Basic Wine Lesson, What is all the Fuss About?
Wine can be as simple or as complex as you would like to make it.  There are 2 basic types of wine (Red and White).  Both types are made from grapes that are picked and then placed in large containers, typically Oak or Metal Vats.  The grapes are crushed and left to ferment. 

Fermentation is a process in which yeast and sugar react to produce alcohol.  The longer the fermentation the more sugar is used and the "Dryer" or less sweet the wine and the higher the alcohol content. 

Grapes have a natural yeast on the skin which reacts with the natural sugars in the juice.  This is just a basic overview but you should get the jist.  Wine makers can use different grapes, in different soils, with different weather, ferment in different types of vats, for different periods of time.  And here lies the complex and mysterious nature of wine. 

The beauty of it is that it is completely derived from grapes, you can not add anything to change the flavour or complexity of the product.  In Beer or Spirit Production you can change the flavour by adding yeast, hops, barley, water etc.  With Wine you must reley soly on you crop and the knowledge of you wine maker.

A Few Different Red Wine Varieties That We Will Serve: Shiraz Merlot  Caberbet Savinion A Few Different White Varieties That We Will Serve: Souvinion Blanc Pinot Gris Chardonay

Wine Service

1. Present the bottle to the host
2. Host accepts
3. Host rejects (wrong wine, wrong vintage (year), changed mind)
4. Place glassware around the table at the position 4 o'clock from the water glass. Using your Screwpull wine opener cut the capsule and put it in your pocket. Remove the cork and present to the host. 
5. Pour wine around the table.
   About 5 ounces per glass.  We serve wine in 10oz glasses, so HALF FULL.  Glasses are poured HALF FULL to allow the wine to take on oxygen which will intensify the flavour and aroma.  If you pour more that this not only will the customer not be able to fully enjoy their glass, we will also make less profit as we will pour less glasses per bottle.  Take your time and BE PERCISE when pouring.
6. Women first, then hostess, then men, then host.
7. Place remainder of bottle in an iced wine cooler.

Variations
Red Wine
Bring it and open as soon as possible after the order, so it can breathe.
Do not cool, unless requested.

Second Bottle - Same Wine
Give the host or hostess the option of fresh glassware for everyone.

Second Bottle - Different Wine
Automatically present fresh glassware.

People don't like to be "SOLD." Effective suggestive selling is subtle. You are doing the guest a favor, looking after his best interests by offering your knowledge and expertise and making honest recommendations.

NEVER OVER SELL! Always allow the guest to finish ordering before you start suggesting. Be aware of what the guest is ordering and make sure he understands what he is getting.

Suggest appetizers while people are studying the menu. "How about some wings or pork bites," with your dinner this evening?"

Always be persuasive and display complete confidence. Make suggestions so positively, that the guest wouldn't dream of questioning your recommendation.

Don't ask the guest a "yes or no" question. This requires him to make a decision. Remember, people come here to relax, not think. If you display confidence and complete product knowledge, the guest will trust your judgment and allow you to take care of him.

To sell effectively, you must sometimes bring a need or desire to try something to the surface. Make sure you use the right type of language.

For example:
"Would you like some wine tonight?"

If the guest responds, "No," your suggestion is over before it got started.

"Would you care for a bottle of wine with your dinner tonight? A bottle of Merlot would compliment your steak sirloin."

With this approach, you have exhibited your knowledge and confidence of food and wine by suggesting a specific bottle of wine. The guest has now developed confidence in you. This will greatly enhance your opportunity to make this sale and make other recommendations.

Not every guest is going to buy a bottle of wine, appetizer, or dessert. But you must remember, we know two facts about every customer.

1.  Every Customer: Is planning to spend money.
2.  Every Customer: Wants to have a good time and enjoy their meal.

If you keep these two facts in mind, you will be amazed at how easy it is to sell, providing, of course, you possess the necessary knowledge and confidence.

Through suggestive selling you can:
Increase check totals. The higher the check, the better your chances of a good tip.

Expose the customer to a new and different product he may not have tried, if you had not recommended it. Thus, the evening is more enjoyable and he may return with friends and has more reasons to tell others about the Eagles Nest Lounge.

Suggestive selling and making personal recommendations is another aspect of good service. Eventually, it will come easily as you build your self-confidence.

The Eagles Nest Lounge is the most difficult of all of the Food and Beverage Area's. While serving our guests you must be prepared, knowledgeable of the menu, knowledgeable of bar service, accurately take orders, and deliver the highest level of guest service. The lounge is where our customers will be the most demanding, they will have their own specific taste on what they are looking for. You must realize that there will be many different types of guests that will look for service in our lounge.

