Restaurant Resource

Chinese Restaurant Staff Menu Training Template

Restaurant resource · Menu literacy · Operations

Staff training works best when every server can explain the same core dishes in the same concise way.

Copyable training sheet

For each house-specialty dish, staff should know:

Dish name:
Chinese name / pinyin:
Plain-English explanation:
Main ingredients:
Flavor:
Texture:
Spice level:
Contains or may contain:
Can it be made mild?
Can it be made vegetarian?
Best with:
Common customer questions:

Example entry

Dish name: Mapo Tofu
Chinese / pinyin: 麻婆豆腐 · má pó dòu fu
Plain-English explanation: Soft tofu in Sichuan chile-bean sauce with numbing peppercorn.
Main ingredients: Tofu, chile-bean paste, Sichuan peppercorn, scallion.
Flavor: Spicy, savory, numbing.
Texture: Soft tofu in sauce.
Contains or may contain: Soy, chile, pork.
Best with: White rice.
Common question: Can it be made without pork? Answer depends on kitchen setup.

Downloadable staff training worksheet

Template Download Use
Staff training worksheet staff-menu-training-template.md One sheet per house-specialty dish. 
# Staff Menu Training Template

Use one sheet per house-specialty dish.

## Dish basics
Dish name:
Chinese name:
Pinyin:
Menu section:
Kitchen station:
Dine-in / takeout / delivery suitability:

## Explanation
Plain-English explanation:
One-sentence server script:
What makes this dish worth ordering:
Best for first-time diners? yes / no
Best for groups? yes / no

## Flavor and texture
Main ingredients:
Flavor:
Texture:
Spice level:
Ma-la? yes / no
Sweet? yes / no
Sour? yes / no
Smoky? yes / no
Rich / oily? yes / no

## Dietary and allergy signals
Contains or may contain:
Pork:
Shellfish:
Fish:
Wheat / gluten:
Soy:
Sesame:
Peanut:
Tree nuts:
Egg:
Cooking wine:
Shared fryer / wok / steamer:

## Modifications
Can be made mild?
Can be made vegetarian?
Can be made without pork?
Can sauce be served on side?
What should not be modified?

## Pairings
Best with:
Avoid pairing with:
Good first-order combination:

## Common customer questions
Question:
Recommended answer:

Question:
Recommended answer:

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