Bar waiter/waitress duties and responsibilities step by step cruise ship guide:

Provides passengers with prompt, professional service

Provides personalized service by greeting passengers by name and learning personal preference, as drink, sport…

Obtains guest orders and writes on company service check form.

Presents order to Bartender for drink preparation.

Garnishes drinks as appropriate.

Serves drinks in accordance with Company standards.

Provides snack service of the day as directed by the Bar Manager.

Ensures signed checks are obtained for each order.

Assists in public rooms and dining rooms as requested

Serves as Bar/Wine Waiter/waitress in the dining room as requested

Maintains bar and lounge in a neat and orderly fashion

A set up bars and lounges is yours prior to service.

To assists the bartender with polishing of glass/china.

Display positive service and teamwork by communicating courteously with passengers and employees.

Smiles and greets passengers and fellow employees

Fulfills passenger requests or suggests alternatives courteously

Demonstrates teamwork when working with other employees

Keeps the Bar Manager promptly and fully informed of all problems or unusual matters of significance coming to his/her attention so prompt corrective action can be taken.

Performs all duties and responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner in accordance with established company policies to achieve the overall objectives of this position.

At all times projects a favorable image of the Company to promote its aims and objectives and foster and enhance public recognition and acceptance of all its areas and endeavor

Public Speaking/ Guest introduction

Before approaching your guest you should have an idea in your mind of what you want to say, and it should be: Short, Polite and Formal.

You must have confidence, stand up straight, speak slowly, with a clear voice, get the people attention, and try not to interrupt; always excuse yourself when approaching.

Your introduction speech should include the following information:

Greeting;

Your name and nationality

Your position, Duties and responsibilities.

Example: Good morning Sir, I am …….from Croatia, I am you’re Bar waitress and I’m gonna take care of your drinks, have fun!

TIP 1: You may use this introduction at dinning room, in casino and bars be short, formal and polite. 

Standards of hygiene of the Bar

To wash the hands: All must wash their hands, every time they enter in the galley. The hands must be washed with hot water for about 20 seconds, dry the hands with paper. In case that the USPH catches, this penalty (not to wash the hands) is 5 points.

Do not smoke, do not drink and do not eat in the part where the Garnish and drinks are prepared.

Be aware of how to use the three bucket system, this facilitates the general clean.

The use of gloves, when requested, only if it has contact with the garnish that is ready to be served.

Sales techniques

To up your sales, the most important thing is have knowledge of all bar menu. Sell by suggesting, suggest premium brands, bucket of beer.

1-use open-ended questions, as this questions requires an answer

Of more than just yes or no, like:

How many cocktails?

Which of our imported beers would you like to try?

What may I bring you from the bar?

Avoid closed-ended questions, like: Do you want a drink?

1-  Be skillful with words and description:

“Sir, any pre-dinner cocktail? I suggest a chilled Martini.”

“Ma’am, a frozen Strawberry Daiquiri is very thirst on this sun”

“Would you like a bucket of domestic or imported beer?”

(Use words such as cold, chilled, thirst quenching, refreshing, frozen)

2-Suggest appropriately. If a guest is celebrating an occasion

Suggest a bottle of champagne.

Is very important to read your guest, the situation, like dinner time, what kind of drink is recommended to take before? Example: Bloody Mary, as when the guest is about to have dinner, they prefer to have cold drinks. And after dinner? Digestive drinks such as liquors, are more appropriate.

3-Do not assume. If the guests do not want a drink at the moment, you can always check back later. Americans are used to wait for the waiter come to them and take the order, is not common for them to call the waiter, and don’t wait until their call!

4-Be attentive. Make you guest feel special; give them your full attention, and always smile.

5-Remove empty glasses and cans. This is a good opportunity for suggesting a refill or repeat order

Taking orders:

Greet the guest

Place the napkin

Present the menu

Assist the guest using the sales techniques

Take the order and be sure of that, if you have any doubt repeat all the order before proceed to the bar counter

Ask for the charge card

Serve the drink to guest from right side, ladies first, if there is a child he must be first.

Present the check for signature and verify the signature

Thank the guest

TIP 2: you must always keep the tables clean; taking away the dirty glasses, clean up spills, and change the ashtray if dirty.

Even if there are no one at your station you must always keep your tables clean, with an open menu, guest will always look for a clean and comfortable place to take a seat.

TIP 3:  To change the ashtray, take a clean one and put on top of the dirty one, leave the dirty one on your tray and replace with the clean one.

If you change the ashtray without anything on top, the ash can go to the drink and even to the passenger.

You should take the order in a logical way, as when you come back to the table and deliver you may not ask “who ordered coke?”

Remembering the guest names

Impression: observe facial characteristics; study the size of the person; listen to their voice.

Repetition: repeat name immediately, use the name several times in conversation.

Association: Mr. Barr = bartender, Mr. Baldwin = Very little hair, mach them with someone you know.

Calling your guest by their names they will be more confident to always order with you, is very important to memorize: their names, card number and drinks, you will make their life easy instead of all the time say what they want, name and card number, specially on Casinos, and pool.

At the pool they are usually dressed with bikinis and without any pocket so every order they need to look for their bag, open up and this takes your time and theirs.

At the casino they are very focused on the game and you can not distract them, so can take the order, like: Mr. Baldwin, may I take your Jim Bean on the rocks now? I have your card and I will be right back. Good Luck!

Table service is a form of service in restaurants, pubs, and bars where food or drinks are served to the customer's table. This is compared with counter service where service is provided at the counter.

Table service is the norm in most restaurants, while for some fast food restaurants counter service is the common form. For pubs and bars, table service is the norm in the United States whereas counter service is the norm in the United Kingdom.

With table service, the customer generally pays just before leaving rather on the delivery of the food or drink.

Good to know and understand

Guests are not dependent on us, we are dependent on them.

Guests are not interruptions of our work. They are the purpose of it.

Guests are doing us a favor; we are not doing them a favor by serving them.

Guests are part of our business. They are not outsiders.

Guests are not cold statistic. They are human beings with feelings and emotions like our own.

A guest is NOT someone to argue or match wits with. The guest may not always be right, but the guest is always the guest.

Guests are people who bring us their needs. It is our job to fulfill those needs.

Guests are deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment we can give them.

Guests are life-blood of this and every other business. If there were no guests, there would be no business.