Server Responsibilities
Successful sales and service result from confidence, which can only be developed through knowledge. We will provide you with ample material to develop the necessary knowledge and confidence in relation to service techniques, the menu and the wine list. You, as a server for Blue Devil, must learn it.

General Job Guidelines And Responsibilities
- When taking an order, always look the customer directly in the eyes, and stand erect. Never lean or write on the table.
- Never handle a glass by the rim with your hand over the drinking surface.
- Never handle silverware with your hand over the eating surface.
- When handling plates or food, never let your hand touch the eating surface or the food.
- Know your schedule.
- Know what the daily specials are and what they cost.
- Know the history of the course.
- Know the managers.
- Avoid any long conversations at any particular table. This will only upset your other customers.

- If you get behind, ask for assistance. You'll never get in trouble for asking.
Keep yourself geared up so that you are ready for any rush. We get most of our complaints during the Restaurant's slow period.

- Don't ever stand around or lean on anything. You can always be cleaning. Running clean-up, wiping shelves or the sales station, taking bus tubs to the back, etc. A server never goes into, or leaves, the kitchen empty handed. Full hands in, full hands out!

- If an order is delayed in the kitchen, inform your customers. Go to the table and explain the situation as well. Get your stories straight. Never hide from your customers.

- Learn to use your time wisely. When in your station, check all the tables before going back to the bar. Don't go to one table then go to the bar. Consolidate your trips. Fill up all glasses in your whole station, clear all plates, and then go on to something else. This is the secret to running volume and making more money.

-Always try to take out complete orders. If the entire order is ready except for a side order, like a vegetable, take out the entrées and have someone follow you in a few seconds with the side order. Don't let the entrées get cold because of a side order. Everything goes out hot.

- You won't believe how patient people will be if they just see you. Don't hide from your customers. If you use this method in taking orders, you will find that your food will be out more consistently on time, and you will give much better service over all.

- You will have more time to converse with your customers. People look for more than just good service and food when they go out today. They want a total dining experience. They look for that little extra personal touch which only you as their server can give them. Never spend more than two minutes away form your station. No server ever made any money in the back area.
Anytime you wait on a customer, put yourself in their place and ask yourself if you would be happy with the job you did at that table.

- Whenever you are reaching across someone or serving in front of someone, excuse yourself.
- Always keep your fingers and thumb off the plates you serve.

- We know that servers work for tips. All people do not realize this. If you get slighted on a tip, it may be because people think the tip is included in the bill or because they just don't like to tip. The customer is NOT required to tip. If you get stiffed, it is unfortunate, but you must take the good with the bad. Any customer feedback about an employee regarding a bad tip will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate dismissal.

- NEVER SIT DOWN WITH A CUSTOMER or friend while on duty, even if they ask you to.

- If a customer leaves you an offer to buy you a drink, just tell them you will be happy to accept the offer another time, when you are not on duty.

- The most neglected customer in the restaurant is the late customer. People who come in at dark after their round are usually the best tippers. They don't care how busy it was or how tired you are. They are here to enjoy themselves. Golf courses are noted for hurrying along late coming twilight golfers. We are not rushing them, but we must get their order because the kitchen is closing. They may sit there and enjoy their meal as long as they wish. Treat them as though they are the first customers of the evening.

- A tip should never be removed from a table while the customer is still there. Unless, however, the customer hands it to you or motions for you to come and get it.

- If you must go to the bathroom during the shift, ask someone if they will please watch your station while you are gone, and inform a manager so that they are not looking for you.

- Never attempt to adjust the lights or thermostats in the Restaurant. If there is a problem, get a manager.

- Serve food from customer's left. - Serve beverage from customer's right. - Clear everything from customer's right. - Serve women and children first, then men.

-Whenever you serve a course, ask if there is anything else you can do for the table.

-Top off with offer of additional beverages whenever anyone is getting low.

- Bring condiments to the table before they are needed.

- Never walk away from a table without acknowledging its requests.

- Never assume that the change is your tip! Table Introduction
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT!! - Immediately acknowledge all new parties. Regardless of how busy you are; you are never too busy to let your customers know you see them. They come here to be taken care of, so don't start out their dining experience by ignoring them. All new customers should be greeted within one minute.

If your hands are full, the customer knows automatically that you can't take their order, at that minute. You can pause, smile, and say "Hi, I'll be with you in just a minute." This will satisfy the customer so that they feel important and will be able to relax until you return.

