Restaurant Host

Job Overview

Restaurant Host – Job Description

Position Summary

The Host is the first and last point of contact for our guests and plays an important role in creating a welcoming, organized, and professional dining experience. The Host is responsible for greeting guests, managing seating and waitlists, answering phones, coordinating reservations, and communicating with servers and managers to maintain smooth restaurant operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Greet every guest promptly, warmly, and professionally.
• Manage reservations, walk-ins, and the guest waitlist.
• Seat guests according to the restaurant's seating rotation and assigned server sections.
• Distribute tables fairly while considering guest requests, party size, server workload, and manager direction.
• Keep track of open, occupied, reserved, and unavailable tables.
• Communicate estimated wait times accurately and keep waiting guests updated.
• Answer restaurant phone calls professionally and assist with reservations and general questions.
• Confirm reservations and special requests when required.
• Communicate clearly with servers, bussers, bartenders, and managers regarding seating and table availability.
• Notify a manager when there are guest complaints, seating conflicts, unusual requests, or situations requiring management assistance.
• Keep the host stand, entrance, menus, and waiting area clean and organized.
• Make sure menus are clean and ready for guests.
• Assist guests entering and leaving the restaurant and thank them for visiting.
• Help maintain an orderly flow of guests during busy periods.
• Follow restaurant policies, dress code, attendance requirements, and manager instructions.
• Perform other reasonable front-of-house duties assigned by the Shift Manager.

Host Responsibilities & Authority

The Host is responsible for managing the host stand and normal seating flow during the shift. Servers and other employees should communicate seating concerns to the Host rather than independently changing the seating plan.
The Shift Manager has final authority over seating decisions, sections, reservations, guest accommodations, and restaurant operations. The Host should follow the Shift Manager's direction when adjustments are necessary.

Expectations

A successful Host should:

• Be friendly, welcoming, and professional.
• Stay calm and organized during busy periods.
• Communicate respectfully with guests and coworkers.
• Be dependable and arrive on time and ready to work.
• Pay attention to seating rotation and restaurant flow.
• Avoid favoritism when assigning tables.
• Remain at the host stand unless duties require leaving it or a manager gives other instructions.
• Avoid personal phone use while responsible for the host stand.
• Never argue with guests or coworkers in front of customers.
• Ask the Shift Manager for assistance when unsure how to handle a situation.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and customer-service skills.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced restaurant environment.
• Professional appearance and positive attitude.
• Ability to work cooperatively with the entire front-of-house team.
• Previous restaurant or customer-service experience is preferred but not required.