A Training Cheat Sheet for Your Staff to Sell Premium Beef

Waitstaff can make or break a guest’s experience from their personality to their knowledge of the menu. At Meats by Linz, we provide our customers with the tools to educate their staff on the steak section of their menu, giving them the confidence to understand the product and answer any questions guests may have. Our waitstaff training focuses on five areas.

1. Our History: We always give our partners a brief overview of our fourth-generation family-owned and operated company. It’s important to talk about our humble beginnings and our facilities. Many family-owned meat companies have been acquired by larger companies and we are proud to remain owned by the Linz family for over 60 years.

2. Our Cattle: Our steaks start with the best Black Angus genetics. We teach teams specifically about our Linz Heritage Angus herd, giving them the knowledge to educate guests about the care we put into our animals. We not only talk about the lifecycle of the animal, but also the humane and ethical conditions in which we raise them, the importance of feed, and our family ranch partnerships.
   • Only genuine Black Angus
   • Cattle sired by breed-leading Linz Heritage Angus bulls
   • Corn-finished for a minimum of 180 days
   • No antibiotics or hormones for at least 120 days before harvest
   • 18-month average age at harvest
   • Surpass all USDA regulations and industry certifications
   • Our properties: Linz Heritage Angus at Blue Branch Ranch in Byard, OK, and Timpas Feedlot in Rocky Ford, CO

3. Our Steaks: No staff training is complete without getting into the meat of it. We break down what we do best into three categories – custom portion control, wet aging, and dry aging. When it comes to the aging of our beef, we take it seriously and have everything down to an exact science. Guests don’t always understand aging beef, especially dry aging. If our partner has a dry-age steak on their menu, we make sure to explain the process and flavor profile.
   • Custom Portion Control
     • Our steaks are cut to the exact specification of the outlet
   • Wet Aging
     • All our products are portioned and placed in vacuum-sealed cyrovac bags
     • Meat is placed at a temperature above freezing for a minimum of 30 days
     • Slow breaks down the connective tissue to create an enhanced flavor
   • Dry Age
     • Old-world method of aging beef – the process of laying out a piece of beef in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment
     • Control the decomposition of enzymes within the meat itself
     • Adds tenderness and intense flavor to the meat – the flavor is reminiscent of woodsy and nutty
     • Aged to our customer’s exact specifications

4. USDA Beef Grade: While the beef grades are well understood in the meat industry, waitstaff must have an understanding when walking guests through cuts on the menu. Marbling is the primary factor in the process of the USDA grading. The intramuscular fat is what is commonly referred to as the marbling. At Meats by Linz, we focus on three grades within our Linz Heritage Angus product line.
   • Choice: A quality product but has less marbling than Reserve and Prime cuts. These are typically less tender cuts.
   • Reserve (Upper 2/3^rd Choice): This grade is just a step below Prime. It is well-marbled and has a nice tenderness to it
   • Prime: The highest quality steak by USDA standards. Prime cuts have abundant marbling and are extremely tender.

5. Angus Beef Chart: Understanding the cuts of beef and where it comes from on the cow is crucial. This allows for an understanding of the sub primal, the cuts that come from each section, and the best cooking methods. It also allows the waitstaff to show off their knowledge and skills when a guest asks for more information about a cut. When our team is on-site for waitstaff training, they dive deeper into the cattle chart and talk specifically about the cuts the outlet has on their menu.

Download our Waitstaff Training Sheet