When you walk into a restaurant, what is the first thing you do? Do you greet the host? Do you go straight to the bar? Do you shy away and wait for another member in your party to take charge? Do you pick your own table? I bet you don't think about it often, and I don't blame you, especially if you don't work in the restaurant business. But I do. Four years isn't a long time—it really isn't, especially in the restaurant world. But in my four years as a hostess at several restaurants, I have noticed the very same problems over and over again and think it's time for a restaurant etiquette 101 run-down.
1. Hello
"Smith. For five people. We're late, sorry." A greeting would be nice. Especially if the host greets you first. If you're trying to figure out some kinks in your party, that's fine. If you're not sure how many kids menus you need, that's fine. If you're heading straight to the bar, that's fine too. But say hello, let the host know what's up and they will be more than happy to help your restaurant experience. It's our job.
2. Name
"Reservation for two people at 7:00 p.m." OK, there are probably 20 other parties that have a reservation for two people at 7:00 p.m. as well. We don't always mind asking for your name, it's part of our job. But when you approach the host stand with an entitled attitude and the expectation that we're just supposed to know who you are, it makes us a lot less likely to want to help you.
3. Follow Me
"You can follow me right this way." It's not an option, really. You need to follow the host, they're guiding you to a specific table for a specific reason. Walking ahead of the host and choosing your table is probably one of the worst things you can do (and should never do) in a restaurant. Ugh, if only the mama duck were carrying menus... it'd be a picture perfect example.
4. Plan Your (Restaurant) Life
Can you do a walk-in? Of course! But not all the time. You would be amazed with how many men called me on Valentine's Day morning asking for a table for two at 7:00 p.m. This is one of the biggest holidays for the restaurant world. Calling the morning of probably won't get you anything. Sorry, bud.
5. "Go Big Or Go Home" - You Might Have To Go Home
Most restaurants can accommodate large parties without a problem. Upon a reservation, that is. If you walk in with a "Hi! Ten adults and five kids, please! Oh, and two high chairs and a booster! And do you have a sling too?" on a Saturday night at the peak hours between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., you probably won't have much luck. It's not that we don't want to accommodate you, we do. But with limited space and a full reservation book, an hour and a half wait is all we can really give you. Sorry!
6. We Don't Have A Crystal Ball
"What will the wait time be like at 8:00 p.m.?" Just hold for one moment, sir, let me check my crystal ball and try to foresee the future walk-ins... oh wait, I can't. We can definitely tell you what the reservation times will be like... but walk-ins? The bar capacity at that time? You'll have to come in and see for yourself.
7. Special Requests
You want a booth? It's your grandma's 95th birthday? Your 20 year anniversary? A reunion with an old friend and you want a more quiet spot? We're happy to honor all of these special events, requests and much more. Just ask ahead of time when you make your reservation. Don't wait until the host walks you to a table only to end up asking for a booth– or worse, moving yourself. We'd be happy to stick a candle in a piece of cake and bring it out to your grandma, but when we're dealing with other customers and you let the host know— not even your server— no promises can be made.
8. Method To The Madness
There's a reason we do the things we do. Every time a host seats you at a specific table, it's usually to make the covers, or "how many tables each server has," are as even as possible. If you ask for that booth next to all of the other taken booths right next to it and we seem irritated by it, it's probably because you're basically asking us to double or triple seat a server, which means we'll never hear the end of it from the server.
9. We Have Limits
We truly want you to have a great restaurant experience. Your kids want triple the amount of crayons? You want to be by the window to watch the people go by? You want us to take your coat? Give you a toasty spot to sit? You got it. But unfortunately, we don't have control of how hot or cold the restaurant is. We don't have control over the comfort of your wooden chair. I once had a man call me saying "we're sitting in your parking lot because it's pouring rain, do you think you could run an umbrella out to our car?" What? Are you serious? No, sorry.
10. Be Careful What You Wish For
If you wish to sit outside and you're not a fan of heat or bugs, don't ask to sit outside. "Can you get rid of the flies?"
"It's hot, can you bring a fan outside?"
"It's cold, do you have a heat lamp you could bring out?"
"It's windy, can you put us somewhere that it's not?"
"It's too sunny and this umbrella isn't enough, can you do something about it?"
I, as well as every other host, have probably heard all of these remarks more than a dozen times. Know the pros and cons of sitting inside or outside that day, we're not mother nature's little helpers that can adjust the weather as you please, we're just hosts.
We want you to have a wonderful experience not just at our restaurant, but everywhere you go. Your interaction with the host can determine a lot more than you think. So next time you go out to eat, remember that at the end of the day, we're just hosts trying to do our job. We don't run our hours. We don't design the menu or the atmosphere. We don't purposefully fill our reservation books up just so you can't make one. We're just trying to do our jobs, and the more you have an understanding of that, the better your experience will be.
