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Degree:

Course in Dining Room Management and Guest Experience

Language:

Spanish

Dates:

February 1 to April 29, 2027

Duration:

February 1 – April 29, 2027

Schedule:

Mondays and Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (online sessions). On-site experience: April 26, 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; April 27 and 28, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; April 29, morning schedule.

Precio total:

2,855.00 EUR

Registration fee:

150.00 EUR

Amount in installments:

2,705.00 EUR

Maximum places:

30

Place:

BCC

Presentation

The Course in Dining Room Management and Guest Experience is aimed at hospitality professionals with dining room experience who want to advance in their careers and take on new responsibilities, as well as dining room managers currently in the role who want to consolidate it with greater judgment, method, and business vision.

Throughout the course, you will develop key competencies to manage the dining room from a current, practical, and strategic perspective, covering topics such as: team leadership, communication, guest experience, sales, operations, and profitability.

All of this with an approach designed for people who already know the reality of service and need to take the next step in their professional development while staying connected to the day-to-day of the business.

From hospitality and people management to experience design, product knowledge, service optimization, and the financial view of the dining room, this course offers practical tools to professionalize the dining room role and strengthen its contribution to the restaurant as a whole.

Thanks to an online methodology that is dynamic and practice-oriented, you will have access to virtual sessions, real cases, applied challenges, and the experience of working professionals in the sector. You will work on situations close to your professional reality and will be able to transfer what you learn to your own context from the start.

On-site week at Basque Culinary Center to complete your training

The program also includes an on-site training experience at Basque Culinary Center that adds distinctive value to the learning.

This intensive module will allow you to put into practice the content covered during the online portion through workshops, tastings, applied activities, service exercises, and analysis of real dining room situations. An opportunity to train competencies in a specialized setting, share experiences with other professionals in the sector, and go deeper, through direct experience, into key aspects such as sales, product, communication, and guest experience design.

Edificio BCC

Course objectives

Understand the evolution of the dining room role and its strategic impact across different foodservice models.

Lead teams effectively, managing communication, emotions, and conflict in high-pressure environments.

Design and manage coherent guest experiences aligned with the identity of the restaurant.

Apply operational and financial management tools to improve efficiency and results in the dining room.

Use product knowledge — wine, beverages, and gastronomy — as a tool for sales, storytelling, and differentiation.

Integrate the dining room into the brand, marketing, and reservation management strategy of the business.

Apply the knowledge acquired immediately in your own professional context.

CEDSA ONLINE

Professional applications

The training will allow you to expand your professional opportunities and take on new roles related to dining room management, the guest experience, team leadership, and service profitability.

  • Leadership and management in the dining room
    • Dining room manager.
    • Maître.
    • Assistant dining room manager.
    • Restaurant or shift manager.
  • Guest experience and loyalty
    • Guest experience manager.
    • Service and loyalty manager.
    • Design and management of guest experiences in foodservice.
  • Sales and product management
    • Sales and upselling manager.
    • Beverage management and product knowledge applied to sales.
    • Development of clienting strategies and revenue improvement.
  • Team training and development
    • In-house trainer for dining room teams.
    • Lead for onboarding and welcoming new professionals.
    • Design and implementation of service standards.
  • Consulting and operations optimization
    • Dining room operations consultant.
    • Specialist in service optimization and profitability.
    • Foodservice experience auditor.

A course focused on real employability, preparing you to take on responsibilities, lead teams, and turn the dining room into a strategic pillar of the business.

Training program

  • What the host was like in the past and what the host is like today
  • Guest types adapted to their protocol models
  • Trends in current foodservice models
  • Evolution of restaurants and the dining room
  • Trends in beverage consumption and guests
  • Leadership and efficient skills applied to the internal and external guest
  • Particularities of the internal and external guest
  • How to communicate with those who communicate
  • Conflict management and resolution in teams
  • Communication techniques applied to the dining room
  • Loyalty through immersion in the world of gastronomy 
  • Customer Experience as a tool for designing the experience
  • Tools for managing a dining room
  • Space as an element of comfort for teams and the guest
  • Trends in dining room service
  • Management applied to guest service: checklists, operating manuals…
  • The break-even point, the income statement, and management indicators.
  • Beverages and how to manage them
  • The break-even point, the income statement, and management indicators.
  • “Menu engineering” and clienting: guest strategies that improve revenue
  • Purchasing and supplier management. Quality and process management.
  • The world of wine:  the potential of wine as a sales tool
  • Pairing: an introduction and new trends.
  • Beer:  the product applied to new consumption occasions
  • An introduction to other products that energize the dining room experience
  • Culinary knowledge as the basis of sales in the dining room
  • Reservation systems as comprehensive business management tools
  • Dining room service as a business brand image
  • Digital marketing and social media

