be acceptable to all people
you provide assistance to.
People are individuals and they may not like the suggestions you
make.
This is to be expected so never get upset with yourself or
annoyed at the customers if they ignore your advice or express
disbelief about what you have recommended.
Accept their decision with good grace and, where applicable, make another suggestion.

Possible food and wine combinations

The most common request for advice regarding
matching a beverage with food relates to wine.
Some basic suggestions for Western style foods are
presented below but remember:

These are only generic suggestions

There is a great variation in wines of the same

type from different countries and from different
vintages

There can be a significant variation between the tastes of the same menu item
between different kitchens/venues.
Food

Wine

Seafood

Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling

Game

Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Semillon

Red meat

Cabernet Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec

Poultry

Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Verdelho

Salads

Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Chardonnay, Riesling

Antipasto

Chardonnay, Ros

Pasta

Chardonnay, Riesling, Shiraz

Cheese platters

Cabernet Merlot

Desserts

Dessert wines

Website information
Generic and Western food and wine combinations
For more information on generic and Western matchings of food and wine visit:

http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=827

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Wine_Basics/Wine_Basics_Template/0,1199,17,0
0.html.

Advice from individual wineries

It is also interesting to look at the advice presented by

individual wine makers in relation to the matching of their
wines with food.
You should look at the individual websites of wineries
who are listed on your workplace wine/beverage list.
As an example of what is available online take a look at:

http://www.brownbrothers.com.au/yourplace/wineFood.
Beer and food
As beer becomes more popular and a wider variety of beer styles become available many
breweries provide online advice regarding the way their various beers can be matched
with food.
Visit individual brewery websites to determine if they have specific food and beer
combinations advice, or for information relating to the generic pairing of beer and foods,
take a look at:

http://www.alabev.com/foodpair.htm

http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/brewdogs-guide-to-matching-food-with-beer

http://www.brew-monkey.com/articles/pairingbeer.php.

The unique nature of Asian foods

While there is much in the way of Western food available on menus in Asia, there are also
many unique Asian dishes.
These dishes are often considerably different to traditional Western dishes featuring an
emphasis on strong flavours, and significant emphasis on sweetness, saltiness, sourness
and spices, as relevant to the selection of curries, barbecued food and stir fried dishes (to
mention but a few).
General rules (which must be subject to the nature of individual dishes and individual
wines) include:

There is less of a pleasing match of food with strong-flavoured reds

White wines tend to be more acceptable than red wines

There should be a preference for wines which complement the food, as opposed to
contrasting the food (see below, this section).

Websites
Visit the following for more detail on potential wine and food combinations for Asian food:

http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/appetizers-spreadable-dips/pair-wine-asian-food/

http://www.gayot.com/wine/pairing/asian-food.html

http://www.asianpalate.com/asian-food-wine/pairing-concepts.

Complement or Contrast
You must become sufficiently familiar with
the wines on the drink list in your
workplace to make intelligent
recommendations to compliment the food
available in the menu/s.
The best way to gain this
knowledge/appreciation is to taste the wine
to gain first-hand experience.
One way of choosing wines to match food
and provide a suitable food and beverage combination is the Complement or Contrast
approach as follows.
Complementing food and wine
When complementing food with wine, try to select wines which will harmonise well with
the dishes and their ingredients general guidelines are:

Whites with fish, chicken, veal and pork

Reds with dark meat

Reds with cheese

Delicate wines with delicate food

Full-bodied wines with full-bodied food

Sweet wines with sweet food

Champagne or sparkling wine can generally go with anything and with any course as
there are many, many styles of this type of wine.

Contrasting food and wine

Contrasting relates to selecting a wine which stands distinctly on its own when compared
to the food being eaten and is viewed as a separate taste experience.
This approach seeks to distinctly differentiate the wine from the food, as opposed to
creating a reciprocal/harmonious match with the food being eaten.

It is, however, best to apply the concept a style of wine goes well with a style of food and
then fine-tune your selection from that point, taste-testing dishes and wines, and taking
professional advice from wine experts.

