Dear TrueGuest,
At my hotel, we have a very busy breakfast buffet (especially on the weekends). Our hosts do a good job of seating guests in a timely manner but don’t add too much to our overall guest service. What can you recommend?
Good question. We often see hosts do a poor job on guest service. Often they just stand behind the desk and wait for guests to approach them and then walk them to a table. Then they go back to checking their text messages on their iPhone.
1. First, be sure to check out our Breakfast Buffet Training Guide. There is a great video on basic service steps
2. The first goal of every host should be to greet every arriving guest with a warm smile and a ‘Good Morning’. Also, they should make sure to greet every departing guest with a warm smile and a sincere thank you.
3. Hosts must know how to greet multiple guests at the same time. Often when two parties arrive in the restaurant at the same time, the host will greet the first party and escort them to the table without saying a word to the second party. The host must let the second party know that he/she will be back in a minute to seat them.
4. When escorting guests to a table, the host should make sure to point out the buffet. The goal is to get the guest excited about the breakfast they are about to have. Make sure to be excited about the buffet and mention some of the great things such as the omelet chef.
5. When the guest arrives at the table, the host must hand each guest a menu after they are seated. Do not just place the menu on the table and walk away!
6. Have the host introduce the server with a phrase such as ‘John will be taking care of you this morning and will be right over to offer you coffee and juice’.
7. Finally, make sure the host closes the conversation. We often just see hosts walk away from the table without saying anything. Have the host at least say ‘have a great breakfast!’
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