  1. Service and product as a driver of sales

    Applied practical sessions, such as:

    • Beer tasting applied to the dining room.
    • Wine as a sales tool.
    • Pairing as a driver of sales.
  2. Innovation workshops in beverages and service
    • Cocktail service applied to the dining room offering.
    • New techniques for preparing dishes in front of the guest.
  3. Practical case on conflict resolution in the dining room and in teams.
  4. Presentation and analysis of a Customer Journey Map.
  5. Learning journey: visits to different business models to analyze dining room service and management in a real setting.

Who it’s for

1. Dining room professionals advancing in their careers

 

Hospitality professionals with dining room experience who want to make a qualitative leap in their careers, moving into positions of greater responsibility such as dining room manager or maître, and who need to build competencies in leadership, management, guest experience, and business vision.

Designed for senior servers, assistant dining room managers, and profiles with practical experience but little structured training:

  • Servers with experience.
  • They want to take the next professional step.
  • They are looking to take on new responsibilities.

2. Dining room managers currently in the role

 

Dining room professionals with coordination or leadership responsibilities, such as dining room managers, maîtres, assistant dining room managers, or shift leads, who want to consolidate and professionalize their role by gaining tools in leadership, team management, guest experience, and business vision that they can apply day to day.

  • They already have leadership or coordination responsibilities.
  • They want to do it better, with more judgment, method, and vision.

Calendar

Periods Dates Schedule and information
Academic period February 1 to April 29, 2027 Weekly live classes: Mondays and Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (CEST)
Module 0 · Introduction to the platform At the start of the academic period Getting familiar with the course methodology and the learning platform.
On-site experience April 26 to 29, 2027 Monday, April 26: 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 29: morning schedule.
Session format Throughout the academic period Program classes and sessions will be taught live only. They will not be recorded and will not be available to watch later.

Methodology

The educational methodology combines different approaches and activities that ensure solid, practical training. This methodology allows students to develop leadership and dining room management skills adapted to the needs of the sector.

100% Online and Practical Methodology

  • Virtual sessions: Sessions focused on learning theoretical content and developing practical skills related to dining room management in the gastronomic sector. Throughout the learning process, different guest professionals will share their successes and failures through digital formats.

  • Methodology applied to the professional context of foodservice: All course content is designed to be applied immediately in the student’s work environment.

    Examples, exercises, and cases are adapted to different foodservice models, so each participant can transfer what they learn to their own professional reality.

  • Active student participation: Encouraging the exchange of experiences among professionals.

  • Experiential, practical on-site phase: During the on-site part of the program, students will apply the content covered in the online environment through practical, intensive learning.

    This phase will take place through dynamic classes oriented toward experimentation and application, including tastings, technical service workshops, communication and leadership activities, presentations of work, and activities linked to designing dining room experiences. Learning visits will also be made to benchmark establishments, making it possible to observe real models and reflect on different ways of understanding service and dining room management.

  • Challenge-based methodology: The program uses a challenge-based approach in which students take on a professional situation or challenge set by the faculty, linked to dining room management, the guest experience, or service improvement. Throughout the course, participants will work on analyzing and developing applied solutions, integrating the knowledge and tools they have acquired. The process ends with the presentation of the challenge, encouraging reflection, decision-making, and practical application in real contexts in the sector.

Faculty

Coordination

Gonzalo Parras Pastor

With more than 25 years of experience in the foodservice sector and 20 years of teaching in the specialty of guest service, he is Coordinator of the Dining Room and Guest Service area at Basque Culinary Center. He teaches several subjects and tutors projects in the Expert Course in Bartending and Creative Mixology. He specializes in fermented beverages, spirits, and dining room service techniques, with a practical focus on presenting dishes in front of the guest.

