Host Person, Part Time- Hotel Mockingbird

Host Person

At Hotel Mockingbird, we blend timeless character with a fresh, spirited take on hospitality in Dallas' Park Cities neighborhood. With thoughtfully layered design, a vibrant social energy, and dynamic dining and bar experiences, Hotel Mockingbird is a place where stories unfold and connections take flight. From chef-driven menus to lively, inviting bar spaces, our food and beverage offerings are as memorable as our guest experiences. Our Curators thrive in an engaging, people-first environment, creating personalized moments and unforgettable stays every day.

The Host Person is an essential member of the team dedicated to providing exceptional quality and service to our guests. By nature of the position, the Host Person is the guest's first impression of the restaurant. This position is responsible for welcoming guests graciously with eye contact and a smile, then promptly and courteously accommodating the guests' needs. Host Persons remain friendly and engaging, all while calculating table turn times, managing reservations and the waiting list, communicating guest requests and preferences with servers and managers, answering the phone, and actively anticipating seating delays.

Responsibilities:

• Monitors guests entering and exiting dining area. Graciously greets guests upon their arrival. Maintains an accurate, fair and up-to-date waitlist and seating chart. Inform guests when their table is ready. Escorts guests to their seats, provides menus to guests, and informs them of the name of their server.
• Utilizing Open Table, the Host Person takes reservations, reviews the daily reservation book, and can seat guests without reservations.
• To maximize guest service, must have a complete working knowledge of the menus and what is unavailable for that day. Must also be familiar with frequent guests and know their names and preferences.
• Responsible for directing the seating rotation within the restaurant to ensure a smooth workflow. Must be familiar with server stations, their daily assignments, their personal timing patterns and their maximum workload capacity. Must be able to balance the customer flow among the service stations, considering requests for a particular table or server, depending on availability.
• Oversee the general functioning of the dining room during the meal service period, relaying information to service personnel, requesting feedback from guests as to their satisfaction, making adjustments when and where necessary. Ensures a congenial dining room atmosphere.
• Responsible for answering dining room telephone, taking reservations over the telephone and taking messages for staff.
• Handles all guest service issues in an immediate and gracious manner. Responds promptly and appropriately to guest service issues and reports the situation to the Restaurant Manager on Duty.
• Maintains cleanliness of workstation and surrounding areas.
• Ensures that someone is always present at the host stand.
• Communicates guest preferences to the service team verbally and through printed chits.
• Proactively notifies management of any possible seating delays.
• Assists with the duties of servers and bus persons, such as securing a food or beverage item for a patron, resetting a table for reuse, etc., as the customer traffic flow allows, ensuring the maintenance of food service effectiveness and efficiency. Handles side duties within each shift.
• Wears required uniform and meets Company grooming/dress policies.
• Conduct oneself in a professional manner with the awareness that all actions and communications are within guest view.
• Maintains communication and teamwork with all co-workers and supervisors.
• Adheres to all Company/department procedures, policies, expectations and quality standards.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Fluency in reading, writing, and spoken English.
• Excellent personal presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with guests, co-workers, and supervisors.
• Ability to think and communicate clearly, organize and prioritize in high pressure situations.
• Basic knowledge of the restaurant's menu, ingredients, and cooking techniques, as well as knowledge of the details of our property and upcoming events.
• Knowledgeable of basic sanitation.
• Knowledgeable of computer operations and ordering procedures.
• Ability to absorb large amounts of information quickly: service procedures, menus, and dining room floor plan, register operation.
• Able to successfully multitask.
• Ability to maintain excellent attendance and punctuality. Ability to work all shifts, weekends and holidays.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to walk and stand throughout an eight-hour shift.
• Occasionally required to reach with hands and arms
• Regularly required to talk or hear
• Handle or feel objects, tools, or controls
• Ability to lift, balance and carry large, oval Dining Room service trays.
• Must have the ability to lift trays, soiled dish bins, etc., of up to 40 pounds in weight.

Experience:

• Must be at least sixteen years old (at least 18 years old to serve alcoholic beverages).
• Previous experience as a server preferred.
• Must successfully complete restaurants training course.
• High School Diploma or GED preferred or currently enrolled in secondary education completion.
• At least 1 year of experience with Restaurant or Customer Service Experience.

Required Personal Protective Equipment:

• Closed toe, non-canvas and non-skid soled shoes.