Best Practices
First Impressions Last: The Critical Role of the Restaurant Host
Whether your concept is a quick-service drive-thru or exclusive fine-dining restaurant, someone is going to greet guests when they arrive. This initial restaurant host engagement can set the tone for the entire guest experience. Long after the meal, your customers will remember how they were welcomed at the restaurant host stand – for better or worse.
The most successful concepts carefully select and train the staff who serve this function. And you do not have to patronize upscale restaurants for examples of best practices. There are a number of national quick-service chains that do a great job in establishing how they want their customers to be greeted, even for only a burger, chicken sandwich, or tacos and a drink.
Hire for attitude. Attitude is everything at the restaurant host stand or even in a counter-service concept when the guest orders their meal. In a competitive labor market, you might not always be able to find applicants with tremendous restaurant experience, if any. That said, you need to find employees who possess the “hospitality gene.” In other words, those folks who enjoy working with the public and have a natural desire to be of service. Because some operators consider greeting and seating patrons the least-skilled role in the restaurant, they will often place their least-experienced service staff at the host stand. This approach works, but only with careful selection and training. Keep an eye on your restaurant host stand, not only for quality control, but also to spot your keepers. Stellar performance at the host stand can be an indicator of future star servers and even managers.
First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes.
– Elliot Abrams
Train for skill. The restaurant host – or anyone responsible for welcoming guests – should possess a clear understanding of what to say to arriving customers. They should also be comfortable using the required technology, such as reservation and table management software. We have said this in the past and we will say it again: Restaurant technology should free staff to provide helpful and warm hospitality. When staff fumbles with the systems, it takes attention away from the guest and can be perceived as disorganization and poor quality of service.
Training might also include how to handle common potentially problematic issues that arise at the host. These include how to graciously unite guests with other members of their party who were seated ahead of them, how to inform walk-in guests of long wait times, and how to manage a long line of hungry and impatient patrons in a calm, friendly and confident manner. RestaurantOwner.com offers online training for restaurant host training. Links to several courses are provided below.
Cross-train all service staff as hosts. Ideally, all service staff should be able to greet guests as needed, particularly during busy shifts when more than one host is required to give guests TLC, so they are seated promptly without scrambling or stress. It also indicates the importance of the restaurant host role to the entire front-of-the-house crew.
Visit RestaurantOwner.com for more valuable restaurant host and hostess training resources that help ensure your first impressions are always positive. Check out the Host/Hostess Training Manual for new hosts and hostesses, detailing the responsibilities and best practices for the role.
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Download
Host/Hostess Training Manual
Use this training manual template as a guide to create your own detailed training manual for this position. Having a complete and thorough training manual for every position is critical to ensure consistent training when people are hired and for correct, consistent execution in the restaurant.
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Training Video
Seating Tips Every Greeter Should Know!
Many say that the greeter is THE most important role in the restaurant. You create the first impression of the entire restaurant, not only for the guests that walk in but also over the phone. As a greeter, ...
