Free checklist
Server Training Checklist
The checklist (11 items)
Written as observable actions, so two trainers scoring the same shift land in the same place. In CrewSharp this is the Taproom Server checklist in the Brewery / Taproom starter set, filed under Bar, and every item here is editable.
- 1Greeted each table within two minutes of seating
- 2Checked ID before taking any alcohol orderCritical
- 3Explained the tap list and any flight options
- 4Asked about allergies before taking food ordersMust pass
- 5Entered orders accurately with any modifications
- 6Delivered drinks to the right guest without asking
- 7Checked back within two minutes of food arriving
- 8Flagged signs of intoxication to the bartenderCritical
- 9Cleared empty glasses as the table finished them
- 10Presented the check when the table asked
- 11Reset and sanitized the table within five minutes of it clearing
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What usually goes wrong
Asking about allergies before a food order is the required item, and the two critical ones are about alcohol. Checking ID at the table and flagging an intoxicated guest to the bartender are what keep the taproom's licence safe while the server is busy being friendly.
The items a good total should not outweigh
- Checked ID before taking any alcohol order
- Flagged signs of intoxication to the bartender
When to sign someone off
A workable bar for this checklist: no critical items missed, a score above a line you set for Taproom Server specifically rather than one number for the whole building, and observed on more than one shift with at least one of them busy. Then date it, so it can expire.
That last part is the one people skip. A sign-off with no date cannot be re-checked, which means a year later you have a record that says somebody was ready once.
Checklists that pair with this one
Someone trained on this one most often covers these alongside it, which makes them the sensible second checklist to train.
Common questions
What separates a competent server from a new one?
The check-back after the first round, more than anything else on the list. New servers deliver and move on. Experienced ones come back while a problem can still be fixed for free, before it turns up on the check.
What should be on a server checklist?
The 11 items above cover it: greeted each table within two minutes of seating, checked id before taking any alcohol order, explained the tap list and any flight options, and the rest of the list. Keep it in that range. Fewer and a pass proves very little; many more and trainers stop finishing it during a real shift.
Which items should count as critical?
On this checklist, 2 items are marked critical: checked id before taking any alcohol order; flagged signs of intoxication to the bartender. Missing one means not ready, regardless of the total score, because these are the failures that cannot be corrected after the fact.
Scoring it is the part that lasts
Run this Taproom Server checklist on a tablet between rushes and CrewSharp keeps the rest: who is signed off, when it was last checked, and which item your crew misses most.
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