Greet and Seat: What Are You Missing?
When most of us walk into a restaurant we hear, “Two for lunch?” We nod, follow the host, take the menu and forget about it. We expect that kind of service. But what if that changed? What if we experienced a host that truly greeted and not just seated us? How could that change our whole outlook of the restaurant and its service? Encourage your team members to consider that and brainstorm ways they can improve this first service and sales step.
Here are some ideas to get started:
- Open the door for guests. Forget the podium… plant the host by the door and make sure they make eye contact, smile and make a personal greeting.
- Use names. If a guest is required to wait and give a name to hold her place, there’s absolutely no excuse for a host to not use it later. It’s as easy to say, “Please follow me, Mrs. Smith,” as it is “Right this way.”
- Sell the wait. How often do you hear, “There is a twenty-minute wait tonight”? Instead, train hosts to say, “There is a short twenty-minute wait, but if you’d like to have a seat at the bar I’ll come get you the minute your table is ready. The bartender can set you up with one of our great appetizers or specialty drinks!” What would convince you to wait?
- Teach everyone to greet guests. If the host is not at the door, everyone who works in the front-of-the-house to welcome guests and let them know the host is coming.
