HORECA Knowledge Base — Staff Training

📌 Contents#

1. Introduction to HORECA
2. Guest Service Standards
3. Working with the Meni Digital Menu
4. Staff Roles and Responsibilities
5. Food Safety and Hygiene
6. Allergens — What Every Employee Must Know
7. Handling Complaints and Conflicts
8. Upselling — Techniques to Increase Average Check
9. Working with International Guests
10. KDS and Kitchen: Working with Orders
11. Delivery and Pickup
12. Staff Checklists
13. Onboarding a New Employee

1. Introduction to HORECA#

HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, Catering) is the hospitality industry. It includes restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, catering, and any venue where guests are served.

Key principles#

• The guest comes first — every guest should feel welcome
• Speed — fast service without sacrificing quality
• Attention to detail — small things create the impression
• Teamwork — front of house and kitchen work as one system
• Continuous improvement — learn from every service

What guests value most#

1. Speed — quick greeting, quick serving
2. Friendliness — smile, eye contact, genuine interest
3. Competence — menu knowledge, ability to recommend
4. Cleanliness — table, dishes, dining area, restroom
5. Food quality — taste, presentation, temperature, portion

2. Guest Service Standards#

Service stages#

Communication rules#

• Smile — sincerely, not formally
• Use the guest's name — if they introduced themselves
• Don't interrupt — let them finish the order
• Repeat the order — to avoid mistakes
• Don't argue — even if the guest is wrong
• Be proactive — offer, don't wait

What you must not do#

• ❌ Ignore the guest (even if you're busy)
• ❌ Discuss guests among yourselves
• ❌ Use your phone in front of guests
• ❌ Eat/drink in front of guests
• ❌ Argue with a guest
• ❌ Say "That's not my area / not my shift"

3. Working with the Meni Digital Menu#

How to explain the QR menu to a guest#

Waiter script:

Frequently asked guest questions#

Helping a guest with the QR menu#

1. Show where the QR code is located on the table
2. Show how to switch the language (the language-flag button at the top)
3. Explain the structure: categories → dishes → photos → price
4. Show where allergens are (icons next to the dish)
5. If the guest orders via phone, confirm the order on the tablet

When the QR menu doesn't work#

In exceptional cases (guest without a phone, elderly guest, children):

• Offer the venue's tablet with the menu open
• Keep a few paper copies as a backup
• Personally describe dishes and take the order verbally

4. Staff Roles and Responsibilities#

Host/Hostess#

• Greets guests at the entrance
• Escorts to a table, considering dining room load
• Manages reservations and the queue
• Creates the first impression of the venue

Waiter/Server#

• Serves guests from seating to farewell
• Knows the menu, ingredients, allergens
• Takes orders (verbally or confirms digital ones)
• Serves food and drinks
• Processes payment

Bartender#

• Prepares drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
• Serves guests at the bar counter
• Knows the wine list, cocktails, craft beer

Chef/Cook#

• Prepares dishes according to recipe cards
• Controls quality and plating
• Follows sanitary standards
• Tracks product expiration dates

Floor Manager#

• Coordinates staff work
• Resolves conflict situations
• Controls service standards
• Analyzes reports and KPIs

5. Food Safety and Hygiene#

Golden rules#

1. Wash your hands — before work, after the restroom, after contact with raw products
2. Separate — raw and ready-to-eat, meat and vegetables (different boards, knives)
3. Store correctly — fridge ≤4°C, freezer ≤-18°C
4. Cook thoroughly — minimum internal cooking temperatures
5. Follow FIFO — First In, First Out

Temperature control#

Personal hygiene#

• Clean uniform every shift
• Hair tied back (or under a cap in the kitchen)
• No jewelry on hands (kitchen)
• Nails trimmed short
• Cover wounds with a bandage + gloves
• If sick (fever, vomiting, diarrhea) — do not come to work

HACCP — basics#

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety management system:

• Identify hazards (biological, chemical, physical)
• Identify critical control points
• Set limits
• Monitor
• Document

6. Allergens#

14 main allergens (EU)#

Every employee MUST know the 14 allergens:

1. 🌾 Gluten (wheat, rye, barley)
2. 🦐 Crustaceans
3. 🥚 Eggs
4. 🐟 Fish
5. 🥜 Peanuts
6. 🫘 Soybeans
7. 🥛 Milk (lactose)
8. 🌰 Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts)
9. 🥬 Celery
10. 🟡 Mustard
11. ⚪ Sesame
12. 🧪 Sulphites (sulfur dioxide)
13. 🌿 Lupin
14. 🦪 Molluscs

What to do when asked about allergens#

1. Don't guess — if you're not sure, ask the chef
2. Check in the system — allergens are listed for each dish in Meni
3. Warn the kitchen — mark the order as "allergy"
4. Prevent cross-contamination — separate dishes, tools

Anaphylactic shock — emergency actions#

1. Call an ambulance (112 / local number)
2. Help the guest take a comfortable position (sitting if breathing is difficult)
3. If there is an EpiPen (epinephrine) — help them use it
4. Do not give food or water
5. Stay with the guest until the ambulance arrives

7. Handling Complaints and Conflicts#

The LAST method#

Typical situations#

Rules#

• Never argue with a guest
• Resolve immediately — don't postpone
• Inform the manager — for serious complaints
• Record it — in the system (for analytics and improvement)

8. Upselling#

What upselling is#

Upselling is offering the guest additional items or more expensive options. It is NOT pushy selling — it's care and expertise.