2. Provide assistance to customers on selection of food

and beverage items
Introduction
There is always the possible need to provide assistance to customers in their selection of
food and beverage items.
This section identifies strategies to provide high levels of relevant service when providing
this assistance.
Provision of general assistance
You should provide assistance to customers at every
opportunity.
This assistance may need to be provided to regular
customers as well as tourists/visitors who have never
been to the venue before.
The keys to providing general assistance are:

All information should be provided clearly and accurately/honestly

Make sure you speak clearly, confidently and audibly.

Often, customers will ask you for this help, but frequently by observing customers, or
listening to what they are saying you can offer this advice before they ask for it, thus
providing outstanding customer service.
Remember, not all those who need help will ask for it: it is part of your professionalism to
be proactive in offering it.
If you are ever in doubt about whether to offer assistance: ask the customer if they would
like some help. Never hold back on offering assistance simply because you are unsure
about whether it is wanted or not.
You must bear in mind some people are too 'frightened' to ask, they may be in a strange
town, they may in a different culture, or they may be amongst people who are speaking a
different language.
In addition, customers may have had a bad day and feel if they ask for something, they
will not get it anyway.
Or, they may have had a previous bad experience with service and feel asking anyone will
simply be a waste of time: in these cases, your offer of help can turn a negative service
situation into a positive one.
When might customers need help in deciding what to drink?
Advice may need to be given when:

Customers are unsure about what they would like sometimes regular customers
come in and are bored with their normal drink, and want something a bit different

The drink or brand they have ordered is unavailable after apologising you must be
able to recommend a suitable alternative

It is a special occasion customers often want something different to celebrate a

special occasion. This may be a promotion at work, a new addition to the family, or
they are having a birthday: suggest something really different to their traditional drink
Champagne or sparkling wine is a common choice for many

You have a new product in stock let the customers know: tell them what it is like,
what it goes with, how much it costs, how strong it is, and so on

The customer is feeling off colour or a bit low you may want to suggest some
refreshing style of drink, or a non-alcoholic alternative to their usual

They are dining see next section

They do not want to drink alcohol, or they need to limit their alcohol intake you have
a moral and legal duty to assist patrons who do not want to consume alcohol, or want
only a little.

Ask some questions first

When advising customers it is a good starting point to ask a few questions first:

Do they want a hot or cold drink?

Do they want something alcoholic or nonalcoholic?

Would they prefer a beer, a wine or a mixed

drink?

Have they tried your cocktails?

Do they prefer a red or a white wine?

Do they want a bottle or is just a glass their preference?

Information to provide
When you have determined customer preferences/wants/needs what they need it is useful
if you can give them information about things such as:

Taste, colour and aroma of the product let them have a look at the bottle/product,
perhaps a free small taste (if house rules allow this)?

Whether it is imported or domestic including identification of the country of origin: in

some cases it is a selling point if it is domestic, and in others it is a selling point if it
is imported

How it may be consumed give the customers some options about how they can
experience the beverage: can it be served over crushed ice? Can it be mixed with a
fruit juice or aerated water? Can it be made into a cocktail?

The alcoholic strength never guess at this (for responsible service of alcohol
reasons): read it from the label

Size of the drink, glass, can, bottle or carafe which can be served try to match the
size offered to the number of people in the party/at the table

Any special points about it mention industry awards it may have won, mention things
like the worm in certain tequilas, any special advertising campaigns running for it, any
competitions people can enter if they buy some of the product.

Giving assistance on food

When describing items, make sure you make them sound appealing by using descriptive
words like succulent", delicious, fresh this morning, made fresh this afternoon, but
make sure you are not misleading in what you say.
If you know the steak is tough, then do not describe it as juicy and succulent, melt in the
mouth.
Items which may need to be covered include:

Soup of the day make sure you know the correct name and the ingredients. Is it
thick? Thin?

Fish of the day what is the name of the fish? What cut is it (whole; fillet; steak;
cutlet)? How is cooked and presented?

Roast of day what sort of meat? What type of joint?

