There are many skills needed to be an effective host or hostess in a restaurant. Customer service is always the main focus of this job. There are 7 easy steps you need to know to make customers happy and do your job effectively.

1. Greeting customers.

When a customer walks into a restaurant, the host or hostess is often the first person they see. It is important to make a good first impression. You should always be smiling and greeting customers no matter how busy you are. It is important to greet the customer even if she has to tell him that she will be with him in a minute.

2. Sit in rotation.

Depending on the restaurant you are working in, there are different types of seating rotation. The most important thing is to seat guests at a table or booth appropriate for the size of your group. So it is important to go for a rotation between waiters and waitresses so that they can have enough time to greet and serve each table, as well as have an equal number of customers in each shift.

3. Maintain a waiting list.

When the restaurant fills up and the dining room fills up, you need to maintain an effective waiting list. Keep customers in order of when they entered the restaurant or called ahead. Be sure to give the customer an accurate estimate of the wait time and do your best to keep them happy while they wait.

4. Reservation configuration.

When customers make reservations for larger groups, they expect to have their table ready for them at a specific time. It is important to ensure that the reserved table is clean, has enough chairs, enough menus and appetizer plates for the number of guests, and has any other pre-specified items such as balloons or high chairs for small children.

5. Deliver menus, cutlery and special dinners to customers.

This is the most basic part of seating guests, making sure they have clean, up-to-date menus, cutlery and a napkin, and a list of dinner specials. It may also be necessary to ensure that there is a drink and/or dessert menu.

6. Answer the phone.

Customers also deserve excellent customer service when they call the restaurant. It’s important to answer the phone quickly, not keep people on hold for too long, and answer any questions they have fully.

7. Answer questions.

As a hostess, it’s important that you be able to communicate with customers about special events, restaurant policies, and other important information about the restaurant itself.

In conclusion, all of these steps are important to being an effective host or hostess in any type of restaurant. Excellent customer service is always important for customers to enjoy the experience and keep coming back. Learning the skills to work well with clients will carry over to other professions as well.