INFORMATION SHEET NO.

3
Professional Ethics for Food Service Personnel

Learning Outcomes:

After reading this Information Sheet, you must be able to:

a. learn the proper etiquette of a food service personnel;

b. enumerate the do’s and don’ts inside the working area; and
c. apply professional ethics to food service management.

Introduction
Ancient written codes like the Egyptian’s Code of Ma’at, the Ten Commandments of
Christianity, Plato’s The Republic, the Analects of Confucius are just some of human’s bases for
their concepts of virtue and ethical standards. Human ethical behavior is definitely
gleaning in all the affairs of man. Be it personal or professional, man is expected to act
accordingly. Christopher Boehm (1982) theorized that man’s moral development could be
anchored to the avoidance of disputes and disagreements. Shared concepts and beliefs are
codified to dictate behavior within a group or a community which in turn may provide rules of
behavior ( www.saimeche.org.za/resource/collection). Likewise, professional ethics pertains to
the conduct and behavior of a person or group in a certain environment which may vary
depending on the profession. In the food industry, patrons are indeed placing their lives in the
hands of the people managing the kitchen and giving service to them. Thus, it is imperative to
say that ethical standards must be followed at all times for you to establish a good connection
with your customers.
To jumpstart your mind as regards professional ethics in the food service industry, let’s
take a look at the three key elements of professional ethics for food service personnel:
1. Physical Projection
Most restaurant patrons would agree that other than the quality of food being
served to them, they also mind the kind of treatment they receive from their food
servers. A welcoming smile will always make them feel special. If you as a food server is
required to wear a uniform, pressing it neatly with no sagging hemline and faded side
will always get an approval from them. If no uniform is required, avoid wearing flip flops
or bare slippers, faded and torn maong pants, collarless shirts , low necklines and
sleeveless. If possible, avoid displaying pieces of accessory like dangling earrings,
bracelets, necklaces and the like. Wear make up or dab light colored lipstick so as not to
look pale but be careful not to overdo your make up. As for the body language, be
careful not to show any hint of unpleasant reactions like sneering, frowning, raising an
eyebrow, crossing arms, pointing finger, biting lips and even shaking your head. Your
posture as well must be monitored. No matter how hard your day has been, never
 slouch. A droopy posture will always send a negative vibe to your patrons. Remember
that 65% of the communication process is nonverbal (Doyle 2020).
In addition, the following grooming standards must be strictly observed:
 Hair
 Clean and neatly combed, no dandruff.
 Ladies hair should be clipped on both sides or breaded (if it is long)
 Length of men’s hair should no go beyond collar and the side hair must
not cover ears.
 Bangs should be avoided.

 Uniform
 Must be comfortably fit; no sagging hemline
 Properly buttoned; sleeves should never be folded nor rolled
 clean and well pressed; free from stains nor wrinkles
 Face
 Men- free of beard and mustache
 Ladies- must have light and appropriate make-up that should be
retouched from time to time.
 Free from pimples and blemishes.
 Mouth
 free from bad breath; mouth wash to be used as needed
 no tooth decay
 Ears
 Clean and free from visible dirt inside and outside
 Earrings are never appropriate for men; ladies in uniform should never
wear dangling earrings
 Body
 Free from body odor; deodorant to be used daily
 Daily shower is a must.
 Fingernails
 Clean and free from dirt
 Men- nails should be short and properly trimmed.
 Ladies- avoid very long fingernails and must always be clean and well
manicured. If nail polish is used, it should look clean, fresh and not
tattered.
 Perfumes
 Not allowed much as the smell contaminate the food.

