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Fast Facts/Frequently
Asked Questions
What
is a critical advantage of FDRP programs versus other training programs?
What kind of recognition/benefit will FDRP Certification
credentials provide me?
What is the foundation of FDRP's standards of service?
What is the International Business & Gourmet Standard
of Hospitality (IBGS) and where is it taught?
FDRP projects an image that addresses white tablecloth
restaurants. Is FDRP's standard of service applicable to my casual
style restaurant where service is very straight-forward and basic?
How can using FDRP certification concretely benefit
my establishment?
Who already uses FDRP certification?
I am concerned that the FDRP standard might contradict
some of the practices we have in our restaurant and create a conflict
with my staff and my management.
How do I implement certification in my restaurant?
Will my turnover increase the cost so much that it
will make FDRP programs too expensive?
Q.
What is a critical advantage of FDRP programs versus other training
programs?
A.
FDRP is the only organization to offer such a wide variety of personalization
and customization options for your training material. Our unparalleled
customization options include:
Placing the establishment's logo on the cover of the manual;
Insertion of a customized foreword;
Insertion of an establishment-owned, proprietary chapter to the
Dining Room Associate manual/kit which simplifies the distribution
of the information relating to the training / course;
Addition of the Manager / Dean's or faculty's signature to the FDRP
certificates, displaying that FDRP honors the establishment's dedication
to its hospitality staff / pupils.
Q.
What kind of recognition/benefit will FDRP Certification credentials
provide me?
A.
Bearing the seal of approval from the International Sommelier Guild
since 2002, and receiving the endorsement of the American Culinary
Federation in 2006, FDRP credentials--whether Apprentice, Associate
or Professional--translate into concrete benefits for their bearers.
Here are some examples:
The Associate Certification used at the university level as the
'Culminant examination' of a 3-credit course.
The Dining Room Master Certification equals the same number of points
as a Certified Executive Chef when it comes to promotion evaluations
at Johnson & Wales University. Customers are always interested in
meeting Certified Masters, and if you plan on teaching one day,
this credential will not go unnoticed.
At Hillstone Restaurant Group (Houston's, Bandera Grills etc.) Service
Managers are required to be Certified Dining Room Professionals
in order to maintain their position. This credential is a good introduction
to any employer and speaks volumes about your dedication to the
hospitality profession.
Through Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), high school
Apprentice graduates have attained employment in top New York City
restaurants. Even at the earliest levels of certification, the benefits
have returned an increased capacity to earn an income as well as
a professional status for these youngsters.
Not only the benefits are real--as demonstrated above--but so is the
impact on restaurants using FDRP programs. The Assistant General Manager
of the Palm Beach Grill recorded an immediate and consistent 3% gratuity
increase on the average check from the very day the dining room staff
completed their FDRP Associate Certification.
Q.
What is the foundation of FDRP's standard of service?
A.
FDRP recognizes that there are a lot of different books often times
containing different interpretations of identical service techniques
that have caused significant confusion in the industry. To remedy
this problem, the standard of service adopted by the FDRP and presented
in all its books and certification programs is the International Business
& Gourmet Standard of Hospitality (IBGS). FDRP's entire program utilizes
the IBGS techniques and standards, which are also in agreement with
the world-renown gastronomic dictionary (available in English), The
Larousse Gastronomique.
Q.
What is the International Business & Gourmet Standard of Hospitality
(IBGS) and where is it taught?
A.
The International Business & Gourmet Standard of Hospitality (IBGS)
was derived from the classic European standard taught in culinary
schools throughout Europe as well as in Canada, South America and
elite United States schools. Merged with the International Standard
of Business Etiquette, which is also taught worldwide, the IBGS model
of service standard can be found in literally every educational book
published throughout Europe, including the French "Travaux Pratiques
de Restaurants" courses that are taught for all three degrees of their
Service Restaurant program. Relating that program to the United States'
degree acronyms, the bottom degree is equivalent to a Culinary AOS
degree and the top level equates to a University Bachelor degree.
Service is a living art, so the IBGS has evolved to meet the needs
of the modern clientele and was adapted to the current constraints
that restaurants must abide.
Q.
FDRP projects an image that addresses white tablecloth restaurants.
Is FDRP's standard of service applicable to my casual style restaurant
where service is very straight-forward and basic?
A.
Contrary to what you might think, quality service is not defined
by the degree of elaborate service techniques used in the establishment
but by good, professional hospitality. The more modest the establishment,
the greater is the opportunity to impress the clientele with good
service. For example, clearing a table without stacking the plates
in the face of your guests or taking away dirty glasses by not sticking
your fingers inside them have nothing to do with the establishment's
standing. Instead, proper service that is unobtrusive and well-trained
is for every establishment.
Q.
How can using FDRP certification concretely benefit my establishment?
A.
Dining room staff certification is the best tool for building a
dedicated clientele base by strengthening your Dining Room Structure.
It accomplishes that by:
·
Increasing staff retention through:
Presenting
employees with National Certification / career path without forcing
them to change employer or function
Giving
professionals credit for their experience
Offering
training / study credits to newcomers
· Attracting
better Front-of-the-House personnel through:
Attracting
culinary graduates to your F.O.H. (by June 2005 FDRP will certify
an average of 3000 culinary students per year at the Certified
Dining Room Associate level). Graduates are more likely
to work for an establishment using the same standard as the
one they have learned.
