A step-by-step guide for people in the service industry

THERE are people do not respect those in the service industry and, many times, those in the service industry do not have pride in their jobs.

But Shermane Rivers, manager of Food and Beverage Services at the Office of the Parliament and etiquette consultant, says it is important to realise that hospitality is a major sector and can be a career.

And she would know, as she is also the founder of the Etiquette School of the Caribbean, the owner of The House of Tea café in Malabar, Arima, and the author of The Joy of Service: A Guide to the Professional Food Server which was launched at the Rotunda Gallery, Red House, Port of Spain on April 12.

Rivers, 51, has been working in the service industry for over 30 years and loves what she does. But she said the customer service in TT is lacking as unskilled people are being hired and employers are not taking the time to train them.

She said the lack of respect, courtesy and kindness it is not only a problem in the food and beverage sector but at the doctor’s office, law firms, dealerships, NGOs and other service organisations.

“From the time they make that phone call to book a reservation guests expect a certain experience, and I want us to start exceeding customers’ expectations. We can do things better, with a level of pride and passion.

“People look at it as a filler job, because they can’t get anything else.

“But they don’t understand this is a road that could change somebody’s entire day. No matter how small the task is, these things matter.”

Rivers told Newsday last year the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute asked her to facilitate their Accelerate Your Ambition programme, which trained workers in the hotel industry, but there were no textbooks on the topics.

From her years of experience and with the help of her staff, she documented the different steps and created a syllabus. She recognised the need for such information and felt she could make a difference, so she expanded the process into a book.

The Joy of Service is a step-by-step guide giving practical advice and insights to help refine skills, raise standards and create memorable experiences for customers, from how to take a reservation to when the guest leaves.

Topics include greeting and interacting with guests, teamwork and personal appearance, telephone etiquette, how to set a table, clearing during service, preparing and presenting the bill, receiving tips and the importance of a proper goodbye.

“We’ve all done it. The food could be really good but if the service is bad you’re not going to go back.

“If the service is good but the food is bad, we make excuses like, ‘It was a bad day for the kitchen,’ but we’re going to give them another chance and go back.”

She would like every person doing hospitality to read the book, and hopes schools adopt it as a text.

“Let us be real, people don’t aspire to be food servers, but if we’re being honest, not every student learns well in a traditional classroom.

“But I really believe everybody has the potential to succeed. If you master your skill, whatever that is, that is what makes the difference.”

Rivers has always loved service and believes it is her calling. She recalled, as a child, at functions or family events, she would go into the kitchen to help serve or pick up dishes.

At first she wanted to be a chef and studied at what was the John Donaldson Technical Institute. But she quickly realised it was not for her and that she preferred a managerial role.

She attended the now defunct TT Hospitality and Tourism Institute and gained an associate degree in hospitality management, majoring in food and beverage management.

She then interned at Crown Point Beach Hotel and Coco Reef Resort and Spa before working there for six years. She was the dining room manager at Kapok Hotel for nine years and has been at the Parliament for 17 years.

She also did children and business etiquette with the American School of Protocol, social graces and modern etiquette with Myka Meier at Beaumont Etiquette and studied with afternoon tea expert Eileen Donaghey of Ireland.

She now does etiquette training sessions for restaurants, law firms, doctor’s offices and other institutes.

“Good manners can open doors the best education cannot. I start and end every class with that because I want people to understand that manners maketh man. It’s a fact. Those things are important in every aspect of your life.”

Rivers said she would like to spend more time focusing on training people in the industry, grow House of Tea and expanding the Etiquette School of the Caribbean to the region and internationally.

She thanked Newsday for partnering with her for the Manners Matter column in its Kids Magazine on Sundays, and the Ministry of Sport and Community Development which valued her skills and gave her the opportunity to train people as a facilitator in its programmes.

“There’s no reason people can’t read and understand and take the tip to make themselves better. The whole idea is to present your best self.”

Although she is very self-motivated, she also recognised her family and circle of friends who always support her.