2. Verbal Projection
In 1967, Albert Mehrabian came up with the “7%-38%-55%” rule determining that
communication is made up of three parts: the actual words you use (7%), the tone of
delivery in your voice (38%), and the body language accompanying your words and
voice (55%). Appropriate tone must be used to address the needs of your customers. No
 service provided would like to alienate their customers. So, what are the things that must
be remembered when talking to a customer?
 When talking, always keep a low tone and modulated voice.
 Speak with clarity. A message sent doesn’t automatically mean it will be easily
understood. Don’t hesitate to clarify instructions or requests before leaving
customers’ tables. You may use, “If I got you right, are you saying that… “I heard
you say… do you mean….?”
 Use conversational tone. Always remember that other than the smile you send to
your customers, a conversational tone encourages openness and appreciation.
Speak in audible, relaxed and natural manner.
 Avoid speaking too fast nor too slow. Make every part of the message come
across. Doing so may avoid confusing your listeners or creating irate customers.
 The statement, “Customers are always right” may not be applicable at all times.
However, you must accept and respect the opinion and ideas of others. If you
disagree, acknowledge first their statement before pointing out your ideas. Make
statement like “I see your point” I understand what you mean. However, I feel
that..”
 Be more polite. Nothing will sound better than hearing someone say “ May I…,
Kindly…, Please…, Do you mind…, I’m sorry.
 - May I have your name sir? instead of What is your name?
 - May I know who is on the line? rather than Who is this?
- What can I do for you ma’am/sir? rather than “What is it?/ What do
you want?”
Don’t shatter your customers’ feelings. Avoid saying directly no or no
comment when turning down a request. One diplomatic way of doing it is to say:
“I really wish I could satisfy your request, however……. I hope you understand.”
 Do not bluff. Be honest and accurate in giving information. If an information being
asked is beyond your knowledge, be humble enough to admit it but do not leave
your customer hanging. You may consult any of your co-workers or your
supervisor for the answer.

3. Work Behavior and Habits

How we behave at work often depends on how we feel about being there.
Therefore, making sense of how people behave depends on understanding their
work attitudes. An attitude refers to our opinions, beliefs, and feelings about aspects of our
environment. We have attitudes toward the food we eat, people we meet, courses we take, and
things we do. At work, two job attitudes have the greatest potential to influence how we
behave. These are job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

JOB SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

Job satisfaction refers to the feelings people have toward their job. If the
number of studies conducted on job satisfaction is an indicator, job satisfaction is probably the
most important job attitude.
 Organizational commitment is the emotional attachment people have toward
the company they work for. A highly committed employee is one who accepts and believes in
the company’s values, is willing to put out effort to meet the company’s goals, and has a strong
desire to remain with the company. People who are committed to their company often refer to
their company as “we” as opposed to “they” as in “in this company, we have great benefits.” The
way we refer to the company indicates the type of attachment and identification we have with
the company.
There is a high degree of overlap between job satisfaction and organizational
commitment because things that make us happy with our job often make us more
committed to the company as well. Companies believe that these attitudes are worth tracking
because they often are associated with outcomes that are important to the Controlling role,
such as performance, helping others, absenteeism, and turnover.
In addition to personality and fit with the organization, work attitudes are
influenced by the characteristics of the job, perceptions of organizational justice and the
psychological contract, relationships with coworkers and managers, and the stress levels
experienced on the job. Many companies assess employee attitudes through surveys of worker
satisfaction and through exit interviews. The usefulness of such information is limited, however,
because attitudes create an intention to behave in a certain way, but they do not always predict
actual behaviors.

SOME HABITS TO BE AVOIDED WHILE ON DUTY

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many surprising transitions on the lives
of people around the globe. Dining services were greatly affected by the lockdown and had
seriously stopped its operations which resulted to numerous appalling effects on their owners
and staff. When they were permitted to open their doors to limited customers, restaurants
were forced to adapt to the new normal in the food service industry. Fewer tables, many vacant
seats, customers waiting in line for their take-outs while standing 4-6 feet away from others, less
staff (who wear face masks and shields) and more food service drivers showing their online
orders at the counter. These are some of the new normal situations in many restaurants in the
country today.
The pandemic has taught food service owners and staff to be fully aware of the
proper ways of handling tools, food preparations and services. It reminded food industry people
that their unsanitary practices may bring numerous risks to their customers. Thus, all food safety
requirements must be met to prevent cross-contamination and protect their customers
from food poisoning due to poor handling of food.
Unsanitary practices like smoking, coughing/sneezing, scratching body parts,
spitting on walls and floors and sink, tasting food in view of costumers, handling food with bare
hands, serving food/cutleries that have fallen on the floor, putting on foods in dirty tables,
cooling warm/ hot food by blowing air out of the mouth, wiping perspiration with wiping cloth
used for service, combing hair inside dining room, and using strong perfume.
1. Unpleasant habits like yawning, grouping together with other staff for a chat
while on duty, using sign languages and the like.

2. Smoking. Food service employees must not smoke or use tobacco in any form
while working in the preparation of food. Smoking is not permitted in food storage
and preparation areas or in areas where utensils are cleaned or stored.

3. Personal Habits. An illness or a disease can be passed from person to person.

As a food service employee, your health habits affect you and your work and
the health of those around you.

4. People in Kitchens Only Authorized Individuals. They are necessary for the
operation of the food service establishment, or as part of an organized
educational event, are allowed to be in the food preparation or utensil washing
areas.