Daily specials and signature dishes

The vegetables for the session How are they cooked?

Sauces what sort of sauces are available and what are they used on (Meat? Fish?
Vegetables?).

Many venues have a staff briefing before each service session where the kitchen advises
waiting staff about the food, specials, and vegetables being served for the session.
Answering questions
If the customer asks questions about the food, these must be answered
courteously and honestly giving attention to providing all the
information required by customers.
Find out if the venue allows you to give taste tests of dished to
customers who are considering what to order.
See also section 2.3 below.
You must develop knowledge about:

The tastes of dishes many people will ask What does it taste like? and you need to
be able (at least) to provide a generic description (for example such as it is hot,
spicy, creamy, crisp, moist, sweet or some other basic yet accurate description as
appropriate to the individual dish

Ingredients in dishes

Cooking/preparation times

Whether things like MSG, sugar, and flour are present in dishes in case customers
have allergies

Serve sizes are they big or small? Is there a particular weight attached? For
example, the steak may be 800 gm

Whether items are fresh, frozen, canned people often ask the question Is it fresh or
frozen?

Why a certain dish has the name it does

What different cooking styles mean

Menu and cooking terminology.

Go beyond just providing food and beverage assistance

Certainly you have to provide specific food and beverage assistance to customers but
never believe this advice, recommendations or suggestions are the end of the assistance
you are expected to provide.
I should go without saying if anyone anywhere is in need of help you provide it.
Never, never, never refuse to help someone by saying, "Sorry, that's not my area" or Its
not my job.
Always stay alert to offer help in situations such as:

Carrying drinks for them to a table where waiters are busy or there is a large number
of drinks to be taken to a table

Rounding up their children who may have gone wandering a little too far from the table
this helps provide Wow service

Getting a copy of today's newspaper for someone who wants to read an article they
have heard of

Helping guests with luggage in or out of the property

Holding a door open for guests/customers who are coming in or leaving

Supplying nasal tissues to someone who seems to need them without having to be
asked

Obtaining a street directory for the customer to look at if they are unsure about the
local area

Phoning a taxi if the customer indicates they want

when

Offering/getting some extra ice for a customer if

they seem to have run out but they still have
some drink left

Going to another part of the venue to get a bottle

of wine the guest wants, but which is not on the
wine list in this particular area.

3. Respond courteously and authoritatively to customer

questions in relation to menu and drink lists
Introduction
All questions customers ask must be answered appropriately.
This section provides tips on answering customer questions and must be read in
conjunction with section 2.1 and 2.2.
The basics
All responses to customer questions about food and
beverages must be answered:

Courteously

Correctly/accurately

Honestly.

When responding you must:

Speak clearly

Speak confidently

Talk loud enough so people can hear you without shouting.

The context of customer questions

Customers ask questions for lots of reasons and this is to be expected.
Good business practice is to plan and prepare for anything you think/know is going to
happen, so it makes sense to plan for the way you respond to customer questions.
Your patrons can often be in strange surroundings, not know what is available or simply
be seeking to communicate with you: it is important to bear in mind in the hospitality
industry; the personal interaction between staff and customers is often the service
element distinguishing one venue from another.
Questions are part of the communication process and it is through this communication
you (and the customers) can build the relationship fundamental to developing a positive
rapport.
This highlights customers ask questions for various reasons they are not being rude,
they are not stupid they often simply want to be noticed and acknowledged, or they
genuinely want information about things they do not know (enough) about.
Remember:

It is part of your job to help customers by answering their questions answering

customer questions is not an additional task added to your Position Description you

are being asked to undertake free-of-charge: you are being paid to answer customer
questions

Customer questions are not an interruption to your work they are an integral part of it

Never give customers the feeling their question is stupid or weird, or the answer
should be obvious

These notes have suggested you ask questions on several occasions so as you can
provide the best service or advice, so why customers not do the same thing so they
can optimise the enjoyment they get from their dining experience?

