Host/Hostess

Job Description

Job Description

About Forgotten Tonic

Forgotten Tonic is a cocktail bar and scratch kitchen located on historic Aviles Street in downtown St. Augustine. Since opening in 2019, we've worked to create a restaurant where thoughtful hospitality, quality ingredients, and attention to detail come together to create memorable experiences for our guests.

We believe a great restaurant is built by people who care. People who take pride in their work, notice the little things, help their teammates without being asked, and want to keep getting better.

Our mission is to provide our team members and guests with unparalleled hospitality, quality ingredients, and to foster the professional growth of our team.

We're looking for people who want to be part of that.

We're looking for hosts who understand that hospitality begins long before a guest sits down at their table.

As a host, you'll often be the first person guests meet when they arrive and the last person they interact with before leaving. How you welcome guests, communicate with them, and handle the unexpected can shape their entire experience.

But this position is about more than greeting and seating guests. Our hosts help manage the flow of the restaurant, communicate with the service team, run food, and recognize where help is needed throughout a shift.

We're looking for people who can stay organized, communicate clearly, make thoughtful decisions, and remain welcoming and composed even when the restaurant gets busy.

We believe the best hospitality professionals understand how the entire restaurant works, not just their own position. Our hosts have opportunities to learn from other departments, develop new skills, and grow into additional responsibilities. We love promoting from within and want to help our team members build the knowledge and experience to take the next step when they're ready.

You don't need previous restaurant experience to succeed in this position. You do need to care about learning, doing things well, and the people around you.

• Creating a warm, genuine, and welcoming first impression for every guest.
• Greeting arriving guests, managing waitlists, and communicating accurate expectations about seating and wait times.
• Managing reservations and guest information using our OpenTable system.
• Seating guests thoughtfully while considering reservations, table availability, server rotation, and the overall flow of service.
• Communicating clearly with guests about reservations, seating policies, wait times, and availability.
• Answering phone calls professionally and assisting guests with questions and reservation inquiries.
• Recognizing special occasions, guest preferences, and opportunities to make someone's visit more memorable.
• Maintaining awareness of the dining room and communicating with servers, bartenders, and managers to keep service running smoothly.
• Running food accurately and efficiently, ensuring dishes reach the correct guests and tables.
• Developing knowledge of our food and beverage menus, including ingredients and common dietary restrictions.
• Maintaining a clean, organized, and welcoming entrance, host stand, and dining room.
• Recognizing guest concerns, taking ownership of helping resolve them, and involving a manager when appropriate.
• Supporting teammates with clearing, resetting, and other service responsibilities when needed.
• Following established food safety, sanitation, and restaurant procedures.
• Completing opening, closing, and side work with attention to detail.
• Taking feedback professionally and continually working to improve your knowledge and skills.

We care about experience, but we care just as much about how you approach your work.

The people who thrive at Forgotten Tonic are those who:

• Take pride in doing things well, even when nobody is watching.
• Pay attention to details and notice when something needs to be done.
• Recognize when teammates need support and take initiative to help.
• Stay composed and communicate clearly when things get busy.
• Take responsibility for mistakes and learn from them.
• Ask questions and remain open to feedback.
• Show genuine interest in hospitality and learning new skills.
• Treat guests and teammates with respect.
• Understand that the success of the restaurant matters more than any one person's station or responsibilities.

Previous restaurant or guest service experience is helpful but not required. We're interested in candidates who demonstrate a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a genuine desire to take care of others.

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with guests and teammates.
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be available for a schedule that may include mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays, particularly Fridays and Saturdays.
• Must be willing to learn and follow our established service, food safety, and restaurant procedures.
• Must be able to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

• Compensation consists of the applicable minimum hourly wage plus distributions from our tip pool. Estimated total earnings are $18–$22 per hour, depending on shifts, volume, and individual earnings.
• Part-time opportunities.
• Employee dining discount.
• Employee referral program.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance for eligible employees.
• Structured training, opportunities to learn different restaurant positions, and potential for advancement from within.

We're interested in learning more about you than what's on your résumé.

As part of our hiring process, we ask every candidate to complete a short online application that helps us understand their experience, how they approach their work, and what they're looking for in their next opportunity.

To be considered for a position at Forgotten Tonic, please complete our online application at ForgottenTonic.com/careers

We review each application individually and will contact candidates we'd like to invite for an interview.