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The Ashton Standard

SampleA sample house. The name is fictional; the standards are real examples from our library.

Sample manual

See what your dining room would get.

Ancell House is a fine-dining restaurant we made up. This is the manual we would write with a house like it: three of its standards, a lesson built from one of them, the knowledge check that follows, and the certificate at the end. Nothing to sign up for.

House Standards

Ancell House

Front of house

Edition one · 2026

Written with The Ashton Standard

SOP 1 · Host

The Guest Welcome and Greeting

Welcome every arriving guest immediately and warmly, making them feel expected.

Why it matters

The greeting sets the emotional temperature of the visit. A guest greeted at once feels important; a guest left waiting at the stand feels like an interruption.

Ancell House · House Standards

The procedure

Role
Host
Checked by
Dining room manager
Section
SOP 1 of 3
Revision
Edition one, 2026
  1. Acknowledge every guest within seconds of arrival, even if you are on the phone or with another guest, with eye contact and a warm expression.
  2. Greet with genuine warmth: a welcome, and where known, their name.
  3. Confirm the reservation or, for walk-ins, assess seating warmly.
  4. Make eye contact and smile; let the guest feel seen, not processed.
  5. Offer to take coats or bags where the property provides coat check.
  6. Orient the guest: confirm the wait if any, or lead them to their table.
  7. Set a warm, unhurried tone regardless of how busy the stand is.

Common mistakes

  • Finishing a task before looking up at an arriving guest.
  • A flat, scripted greeting with no eye contact.
  • Greeting the reservation rather than the person.

The house standard

The guest is met the instant they cross the threshold, by name where possible, with a warmth that feels personal rather than procedural. Even during a rush, no arriving guest waits at the stand unacknowledged.

Manager's checklist

  • Every guest acknowledged within seconds
  • Warm, genuine greeting with eye contact
  • Guest greeted by name where known
  • Coats or bags offered where applicable
  • Guest clearly oriented on next step
  • Warm tone held regardless of volume

SOP 2 · Server

The Check-Back and Reading the Table

Check on each table at the right moments and read its unspoken needs.

Why it matters

Attentiveness is felt in timing. The right check-back catches a problem early and makes the guest feel tended; the wrong one, too often or too rarely, annoys or neglects.

Ancell House · House Standards

The procedure

Role
Server
Checked by
Dining room manager
Section
SOP 2 of 3
Revision
Edition one, 2026
  1. Check back shortly after each course begins to confirm it is right.
  2. Time check-backs to be helpful, not intrusive, reading the table's engagement.
  3. Watch the table continuously for signals: an empty glass, a searching look, a finished course.
  4. Anticipate needs before the guest has to ask.
  5. Address any concern immediately and sincerely.
  6. Give the table space during private or intimate moments.
  7. Be present and easy to catch without hovering.

Common mistakes

  • Checking back at a bad moment, mid-conversation or mid-bite.
  • Disappearing so the table cannot catch you.
  • Missing an obvious signal like an empty glass or a searching look.

The house standard

The server reads the table like a book, appearing exactly when needed and vanishing when not, so the guest's needs are met before they are voiced and the meal flows without a single search for attention.

Manager's checklist

  • Timely check-back after each course
  • Check-backs helpful, not intrusive
  • Table watched for signals
  • Needs anticipated
  • Concerns addressed immediately
  • Present without hovering

SOP 3 · Captain

Decanting

Decant wine correctly when it will benefit, for aeration or for sediment.

Why it matters

Decanting, done well, elevates a wine and adds ceremony; done poorly, it disturbs sediment or looks amateurish. It is a visible test of the captain's craft.

Ancell House · House Standards

The procedure

Role
Captain
Checked by
Head sommelier
Section
SOP 3 of 3
Revision
Edition one, 2026
  1. Determine whether the wine benefits from decanting, for aeration or to separate sediment.
  2. Gather clean, correct equipment: decanter, candle or light for older wines, cloth.
  3. For sediment, stand the bottle upright in advance and pour slowly and steadily, watching over the light.
  4. Stop the pour when sediment reaches the shoulder.
  5. For aeration, decant with appropriate exposure to air for the wine.
  6. Present and serve from the decanter correctly.
  7. Explain the decanting to the guest where it adds to the experience.

Common mistakes

  • Decanting a wine that should be left alone.
  • Disturbing sediment through a hurried or careless pour.
  • Using improper or unclean equipment.

The house standard

Decanting is performed with calm expertise and a touch of ceremony: the right wines chosen, sediment separated cleanly over the light, aeration judged correctly, so the wine reaches the glass at its best and the guest witnesses a moment of craft.

Manager's checklist

  • Decanting decision judged correctly
  • Correct, clean equipment
  • Sediment separated cleanly
  • Pour stopped at the shoulder
  • Aeration judged correctly
  • Served and explained well
“Even during a rush, no arriving guest waits at the stand unacknowledged.”
Host · The Guest Welcome and Greeting

The lesson

Every standard becomes a lesson.

Each procedure in the manual turns into short lessons your team reads on a phone, then a knowledge check. This one is built from Decanting, the captain standard above.

Ancell House3 min read

Lesson 1 of 3 · Decanting

Before the pour

Decanting, done well, lifts a wine and adds a moment of ceremony to the table. Done poorly, it disturbs the sediment or looks amateurish, in front of everyone at the table. It is one of the most visible tests of a captain's craft.

So the first decision is whether to decant at all. Some wines open with air, older wines need separating from their sediment, and some should simply be left alone.

Key points

  • Decide first: aeration, sediment, or leave it alone.
  • For sediment, stand the bottle upright in advance and pour slowly over the light.
  • Stop the pour when the sediment reaches the shoulder.
Continue to the check

The knowledge check

Then they show they know it.

Three questions from the same standard. Pick an answer and you will see the right one, and why. Try it: nothing is saved.

Decanting · Knowledge check

Sample. Nothing is saved.

  1. 1.An older red has thrown sediment. What do you do before the table is ready for it?

  2. 2.Pouring over the light, when do you stop?

  3. 3.A guest orders a delicate, fully mature wine. What is the captain's first decision?

0 of 3 answered

The certificate

And the record stays with them.

A pass issues the certificate to the person, not to a file in the office. Ancell House can see who is certified on what, and the record goes with them when they move on.

Clara Whitfield

Captain · Ancell House

Certifications

Decanting and Wine Presentation

Issued by Ancell House

Earned · Sep 18, 2026

A sample certificate for a fictional member of staff, shown as it appears on their profile.

What a house gets

Your standards, written down and taught.

  • A manual in your voice.

    Written with the people who hold the standard now, department by department, so it reads like your house and not like a template.

  • Training from every page.

    Each procedure becomes a short lesson and a knowledge check, assigned to the people who need it, with a date on it.

  • A record of who knows it.

    A pass issues a certificate. You see who is trained on what, and your people keep what they have earned when they move on.

Want your house's standards written like this?

Tell us what you run and which standard your team relearns every season. We will come back within a business day.

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