The basics in responding to questions

When responding to questions asked by customers:

Be polite

Always address them promptly

Never give the impression their questions is:

A nuisance, an interruption or an imposition

Stupid

The one-hundredth time you have been asked the same question

Smile when dealing with the question

Give customers your full attention

Give customers time do not rush your response/explanation

Ensure they understand your answer, directions or recommendations ask if

everything you have said to them is clear: ask if they have any other questions.

What if I dont know the answer to a question a customer asks?

Never just say, "I don't know!"
It is a fact of life no-one knows everything, and as a staff
member, it is quite possible you will be asked a question you
do not know the answer to.
That, in itself, is not a problem: the potential problem is how
you deal with that situation.
It is acceptable to say, "I don't know", but you must follow it up with, " but I'll find out
for you" and then take whatever action is necessary to find the answer.
Regardless of how much work and research you do there will always be occasions when
you are asked a question you cannot answer: when this happens, do not get flustered but
treat it as a learning experience and:

Apologise to the customer

Tell them you do not know the answer to their question

Tell them you will go and find out, ask the kitchen, ask bar staff or speak to
management

Do so

Go back to the customer and pass on what you have found out.

4. Respond courteously and authoritatively to customer

questions in relation to menus and drink lists
Introduction
It is vital you are able to provide accurate advice to customers to assist them meet special
dietary or cultural needs.
This section provides advice on how this may be achieved.
Some customers will have special food requests.
These may be based on dietary and cultural needs and may also have important medical
considerations making it critical to fulfil these requests because
failing to do so can be literally life-threatening.
What special requests might apply?
Customers can ask for an unlimited number of special requests and
where possible you should do everything to accommodate them
within operational, safety, cost and resource limitations.
Never agree to a special request made by a guest/customer unless
you know it can be met.
This means you will often need to check with the kitchen before you
respond to a special food request or query.
Special requests can include:

Timing issues such as customers/tables asking for their food to be served as quickly
as possible, or asking there is a gap of an hour between each course

Cultural issues some guests may ask for food and beverages to meet their cultural
and/or religious needs.

Always check with the kitchen or your supervisor before committing the venue to
meeting these needs.

Refer to notes below and visit the following sites for information:

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/mideast/saudi_cooking.html.

Dietary requirements see below

Personal preference requests in relation to serve size, extra amounts of certain

foods, no sauce or no chips, a special way of cooking not listed on the menu, or the
inclusion or exclusion of nominated ingredients from a dish

How steaks are to be cooked see below

Entres required as main courses or main course meals requested as entres.

What special dietary needs may patrons ask you to accommodate?

The range can be quite large and include:

Vegetarian requests this is a common dietary-related request and can include:

Lacto-ova vegetarians/Ova-lacto vegetarians these are the majority of

vegetarians: they eat dairy products and eggs but not meat of any kind (meat,
poultry or fish)

Lacto-vegetarians they do not eat meat, poultry or fish: they do not eat eggs but
they do eat dairy products

Pescatarians people who do not eat meat, poultry or animal flesh but do eat fish

Vegan this definition is open to various definitions so it is best to check exactly

what the diner means when they say they are a vegan

Generally a vegan can be seen as anyone who does not eat meat, poultry, fish,
eggs or dairy products and doesnt eat foods derived from animals (such as
gelatine)

The person may also ask they are served only raw/unprocessed foods, or foods
which have not reached a temperature of above 46C (because they believe foods
above this temperature have had some/most of their
dietary goodness removed/be harmful to the human
body

Requests for low-salt meals

Requests for low-sugar/no sugar meals for diabetics

Requests for lactose-reduced milk for those who are

lactose intolerant

Requests for gluten-free food from patrons who have

celiac disease

Requests for a macrobiotic diet for those who are

especially health-focussed they will request unprocessed
vegan foods, no oil and no sugar.

Important note
It is extremely important to make sure special requests relating to dietary issues and/or
identified medical conditions receive extra/special attention and care as there can be
severe consequences if these dietary needs are not met.
These needs can be seen to include any situation where the customer/guest has
mentioned they have special needs in relation to:

Allergies

Medications

Health-related conditions such as diabetes

Specific diets which are mentioned.

