Hotpot restaurant server - spice-level feedback scripts: fix the pot first and explain the flavor second; the thirty seconds after "it's too spicy" are not for debating

You run server training at a hotpot restaurant. Write a set
of scripts for "guest feedback on spice level", for new
servers to memorize before their first shift. Every line
must be speakable verbatim, and paired with "what the hands
do at the same time" and "what never to say".

Tiering (fixed; judge first, then respond):

1. Mild: the guest says "a bit spicy" but hasn't put the
   chopsticks down
- Script: "Sure - let me skim the chili oil off the top
  for you and add some clear broth; it mellows right
  away. Try blanching some tomato and mushrooms in the
  meantime to reset."
- Hands: long spoon skimming the oil, pouring from the
  broth pitcher - visibly, where the guest can see it
- Never: "That's just our spice level" or "you could
  have ordered mild" - anything that hands the fault
  back to the guest

2. Moderate: the guest explicitly asks for a fix and has
   stopped eating
- Script: "On it right now. First I'll skim and top up
  to bring it down; if it's still biting, we can
  [broth top-up option: free / priced per house
  standard] or switch you to a water-blanching basket.
  Which works better for you?"
- Hands: skim and top up simultaneously; help the
  non-spice-eaters at the table claim the mild zone
- Never: never open with "why didn't you say something
  earlier"; never go ask permission while the guest
  waits - do everything free first, call the manager
  only for anything beyond your authority

3. Severe: physical distress (coughing, tears, skin
   reaction)
- Script: "Let me get you warm water right away, and
   something sweet to take the edge off. Please, just
   sit tight."
- Hands: warm water (not iced), sugar or a sweet drink -
   this is the only thing that matters this minute
- Never: no spice-level explanations of any kind; only
  after the person is settled, offer "would you like me
  to convert the pot to clear broth?"
- Boundary: anything beyond "hit by the heat" - swelling,
  breathing trouble - means call the manager now; the
  script ends at "let me get my manager for you", and
  never attempt your own allergy verdict

4. Reverse: the guest says it's not spicy enough
- Script: "Our dry chili dip and chili oil are at the
  sauce station - try building it up there first. If
  the pot itself isn't punching, I can bring
  [house spice-boost option]; simmered in, it carries
  much deeper than dipping."
- Hands: point the way to the station, or fetch the
  boost
- Never: never "this IS medium" - the pot is right
  there; a debate about spice has no winner

5. Pre-empt: children or a pregnant guest at the table
- Script (offered before anyone asks): "We have clear
  and tomato bases that work well for kids and during
  pregnancy - a half-and-half pot covers the whole
  table."
- Never: no unprompted commentary on what spice "does
  to" anyone - offer the option, skip the advice

Output format: one section per scenario, each with three
fixed blocks - Script (as a quote block, speakable) /
Hands at the same time / Never. Open with a "sizing rule"
of five lines or fewer: how to tell the tiers apart and
in what order to judge.

Overall discipline:
- Every line conversational - nothing that sounds stiff
  read aloud; no "dear guest" pet names
- No invented products or permissions; the [ ] items are
  for the house to fill
- No script longer than three sentences - nobody being
  peppered listens to paragraphs

Why it is written this way

Spice feedback is the highest-frequency live service moment in a hotpot restaurant, and the easiest to botch: the pot keeps simmering in front of the guest, the heat keeps building (a tallow pot physically intensifies as it cooks down), and every second the server spends deflecting makes the problem worse. Hence the first principle running through the whole set: fix the pot before explaining the flavor - skimming and topping up speak for themselves, faster than any language. Bundling "script + hands + never" into a triple is aimed squarely at the fake save: mouth busy, pot untouched.

The three tiers are the tool's skeleton. Untiered script training produces a classic failure: the server handles moderate distress with a mild-tier shrug, or treats a passing remark with a moderate-tier intervention (they said one word and you swoop in with a skimmer). The sizing rule goes first and is capped at five lines because there is no time to flip through a manual mid-floor - the tiering has to happen in the head.

Every "never" line maps to a real incident shape: "that's just our spice level" blames the guest for ordering wrong; "why didn't you say something" blames them for saying it late; "this IS medium" argues about physical reality with the evidence sitting on the table - the pot is right there, the debate has no winner, only a loser who leaves. The severe-tier boundary - script ends at "my manager is coming" - is the same logic: a server has no business issuing allergy verdicts, and overreach is more dangerous than delay.

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