Attracting
employees who perceive your establishment as offering them a
valued career path.
· Standardizing
dining room performances and reducing training cost through:
New, already certified, employees reinforce in-house standards
instead of necessitate retraining.
Simplify the execution and control of overall service performance
by utilizing an outside, impartial organization to monitor training
and evaluation of standards that do not interfere with
the company's philosophy of hospitality or floor performance.
An employee who switches concepts in a multi-unit organization
needs to learn only the delta on information between each concept,
not 'relearn' all new standards.
Q.
Who already uses FDRP certification?
A.
FDRP programs are taught in restaurants, high schools, culinary
trade schools and prominent institutions. Here what two of our partners
say about the program:
Johnson and
Wales University, which was one of the first universities to include
FDRP certification into its curriculum, has made FDRP certification
a requirement of the freshman class. By 2005, Johnson & Wales alone
will be graduating an average of 2000 Certified Dining Room Associates
annually into the industry. Edward Korry, Department Chairman
for Johnson & Wales, states, "The Certified Dining Room Associate
program supports our mission to provide students with a well-rounded
overview of professional dining room service. By offering a certification
regulated by a recognized and independent organization that validates
what it is we teach, restaurants that hire our graduates can feel
comfortable with their level of training."
Mr. Jeff Bell,
Vice President of Human Resources and Training Development for Hillstone's
Restaurant Group. "Currently, Houston's restaurants is in the process
of certifying all of their Service Managers as Dining Room Professionals.
Once all of the Service Managers are certified, we plan on expanding
the education to include General Managers. Our long term goal is
for General Managers to be certified as Dining Room Masters and
servers to be certified as Dining Room Associates."
Customers can
tell the difference between an untrained waiter and a dining room
professional. And the top restaurants such as Le Bernardin
in New York City and Criolla's in Destin, Florida know what
it takes to stay on top. Both had all their Captains acquire the
Certified Associate Wine Steward certification from FDRP.
Q.
I am concerned that the FDRP standard might contradict some of the
practices we have in our restaurant and create a conflict with my
staff and my management.
A.
FDRP teaching / training programs are made to address the needs
of both the academic as well as the corporate world. There exists
a Corporate Version of the program that removes all sections
that could conflict with a running operation from the Academic
Version. By reducing the information to the need to know
versus the nice to know level of information presented in
the Academic Version, it is a perfect fit for existing corporate
training programs or can be the basis of a new program, regardless
of your service style or restaurant theme.
Q.
How do I implement certification in my restaurant?
A.
Implementation is simple and is usually accomplished in one of two
ways:
1.
For those without a training program or training manager with
scheduled training
sessions:
-
Certified Dining Room Associate™ (DRA) and Certified Associate
Wine Steward™ (WSA) certifications:
Simply
purchase the self-study Associate Business Edition (dual certification)
trainee manuals for each employee you want to have certified,
including an access code to the Internet Testing facility.
If
online testing is not convenient to your staff, FDRP can provide
you with hard copy tests so he/she can administer the test him/herself.
For this, your trainer will have to complete the Certified Dining
Room Professional™ test and application.
- Professionals level of certification (Certified Dining Room
Professional™ through Certified Hospitality Grand Master™):
These
certification kits are Self Study. Managers simply play a
mentoring role to ensure that the trainees progress through
the program at an acceptable pace for your investment.
2.
If you currently have a training program or training manager
with scheduled
training
sessions:
-
Certified Dining Room Associate™ (DRA) certification:
Use
the Associate Trainer's Toolkit, which includes all that a trainer
needs to present, paired with trainee manuals that follow the
information presented in the trainer's toolkit page-by-page.
The trainer selects the session information he/she wants to
teach during the training sessions, versus what will be assigned
for home study.
At
completion of the training, the trainees take an online test
using an access code bound into their manual. At successful
completion of the test they receive their certificate-and pins
if you opt for that option. If online testing is not convenient
to your staff, FDRP can provide you with hard copy tests so
he/she can administer the test him/herself. For this, your trainer
will have to complete the Certified Dining Room Professional™
test and application.
- For the
Certified Associate Wine Steward™ (WSA) certification:
The
Trainer Toolkit mentioned above covers the information relating
to the standards of Beverage service, from beer service to
wine decanting. The other components of the WSA, including
Wine, Beer and Cocktail Essentials are taught directly from
the Trainee manual using your own wine selection as support.
The
certification test can be taken either online or be administered
by the trainer, in the same manner described previously.
-
For the Professionals level of certification (Certified Dining
Room Professional™ through Certified Hospitality Grand Master™):
These
certification kits are Self Study. The trainer simply plays
a mentoring role to ensure that the trainees progress through
the program at an acceptable pace for your investment.
Q.
Will my turnover increase the cost so much that it will make FDRP
programs too expensive?
A.
Absolutely not! To address this concern, we have created Program Implementation
Plans (PIPs), which is a form of program licensing for hospitality
businesses. The 'license' cost is based on your staff structure and
is a set, low-cost fee that covers your staff with unlimited certification,
regardless of your turnover percent. These PIP's offer multiple options,
such as including professional certification for all or a part your
staff, such as management, along with 1, 2 and 3-year agreements that
represent substantial savings to your organization. PIP's even come
with a warranty that if you are not satisfied with the positive impact
of our programs have in your establishment you can opt-out. For more
information, please call the FDRP office.
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