What is a Restaurant Host?
What do you look for when you go to a restaurant? Sure, you want good food and a good atmosphere, but aren’t customer service skills what you crave the most? Although there is that old saying, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, that does not apply in the restaurant world. The restaurant host is key to this puzzle. One can tell greatly if a restaurant is going to be good or horrid just by how the host or hostess operates. A friendly “hello!” and a warm smile tells a person that this restaurant prides itself on great service and wants to make the customer happy and feel welcomed. If one is greeted by a host who sneers in your direction or who grumpily acknowledges you, then chances are the rest of your experience there won’t be that pleasant. Now, I realize that it seems silly to judge all of this just by walking into a restaurant and not even having the chance to sit down yet. But I feel that if people are being snobby or cold towards you, then it’s a big waste of time and money. Ultimately that’s what it boils down to is money. Wouldn’t you rather be treated like royalty instead of a burden? I know that I’m stretching it a little bit but from my own personal experience, whenever I’ve eaten at restaurants where the host has acted as if I’m a problem instead of a customer, then it ruins my opinion towards said restaurant. A host needs to be someone energetic, friendly, warm, and ultimately sell me their place of work. It only takes two seconds for an onion to form and if it’s a bad one, then you better believe my social network will find out.
A restaurant host is a member of the front of house restaurant staff who is responsible for ensuring that guests have a pleasant meal and that their needs are met. Restaurant hosts are also known simply as “hosts” or “hostesses,” in the case of women. Typically, their training includes waiting and hospitality experience, and a restaurant host may also have experience with bookkeeping and financial matters. Some culinary and professional schools offer training which is specifically geared to people who wish to become hosts. The job of a restaurant host includes taking reservations, seating customers, answering questions, keeping an eye on the flow of the floor, handling complaints, being prepared for a variety of events, and sometimes assisting the waiters, if the restaurant is extremely busy, and depending on the restaurant. A host often also handles the financial part of closing the restaurant, totaling income, distributing tips, and so forth. Essentially, a restaurant host is like an
A restaurant host is a member of the front of house restaurant staff who is responsible for ensuring that guests have a pleasant meal and that their needs are met. Restaurant hosts are also known simply as “hosts” or “hostesses,” in the case of women. Typically, their training includes waiting and hospitality experience, and a restaurant host may also have experience with bookkeeping and financial matters. Some culinary and professional schools offer training which is specifically geared to people who wish to become hosts. The job of a restaurant host includes taking reservations, seating customers, answering questions, keeping an eye on the flow of the floor, handling complaints, being prepared for a variety of events, and sometimes assisting the waiters, if the restaurant is extremely busy, and depending on the restaurant. A host often also handles the financial part of closing the restaurant, totaling income, distributing tips, and so forth.