The consequences (such as the possibility of anaphylactic shock, increased blood sugar
levels and other reactions diners may have to various foods or substances) can result in
the property being sued where the health of the guest suffers as a result of being served a
meal which does not comply with their stated requirements.
Remember all properties have a common law duty of care towards their patrons and this
obligation definitely extends to situations where customers have asked for a certain
meal/food and are served something which does not comply with their stated requests
and when this results in injury to those persons.
Keys in dealing with health-related special requests
The keys in relation to this situation are:

Always check with management or the kitchen to determine whether or not a specific
stated dietary request can be accommodated or not

Make doubly sure those preparing the dish know the specific dietary requirements
which have been requested

Never assume the kitchen can accommodate dietary needs of patrons even if you
have accommodated similar requests in the past

Double check with the kitchen when you pick up a dish for service to the table ask
them if they have prepared the food as requested and obtain positive confirmation
before taking the dish to the table

Ensure appropriate emergency procedures are in place to manage situations where

customers are adversely affected by foodstuffs while on the premises these
procedures may be included in the Emergency Management Plan for the premises
and may include the procedures for providing first aid in the property and for
summoning professional assistance.

Cultural needs
Jewish guests

Jewish customers may wish to eat kosher food

meaning food deemed by them to be proper
according to Biblical beliefs and laws.
A full understanding of kosher food is complex
and the following notes are designed to provide
an overview rather than a detailed study.
Kosher meat may only be sourced from certain
allowed animals such as ruminants with split
hooves, domestic birds (such as chicken and turkey) and fish with fins and removable
scales.
All ruminants must be slaughtered by special slaughtermen according to Jewish law, and
during food preparation, special other considerations must be observed such as ensuring
that milk and meat are not mixed together.
Special requirements also apply to the equipment used (that is, making it kosher),
including special cleaning techniques and resting periods between usage.
A limited number of establishments have addressed the needs of those seeking kosher
food and provide all necessary prerequisites, supervision and requirements: they
advertise their ability and capacity to provide these services and a web search will readily
identify them.
Muslim guests
Muslims eat halal food that is, food which is allowed or lawful.
Foods which are not halal are referred to as haram and these
foods include pork (and its by-products), any animal not
slaughtered according to special requirements, blood,
carnivorous animals, birds of prey and animals without external
ears.
Muslims may also not drink alcohol.
Any foods not obviously halal, or haram, are deemed mashbooh
and should be avoided because of their uncertain origin/nature.
Hindu guests
Hindus have a great respect for food and the way it interacts with other aspects of day-today life.
While they are not total vegetarians, they do not each much meat as they regard the killing
of animals for food as bad karma.

They generally shun spicy foods,

mushrooms, garlic and onions but will
eat other genuine vegetarian dishes
which are not bitter, sour or salty.
Degrees of doneness of
steaks
It is important to note on the order how
the guest wants their steak cooked.
Degrees of doneness are:

Blue steak is seared on both

sides then served

Rare steak is served when

browned on both sides, and meat
still contains blood

Medium rare steak has less blood than a rare steak, though blood is still just present

Medium to well-done steak is cooked all the way through, no sign of blood

Well-done: steak is cooked very well a little burnt on the outside and definitely no
sign of blood.

Task Sheet 3.2-1

It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You
must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the
project to your Trainer by the agreed date.
2.1 Obtain a food menu and a beverage/drink/wine list from a venue and prepare a list
showing suitable beverage combinations for all main courses listed on the menu.
2.2. Using the menu and beverage/drink/wine list used for Work Project 2.1 prepare
recommendations which you could make to guests as follows:

Two food items for someone who is very hungry

Two dishes for someone who is not very hungry

Two foods suitable for someone who is a diabetic

Two examples of food items for someone who is Muslim

Three food items for someone who is a vegetarian

Two drinks for a person who says they want a fresh fruit beverage

Two alcoholic beverages which are local/domestic.

2.3. Using the menu used for Work Project 2.1:

Develop a list of at least 10 questions you could expect guests to ask about the
menu items listed on the menu

Prepare sample answers/responses to the questions you have prepared.

