Why a Host Stand is So Important in Your Restaurant
Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been instantly confused? You don’t know whether you walked through the front entrance or the side entrance. You don’t know if it’s the kind of establishment where you sit yourself or wait to be seated. This can be avoided in your own restaurant by having a host stand.
Come In And See The Host
A host stand, ideally, should be relatively large to ensure everyone who walks through the door sees it. It will provide a stopping point for people to come in and see the host. The host will have several responsibilities, including finding out the name of the party, the number of people in the party, and seating them.
If there is a wait for tables, then the host will need to take their name and provide an estimated wait time. Depending upon how high tech you are, a pager may be given to them or their phone number may be taken so they receive a text message when the table is ready.
The host stand will be able to provide a place for the pagers, the clipboard with the wait list, and more. It prevents the area from being cluttered because there is a proper place for everything that a host needs to do their job.
The host stand can also hold a table outline. What is essentially a map of the dining room allows the host/hostess to mark where they are seating people. This not only helps in the seating of customers, but it also helps the host/hostess to keep the servers working equally busy.
The table outline can either be laminate and place on top of the host stand or on regular paper and place under a pane of glass. This makes it easy for the outline to be wipe clean at the end of the night so it can be customize once again for the next shift.
Storage for Other Items
The host stand is also the storage for other items. Including menus, children’s menus, crayons, to-go menus, and anything else that may require. A host should always have these items accessible. If they have to go to the back of the restaurant to get them on a regular basis. It can slow down the seating process and make it hard to have a good flow.
Wood is the most common material for the host stand. They can be custom built as needed to accommodate the size of the restaurant. You have as well as meet the storage requirements. Some host stands are large enough to hold booster seats as well.
Clutter-Free Dining Room
Having a clutter-free dining room is important and the stand can help. More importantly, it’s the welcome center for all who come into the restaurant. And gives every customer their first impression of your establishment. Make sure the first impression you are giving is the right one.