Professors and collaborators

Koro Santos

Docente del área de sala y sumillería

Lecturer in Front-of-House and Service at Basque Culinary Center. She holds a degree in Psychology and has been linked to restaurant service and sommellerie, with more than 15 years of teaching experience. Accredited trainer for Sherry and Cava wines. WSET Level 3.

Maddi Echeverría

Profesora BCC

She holds degrees in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and in Chemistry, and has gained experience in renowned restaurants such as Atrio and Akelarre. She is associate faculty in the dining-room area at Basque Culinary Center, where she helps train future professionals in the sector.

Luisa López

Profesora BCC

She holds a degree in Tourism and a diploma in Hospitality, with a university master’s in protocol and another in tourism marketing. Associate faculty in Dining Room and Service at Basque Culinary Center, she is an expert in combining gastronomy with culture, décor, atmosphere, and the senses.

Idoia Astui

Colaboradora

Specialist in sales techniques and communication in the dining room.

Jorge Ponce

Colaborador

Maître at Restaurante Aponiente, known for his mastery of the dining room and his ability to create exceptional gastronomic experiences.

José Borella

Colaborador

Maître at Restaurante Martín Berasategui, with an impeccable career in dining-room service and high-level hospitality.

Jorge Bretón

Colaborador

Executive chef at Restaurante Akelarre, noted for his technique, creativity, and contribution to contemporary haute cuisine.

Manuel Bovia del Viso

Colaborador

Restaurant consultant and trainer with more than 20 years of experience, specialized in innovation, operations, and strategic management in the hospitality sector.

Fees and payment

Total price: 2.855 €

Payment method:

  • 150 € when you complete online enrollment.
  • 40% of the amount, that is, 1.082 €, when admission is confirmed, as a place reservation.
  • The remaining amount, 1.623 €, must be paid before the course begins.

The price includes:

  • Academic materials.
  • Seminars and masterclasses included in the online training program.
  • Issuance and delivery of the certificate/diploma.
  • Registration for the Basque Culinary Center alumni service: Bculinary Alumni.
  • On-site experience at BCC: masterclasses, workshops, and a learning visit.

As a member of the BCC Alumni community, you have access to exclusive discounts on our programs and training activities. Below are the benefits available depending on the training you have previously completed:

I AM A BACHELOR’S OR MASTER’S ALUMNI

  • 10% discount on Master’s programs
  • 10% discount on Specialization Courses
  • 10% discount on Intensive Courses, workshops, seminars, and master classes
  • 10% discount on WSET Courses (Levels 1, 2, and 3)

I AM A SPECIALIZATION COURSE ALUMNI

  • 5% discount on Master’s programs
  • 5% discount on Specialization Courses
  • 10% discount on Intensive Courses, workshops, seminars, and master classes
  • 10% discount on WSET Courses (Levels 1, 2, and 3)

To benefit from the discount, if you want to take a master’s or specialization course (either online or on-site) you must complete the registration process as usual. The discount percentage will be applied to the last installment of the course and you will be notified at that time. After registering, you can let us know that you are Alumni by emailing alumni@bculinary.com. If you register with your @alumni account, this last step is not necessary. If the tuition fee is paid in a single payment, contact alumni@bculinary.com before registering to request the discount code you need to enter during registration.

If a visa is required because of nationality, a type C (Schengen) visa must be requested in order to enter Spain.

International students must travel with the official documentation that proves their enrollment in the course and proof of the health insurance taken out, which will cover them during their stay in Spain.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID FOR MASTER’S DEGREES

Given the official nature of the qualification, students legally residing in Spain may apply for calls for scholarships or public financial aid. International students may also apply for funding and scholarships from institutions in their home countries that support study abroad.

ERASMUS+ SCHOLARSHIPS

Students may apply for an international mobility grant to undertake internships in Europe under the Erasmus+ program.

SUPPORT FOR STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY

In order to support students in their job search, during or after their studies, students in this master’s will receive information on the job offers received by the faculty.

During their stay they may also apply for the study-work scholarships offered by the Faculty and provide their services in the different departments: R&D, operations, cafeteria, etc.

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