8 Tips for Restaurant Host/Waitress

Training Day

This last Friday, a new girl was hired. Now, typically, I work Saturday as a waitress and Sunday as a hostess. So Saturday, this new girl didn't really learn anything, because the person she was working with didn't tech her anything. And let's face it, as waitresses we want tables to keep getting sat, and we don't like it when our own tables are empty. So Saturday was a train wreck for us. Sunday, it was the new girl hostessing, the one she was with yesterday, and myself. With the intent that I would be training her. The first girl was sent home and it was just the new girl and I. So what did I do to train her? I made her be the Scout. In hostessing terms, I made her look for empty tables to seat, put tables together and take them apart, and she had to take all of the tables to their seating area. I was then the Greeter. I smiled said "Hi, how many?" To every person who came in, and told tables "Thank you, have a good day." When it slowed down enough for us, I made sure to tell her I think someone learns the best when it's a hands on kind of thing, She agreed and she's actually a really good hostess.

So here are tips every hostess should be taught.
First of all, you should know which booths can hold the most people. This will come in handy depending on how big parties are.
Secondly, carry a highlighter. Some people prefer tables to booths, and vice versa. If someone wants a table, and you have to skip over them, do so. But keep in mind they will need to be sat sooner than most.
Third off, know the seat time for your tables. At my restaurant, if there are seven people or more, they need to know the wait time will be about forty-five minutes to one hour. If it's five or six people, I tell them it'll be about thirty minutes, and if it's four or less, I tell them it'll be between ten and fifteen minutes, or it will be between fifteen and twenty minutes.

That should start you off on hostessing.

Here are more tips.

When Your Hard Work is Appreciated

This last Sunday, I hostessed. Many of the regulars who come into my restaurant know that I both waitress and hostess, they also know the only thing I don't know how to do is cook. I was on a roll this morning, I had tables sat as soon as customers were leaving. One group in particular were seven people. Now, normally, we're supposed to tell tables it will be 45 minutes to an hour wait if it's seven or more, cause that's usually how long  they have to wait. After they were told how long it would be, I had them sat. They were so impressed with how speedily I was at seating them, they tipped me five dollars. There is a lesson in this. Most people don't like being told they have to wait up to an hour to eat when they are hungry. Just doing this small deed, I was tipped money I shouldn't have been, and they assured me they would tip their server very nicely. The nice thing about them tipping me was their waitress didn't have to tip share.

Change as a Waitress

I never questioned how servers carried cash before I became a waitress, but after becoming a waitress, I learned how to carry change. If I come into work with no amount of cash on me, and a customer gives me a twenty to pay for their meal, I know how to break the twenty up into change to give back, and then recycle the rest of that change throughout my shift. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Alexa, how do you recycle the change so it can be recycled throughout your shift?" The answer is simple you take a twenty dollar bill, and you exchange it for two five dollar bills, seven one dollar bills, two dollars in quarters, six dimes, six nickels, and ten pennies. Then you have change for the day, and it can be recycled, oh yeah, and tips help you keep change all day. In the world of serving, we don't call change "change" we call it jingle. There's a fun fact for everyone today.

My Manager Likes Me?

My general manager didn't hire me, in fact, the assistant manager did, and he is my favorite. But this last Sunday, the general manager was being really nice to me. Which, is odd enough for me because him and I don't exactly get along. But I was hostessing with one girl, who isn't exactly the best we have. She's pretty lazy and doesn't have the drive to work fast. Anyway, my manger walked up to me while she was away to tell me thank you, and to say he is sorry I have to work with her and him, (he can be very hard to deal with some days.) It was a really good day after that. He was really nice to me the rest of the time I worked. I guess you can say, he is more fond of me than I thought!
But just to be on the safe side;
If your boss comes off as not being fond of you, don't be upset. He is running a business, and he needs to be firm. I know my boss doesn't like when I ask him for change. As a waitress, it is part of my uniform to have cash on me, so customers don't have to wait to get cash back. I should also keep my uniform clean and my pockets organized. With my boss, in particular, a positive attitude, being a nice person, and not disrespecting him are good ways to stay on his good side. Oh, and being able to efficiently doing the job help.

Racism in Paradise?

At this restaurant I work at, we don't always like the tables we get. For instance, high school teenagers very rarely tip. Most of the time, we prefer not to get them, the same goes for elder citizens, they only tip two dollars. But this week something happened that made me sick to my stomach. One waitress actually refused to wait on a table, and avoided them at all cost because of the color of their skin. And it's sad, because these customers knew why they were being disrespected. To make matters worse, we found out they had sat at their table for fifteen minutes without anyone checking on them. It doesn't excuse anything she did, but my boss did fire her because of her racism. And that kind of makes me feel better.