WELCOME AND

GREET GUESTS
Just imagine, you are a guest in a restaurant and
you have entered into a fine dining restaurant but
no one has approached you and leading you to a
seat as well.

How would you feel about the restaurant/hotel or

the staff?
Before we start the next lesson, let’s have
a review to get you ready for your next
learning journey.

How do you welcome guests at home?

GREET CUSTOMERS UPON
ARRIVAL
When customers arrive, it is the responsibility of the service
staff to promptly meet them with a smile and an appropriate
greeting at the door. Remember that customers like to feel
important and they should always be treated accordingly.
Besides, first impressions count and as they say “You only get
one chance to make a first impression”.
The person who welcome or greets guests in the
restaurant is called a receptionist. They are also known
as a host or hostess. A receptionist should be well
groomed and be present at the entrance of the dining
room or restaurant. He or she must greet the guests with
enthusiasm and be respectful at all times because he or
she is the first contact of the guests. Whatever impression
he or she gives will definitely set the mood for the dining
experience. A sincere greeting will put the customers at
ease and start the service on a positive attitude.
Welcoming or greeting guests can also be done by a
headwaiter.
Checking reservations
When guests arrive in your dining area, the first two steps should be:
 To greet or welcome them
 To inquire whether or not they have a reservation or booking.
Check at your workplace to see if this is Standard Operating Procedure or
not.
Tips on how to welcome and greet guests:
 To make guest feel welcome and important, whenever any guest
arrives, it is the responsibility of the service staff to approach and meet
the guest with a smile and maintain eye contact.
 With proper body posture greet the guest accordingly.
 The staff who greets the guest should use very brief but welcoming
phrase to greet guest like:
*“Good morning/Afternoon/Evening, Sir/Ma’am. Welcome to XYZ
(name of the restaurant).”
To be ensured whether the guests have any reservation or booking very
politely ask “Do you have any reservation?”
 If the answer is yes which means guest have made a reservation, then
ask for the guest’s name by saying “May I have your name, please?”
 Check your reservation book and repeat the reservation back to guest
by saying “Certainly Mr. or Ms./Mrs. ______ (name of guest). You have
booked for ________ (example 4 persons). Your table for 4 is ready.
 Where guests say that they have a reservation, you should confirm this
in your reservations book, to identify the table they have been allocated
on the table/floor plan.
 Check with them the number of guests expected. Often there can be an
extra one, and sometimes there are one or two who will be cancellations.
Where there are cancellations, the chair and cover should be removed
from the table so that the table is not embarrassed by empty places.
Where an extra person has presented with the booking, staff should
immediately set another place and add a chair where possible, or another
table should be quickly identified for the party. The key is to ensure that
guests do not feel, in either case, that they have done the wrong thing, or
inconvenienced staff.
 When confirming the reservation, also confirm any details that may be
written against that booking – “And you’re off to the cinema, so you’d
like to be away by 8.30, is that right?”, “And you requested a high chair,
I believe?”
 Where there is a note that a birthday cake, or similar, has been
arranged, this should also be discreetly checked with the host, either at
the table or elsewhere.
 A visit to the table informing the host that there is a phone call at
reception for them can aid in getting them away from the table. If the
guest has no reservation, check the floor plan to see if they can be
accommodated.
NO RESERVATION:
 That’s all right. May I have your name, please?
 Would you prefer the smoking or non-smoking area, (Mr.
David)?
 This way please. (Take the guest to a table. Converse with the
guests as you walk.)
 Is this table fine?
 Allow me (when pulling back a chair for the guest.
 If the guest has no reservation, ask how many are dining and
ask their preferred section in the dining room/restaurant (e.g.,
smoking or nonsmoking, near the window, corner table, among
others) and also ask them to wait while you check on the tables’
availability.
In case there is no available table, politely inform the guests and
ask them if they can wait for a while at the lounge.
 Be honest about the length of the waiting time or period to
avoid any bad impression from the guests. Explain to the guests
that there will be a table ready in a few minutes or that the table
are currently being cleared and set. Lead the guests toward the
table.
 Do not walk too fast when leading the guests to their table.
Say to the guest: “This way, Madam/Sir” with palms open. Walk
a little ahead when escorting them.
Remember to…
Be alert to the opportunity to maximize sales
For instance, by asking someone who comes in at 6:30 PM without a booking,
whether they could be finished by 7:45 PM, so that you can strip their table and
reset it for the 8:00 PM booking. Using a table for two seating’s per session – a
50-seat restaurant can quite easily serve 70 – 80 covers per session.

There are some people who will breeze in to a restaurant, claiming they have
booked when in fact they never made one. If you have a vacancy, then this really
isn’t a problem, but where no vacancy exists, the potential for trouble exists. All
you can do is apologies profusely, and offer another session. Your house policy
may dictate some other form of additional gratuity (a discount voucher, voucher
for a free item or a free drink), but many establishments adopt the stance that
says ‘If we can’t find your booking, you didn’t make one’. If the situation looks
like getting out of hand, call your supervisor or the duty manager.
THE GREETING ON ARRIVAL
What you say by way of welcome to your guests may be determined by house policy
with certain required statements and facts to be covered, or you may simply be
expected to use your common sense and good judgement on a person by person or
party by party basis as indicated by:

You may give a genuine comment about the weather: “Isn’t it cold today?” can be a
great ice-breaker and help strike up a conversation

Sporting events – “Did you watch the game today?”

Special events – “Happy Festival Day”
The season – “Isn’t it getting dark early these days?”

A special in-house event – “Welcome to our Grand Winery Tour Dinner, it will be a
night to remember!”
SPECIAL NEEDS CUSTOMERS
Some guests may have special needs and simple observation will identify
many of these. Don’t wait to be asked if you think there is a special need.
Get proactive and offer:

 Alternative easy access to their table because of a disability

 A high chair for infants
 Warming of a bottle for babies
 Appropriate food for those with special dietary needs as indicated in the
reservations book
 Privacy for romantic couples, and business people – to the best extent
possible given other bookings
 Room on a table to spread out where business looks as if it is going to be
conducted
 A table near the door for someone with a walking stick.
Sometimes special offers have been made or vouchers will be used by
guests to pay for their meal. It is a usual condition that guests notify you
of this on arrival so that you know what billing process to use, and what
other services or products they are entitled to. This could include a free
glass of champagne, the set menu only, a choice of entrée and main or
main and sweets, and so on.
Extra effort must be made with guests who are using vouchers or
participating in deals. Many expect to be treated as second class
and get quite snaky when this happens. So, treat them with even
extra care, respect and high-quality service!
ACTIVITY: VIDEO
PRESENTATION
Create a conversation/dialogue between a guest and a
staff on welcoming and greeting guests and create a video
presentation.