Performance Checklist

Task Sheet 3.2-1

When providing customers with relevant food and beverage product knowledge:

Be prepared to offer help and advice at every opportunity be proactive

Ask some questions to identify guest needs, wants and preferences before making
recommendations

Ensure suggestions reflect the identified preferences of the guest

Learn the dishes in your workplace and learn the beverages which match
them/make a suitable accompaniment.

When recommending wines consider the complement or contrast approach

Use product knowledge as the basis for information/help provided

Try to obtain first-hand knowledge about the food and beverages you serve try to
taste test everything

Determine the specials/food before each service session from the kitchen

Be alert to the potential to provide extra service when providing customers with
F&B product knowledge

Respond to questions and queries in a courteous and honest manner

Always tell the truth about the items you recommend tell the bad as well as the
good

Prepare for questions from customers try to determine the questions they might
ask and plan a suitable response

Never say I dont know or Its not my job

Be very careful when responding to food queries relating to health, diet or medical
issues

Always check with the kitchen before taking a special food order

Make sure the kitchen understands the requirements for any special food
requests you place with them.

Learning Outcome # 3

Carry out upselling strategies

CONTENT:

1. Menu
2. Order taking systems
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

1. Slow moving but highly profitable items are suggested to increase

guest check.
2. Second servings of items ordered are offered.
3. Food portion or size is mentioned for possible adjustments with
the orders.
4. New items are recommended to regular guests to encourage
them to try other items in the menu.
CONDITIONS:
Student/ trainee must be provided with the following:
Freshly prepared

Delicately seasoned
Soft and juicy
Mouth watering
Flavorful
Spicy

METHODOLOGY:

Modular (self-paced)
Industry Immersion
Film viewing
Demonstration
Discussion

ASSESSMENT METHOD:

Interview (oral/ questionnaire)

Observation
Demonstration of Practical Skills
Written examination

Learning Experiences / Activities

Learning Outcome # 3
CARRY OUT UPSELLING STRATEGIES

Learning Activities

Read: Information Sheet 3.3-1

Answer: Self Check 3.3-1
Perform: Task Sheet 3.3-1

Special Instructions
This Learning Outcome deals with the development
of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you on
the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.
The output of this LO is a complete Institutional
Competency
Evaluation
Package
for
one
Competency of Food and Beverage Services NCII.
Your output shall serve as one of your portfolio for
your Institutional Competency Evaluation for
Promote food and beverage products.
Feel free to show your outputs to your trainer as you
accomplish them for guidance and evaluation.
This Learning Outcome deals with the development
of the Institutional Competency Evaluation Tool
which trainers use in evaluating their trainees after
finishing a competency of the qualification.
Go through the learning activities outlined for you on
the left column to gain the necessary information or
knowledge before doing the tasks to practice on
performing the requirements of the evaluation tool.
After doing all the activities for this LO3: Carry out
upselling strategies; you are ready to proceed to
the next unit of competency.

COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT TOOL

Evidence Plan
Competency
standard:

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICES NC II

The evidence must show that the trainee

The trainee must know how to deliver food items and cleaning
food service areas according to establishment standards.
The trainee must know to communicate and interpersonal
skills according to establishment standards.
The trainee must know the roles and responsibilities of the
food service team according to establishment standards.
The trainee must know how hygienic and appropriate personal
presentation according to establishment standards.
The trainee must know legislative on OH & S.

NOTE: *Critical aspects of competency

Written

Portfolio

Third party Report

Questioning

Ways in which evidence will be collected:

[tick the column]

Demonstration&

Provide food and beverage service

Observation & Questioning

Unit of
competency:

Demonstration with Questioning Checklist

Trainee name:
Trainer name:
Qualification:

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICES NC II

Unit of competency:

Provide Food and Beverage Service

Date of assessment:
Time of assessment:
Instructions for demonstration
Given the necessary tools, the candidate will be able to demonstrate, Providing Food and
Beverage Service following standard procedures within 15 minutes.
to show if
evidence is
demonstrated

DEMONSTRATION

During the demonstration of skills, did the candidate:

Yes

No

N/A

Demonstrated ability in communication skills according to

establishment standards and procedures.