When approaching a table your objective is to make you guests feel welcome and confident in knowing you're there to take care of them. You may develop your style and manner of accomplishing this but here are some suggestions to help you get started:

Don't start out by giving your name. Unless your guests already know you, they don't really care what your name is at this point. Focus on THEM. Make them feel welcome; that they've made a good decision to be at our restaurant and give them a sense they're in friendly, competent hands. Be observant, not scripted. It's o.k. to pay someone at the table a sincere compliment or try to open up some friendly rapport. Later in the meal it's good to give them your name by saying something like, "By the way, my name is Andrew, just let me know if you think of anything else you'd like."

After delivering food to the table, give the customer a few minutes to try the dish, and then return to the table. "How is your steak cooked? Can I get you another...Scotch and water, ice tea?" When checking on food items, always accentuate the positive, and eliminate the negative. Do ask, "Did you like they way your steak was cooked?” Don't ask, "Was everything OK tonight?" Ask an intelligent, specific question and show you're concerned about the answer you get. If something isn't right, do what you can make it right.

Each time you take an order, be aware of what might elevate the guests' experience. Be relaxed and friendly, polite and professional. Have an idea what extras (appetizers, sides, etc.) you are going to suggest based upon what you genuinely think will enhance your guest's dining experience. Allow the customers to finish ordering before you jump in with suggestions. If they hesitate, then it's your turn. "May I suggest the (POPULAR MENU ITEM)? It's a one of our most popular dishes." If they still hesitate, you might say something like, "Would you like to have a little longer to decide? Take your time and let me know if I can answer any questions."

Know everything on the menu in terms of what is in it, and what would go well with it. This will be covered in detail in your initial training and will be enforced often in our pre-shift meetings.
Suggest premium liquor in all cocktails. It makes the drink taste better, servers are tipped more, and when the guest drinks better, the server drinks better.

Get your guests' first drinks to them within five minutes from taking the order; no longer.

Suggest specific appetizers before you leave the table to get their first drinks. It saves you time and steps.

Learn and use guests' names when appropriate. Always use "Mr." or "Ms." unless you're told or you're absolutely sure it's proper to use a guest's first name.

Make specific suggestions at every step of the meal if you think it's appropriate: drinks, appetizers, sides, wine, desserts, after-dinner drinks. Always keep in mind, your first objective is to show your guests a marvelous time, not PUMP UP THE CHECK. Use your best judgment here. Sure we want to sell, but more importantly, we want our guests to leave delighted so they RETURN!

Ordering Procedures
When approaching the table, be sure to have your pen ready, book open, and pad ready. Ask the customer if they have any questions concerning either the specials or entrées. After answering all the questions, if there are any, ask if you can take their order.

Through either eye contact or verbal address, you may start to take their order. Be sure to gather all information from each guest before proceeding to the next. If possible, you should take the order from women and children first, and then the men.

Taking the order is the time for making recommendations. Suggest appetizers that will compliment the guests' meal. This is when wine can, and should, be offered.

Always get the cooking temperature for meats. Our cooking temperatures are as follows:

Rare - Bloody cool center, touch of rawness Medium Rare - Bloody red, no rawness of meat Medium - Pink warm center Medium Well to Well - Fully cooked with no redness

Cooking Times & Handling Timing Problems
Once an order is rung to the kitchen, preparation of that item begins. It is imperative that appetizers are rung first. Once an order has been placed, you can expect to receive lunch items within ten to fifteen minutes, and dinner items within fifteen to twenty minutes. This time may lengthen during a busy rush. Your tables' experience is dependent upon your awareness and service to the customers from the time they are seated; to the time they receive their order. If, by chance, you have a long time ticket, do not hide from your table. Many of our guests have extreme time constraints with their tee time. If they seem to be in a big hurry suggest faster dishes. Ask when they tee off! If you know they do not have enough time to eat, tell them to get a sandwich to go form the kiosk. We can not hold up the tee due to late food.

Cleaning
This is a massive building with many cleaning duties which we all must contribute to. Please offer to assist our cleaning staff if you are not busy, and always be willing when they ask for help.

Some things to do if slow: wipe down the table and chair legs (weekly), use the wood polish to polish the bar stools, dust blinds and window ledges, sweep/mop floor if need be, remove glasses and bottles off the shelves behind the bar and clean, wipe out/ tidy lounge cooler.

ALWAYS make sure all the cutlery is polished.

KEEP THE SERVERY CLEAN!!! This area always gets neglected because it is out of the public eye. Wipe the walls, dumbwaiter, serving tray, coffee station, wash the floor continually so it is never a big job.
Please refer to the daily shift cleaning sheets located in the servery. To be completed and turned in with your cash-out.