Techniques#

Upselling rules#

• ✅ Recommend what you personally like / know well
• ✅ Maximum 1–2 suggestions per visit
• ✅ Consider the context (budget, mood, group)
• ❌ Don't push
• ❌ Don't recommend the most expensive item "just because"

Impact on average check#

Proper upselling increases the average check by 15–25% without leaving a negative impression.

9. Working with International Guests#

Language barrier#

• Meni QR menu solves 90% of issues — the menu automatically appears in the guest's language
• Learn basic phrases in the main tourist languages
• Use gestures and a smile
• As a last resort — Google Translate on your phone

Basic phrases#

Cultural specifics#

• 🇸🇦🇦🇪 Arab guests — halal menu, separate family area
• 🇮🇱 Jewish guests — kosher menu, Shabbat
• 🇮🇳 Indian guests — vegetarian options, no beef
• 🇯🇵 Japanese guests — value quiet and attention to detail
• 🇺🇸 American guests — expect fast service, large portions

10. KDS and Kitchen#

Kitchen Display System (KDS) in Meni#

KDS is a kitchen screen that replaces paper tickets:

1. The order comes from the QR menu / from the waiter → appears on the screen
2. The chef sees: dish, quantity, comments, table number
3. The chef taps "Start" → the status updates
4. Dish is ready → "Ready" → the waiter receives a notification

Priorities#

• 🔴 Red — the order has been waiting more than 15 minutes (critical)
• 🟡 Yellow — the order has been waiting more than 10 minutes
• 🟢 Green — the order is within the normal range

Front-of-house / kitchen coordination#

• The waiter confirms the order → the kitchen starts work
• The kitchen is ready → the waiter picks up and serves
• If delayed → the kitchen informs the floor → the waiter warns the guest

11. Delivery and Pickup#

Packaging#

• Use thermal packaging for hot dishes
• Separate sauces and salads (so they don't get soggy)
• Check order completeness before sending
• Add napkins, cutlery, a business card with a QR code

Courier workflow#

1. Check the order against the checklist
2. Pack into a thermal bag
3. Deliver at the specified time
4. Hand over to the customer, take payment (if cash)
5. Mark "Delivered" in the system

Pickup#

1. Customer orders via Meni → selects a time
2. Kitchen prepares by the specified time
3. Customer arrives → states the order number
4. Hand over the packed order

12. Checklists#

Opening shift (front of house)#

• Check cleanliness of tables, chairs, floor
• Check QR codes on tables (in place, not damaged)
• Turn on the tablet / KDS
• Check availability of napkins, cutlery, spices
• Check the restroom (cleanliness, soap, paper)
• Check the temperature in the dining area
• Check music / lighting
• Review the stop list (what's unavailable today)
• Review promotions / daily specials

Closing shift (front of house)#

• All tables are clean
• All orders are closed
• Cash register is reconciled
• Equipment is turned off
• Dining area is cleaned

Opening shift (kitchen)#

• Check refrigerator temperatures
• Check product expiration dates
• Prepare prep items
• Check the stop list → pass it to the floor
• Turn on KDS
• Check cleanliness of work surfaces

13. Onboarding a New Employee#

First week#

What an employee should know after 1 week#

• All categories and key menu items
• Ingredients of the TOP 10 dishes
• 14 allergens and how to check them in the system
• How the QR menu works (explain it to a guest)
• How to take / confirm an order
• Service standards (stages, timing)
• Where everything is (kitchen, bar, storage, restroom)

What an employee should know after 1 month#

• Full menu assortment and dish ingredients
• Pairing recommendations (wine + dish)
• Upselling techniques
• Handling complaints (LAST)
• Basic phrases in the main tourist languages
• All Meni system features
• Food safety standards

Assessment#

After 1 month — oral assessment:

1. Name the 14 allergens
2. Describe the ingredients of 5 random dishes
3. How do you explain the QR menu to a guest?
4. What do you do if a guest complains about a cold dish?
5. Recommend a wine for fish / meat / pasta

Useful resources#

• 📖 Meni Quick Start — how to start using the platform
• 📖 QR Menu — Complete Guide — menu creation and setup
• 📖 Allergens and Nutrients — EU regulation
• 📖 Orders — order setup
• 📖 Product Knowledge Base — reference for all Meni features