Okay, let’s go back to the Busy Saturday Night Post from last week to get one customer’s perspective. I’d like to take a quick moment and say that obviously, not every customer will have that same experience. I chose one example fully knowing that every customer experience is different and everybody handles situations differently. That being said, let’s revisit that night from the hostess’ perspective.
Dinner service starts at 5 so the hostess arrives at 4 PM to make sure the dining room is set up, look over reservations and specials for the evening, and to attend pre-service meeting. To her dismay, she notices that on the reservation book, three people have requested a specific table for one celebration or another. They are spaced out properly, an hour and a half for a table of two is pretty standard, but she knows that when people are celebrating, especially if its something romantic, they linger. She mentally prepares to face some issues during service.
The night starts off calm, but steady. Five PM isn’t the most popular time for a Saturday dinner but luckily the first of three couples that requested that booth tucked in the corner away from the kitchen arrives at 5:15 instead of their 5:30 reservation. Fifteen minutes can make a world of difference in terms of reservations. “So far, so good,” the hostess thinks.
Six thirty rolls around and things start to get a little hectic but nothing crazy. All of the tables in the dining room are full and a few walk-ins are waiting at the bar for something to open up. The hostess makes some table changes for upcoming reservations to try and squeeze in the walk-ins wherever she can in between phone calls for to go orders and future reservations. Boom. She worked it out. She can seat the table of four waiting at the bar at the table seven and move the reservation due in a few minutes to table 11 since they are currently paying their bill. Thank goodness for “just a snack and a drink.” Additionally, that 5:15 couple that came in just got up too so now her second reservation for that corner booth, scheduled for 6:45 will be ready and waiting once the couple arrives.
Let’s fast forward a bit. Dinner service has been running pretty smoothly as far as the hostess is concerned. The phone has been ringing off the hook; some of her reservations have had to wait a few minutes, but nothing out of the ordinary. She’s had to help run some food because the servers have been slammed since six but that’s fine, just part of the job. Her manager has stepped behind the bar to restock some ice and beer, feeling comfortable the she has the floor managed at the moment.
“Shit,” the hostess thinks. That 6:45 corner booth is still spoon feeding each other dessert and its just past 8:15 PM. The third and final reservation for that table is here. It shouldn’t be too big a deal, they’re almost done with dessert and then they’ll pay and leave. She explains to the waiting couple that it should only be a few minutes.
After twenty minutes have gone by, the hostess notices that the waiting couple hasn’t been able to find space at the crowded bar and is visibly frustrated. She apologizes for the wait and offers to grab and offers the couple a cocktail. The offer is declined and she apologizes again and even explains that the bill is out there, it just hasn’t been paid yet. The phone rings and she retreats back to her post.
Another very stressful fifteen minutes go by and the hostess is starting to get anxious because she knows the waiting couple is angry. The lovebirds pushed their bill aside and ordered another round of drinks, totally unexpected by the way, so the hostess offers the two waiting another table. Declined. They want that table because it has meaning behind it. A first date or something like that. She grabs the restaurant manager to do some damage control. The manager fetches two cocktails from the bar and pays for them himself to try and diffuse the situation.
Finally, a total of 45 minutes behind schedule, the table opens up and the hostess can seat the final reservation for the corner booth. Her manager tells her that he will handle it from there and she breathes a sigh of relief. There are only two reservations left for the evening and she’s got five open tables now. The rush is over. The hard part is done. Smooth sailing from here until closing.
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
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