Demonstrated ability plate carrying and clearing techniques in

accordance with establishment standards and procedures.

Demonstrated ability to establishments recycling requirements

standards and procedures.

Demonstrated ability in ordering and service procedures for

establishments standards and procedures.

Demonstrated application of hygiene and safety principles

according to established standards and procedures.

The candidates demonstration was:

Satisfactory

Trainee evaluation sheet

Not Satisfactory

The following statements are about the competency you have just completed.

Please tick the appropriate box

Agre
e

Dont
Know

Do
Does
Not
Not
Agre
Apply
e

There was too much in this competency to cover without rushing.

Most of the competency seemed relevant to me.
The competency was at the right level for me.
I got enough help from my trainer.
The amount of activities was sufficient.
The competency allowed me to use my own initiative.
My training was well-organised.
My trainer had time to answer my questions.
I understood how I was going to be assessed.
I was given enough time to practice.
My trainer feedback was useful.
Enough equipment was available and it worked well.
The activities were too hard for me.

The best things about this unit were:

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
The worst things about this unit were:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
The things you should change in this unit are:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Demonstration with Oral Questioning Checklist

PROVIDE ROOM SERVICE

4.1

Take and process room service orders

Identify the range of room service products that are available
within the enterprise
Take guest order for room service
Use selling techniques to optimise room service sales
Confirm guest order for room service and advise of expected
service time
Record room service order
Action the room service order according to enterprise procedures
Prepare for room service
Prepare basic food and beverage items for room service
Set up trays, trolleys and equipment for room service in
accordance with enterprise standards and orders received
Collect food and beverage items from kitchen and bars for room
service delivery
Verify food and beverage items prior to delivery to room
Provide room service
Transport room service trays and trolleys to guest room
Request entry to guest room in accordance with enterprise
standards
Enter guest room and prepare for in-room service in accordance
with guest requirements or preferences, where applicable
Identify room service items that have been supplied and confirm
order with guest
Serve food items in accordance with enterprise standards and
guest requirements
Serve beverage items in accordance with enterprise standards
and guest requirements
Present room service accounts
Verify room service documentation prior to presentation to guest

4.2

Present room service account to guest

4.3

Process payment of room service account

Clear room service
Remove room service trays, trolleys and service items from guest
rooms and floors
Return room service trays, trolleys and service items to
appropriate location
Undertake ancillary dutiesin conjunction with clearing of room
service items
Present room service accounts
Clean and maintain-room service trolleys

1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6

5.1
5.2
5.3
6.1
6.2
6.3

Clean room service crockery, cutlery and other items

Re-stock room service area to facilitate on-going readiness for
action

Yes

No*

PROVIDE ROOM SERVICE

No*

Yes

The trainees underpinning knowledge was:

Satisfactory
Feedback to trainee:

Not Satisfactory

The trainees overall performance was:

Satisfactory o
Assessors signature:

THIRD PARTY REPORT

Not Satisfactory
Date:

Candidate
name:
Name of third
party:

Contact
no.

Position:
Relationship
with candidate:

employer

supervisor

colleague

other

Please specify
________________________________________________
Please do not complete the form if you are a relative, close friend or
have a conflict of interest]

Dates the candidate worked

with you
Competency
Standards:
Unit of
Competency:

From:

To:

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE NCII

Provide Room Service

The candidate is being assessed against the competency standards for

We are seeking your support in the judgment of this candidates competence.
Please answer these questions honestly as a record of the candidates
performance while working with you. Thank you for your time.
Comments regarding candidate performance and experience
I can verify the candidates ability
to:
(tick the correct response]

Check the availability of all resources

required for training.
Identify alternative resources for
contingency measures.
Identify and arrange appropriate training
locations according to training needs.

Third party signature:

Send to:

Yes

No Not
sure

Comments to support
my responses:

Date: