When I called the restaurant to find out the price of the tasting menu, the hostess didn't have any idea what the cost was.
"Good evening, this is so and so. Thanks for calling Such and Such Restaurant. How can I help you?"
"Good evening, so and so. Do you have a nightly tasting menu?"
"Yes, every night."
"How much is it?"
"Wait a minute. I'll look on the menu. (Pause, long pause), No. I can't find the price. I am only the hostess. I don't know the prices."
"Do you have a website?"
"Yes. Let me get that address. (Another long pause)."
Upon telling me the website address she made a mistake substituting a dot rather than a dash in the hyphenated URL. Not necessarily a lack of knowledge, as she was from the cyberspace generation, but more a lack of realizing the importance of the question. The first impression I got from the host was hardly what a guest would expect from this high-caliber restaurant in Sonoma's wine country. But that is often what happens when fine restaurants place anyone with a half-smile on the door to be the keeper of the gate and the first contact point in the restaurant.
It's an unforgiveable mistake owners regularly make. It's like presenting an expensively wrapped gift only to find the contents of the box is a broken dollar-store trinket.
Restaurant owners need to remember they rely on their hosts to represent them when greeting customers. Part of the host's responsibility includes assisting in directing the dining room during the rush. Just as Bernstein led his symphony, hosts need to orchestrate a smooth and rhythmic flow from the door to the dining room floor. They should also possess an upbeat personality and realize whatever happens in their personal lives should stay at home.
When a customer walks through the front door, they place themselves in the host's hands. The host then directs the customer either to a table, the dining room manager, a server, or the bar. That initial contact is as important as the temperature on a steak.
This takes training, guidance, and mentoring.
I learned the importance of the host's position from pros. I watched Bobby Torre run the room at JG Melon with merely a piece of paper and a pencil. When Michael McCarty (pictured, right) wasn't open and closing restaurants in New York, he was working the rope at a variety of top eateries. Today, when you walk into his Palm Beach restaurant, Michael R. McCarty's, his hosts have the confidence needed to run a room with an hour wait for a table. And then, of course, Michael Morse, the Maestro of the Bistro, would orchestrate Minneapolis' Cafe Un Deux Trois with the raising of a hand and the mere pointing of a finger.
The host is the one of the most vital positions in any restaurant. The responsibility of making sure each customer's first impression is welcoming and their initial reaction is pleasing is a Herculean task. Plus, hosts have the instinctive ability to scan a dining room and notice the problems that so often occur. On top of that making sure reservations, tables, servers, and sections are all matched according to party size and skill capabilities without complication, friction, or turmoil is a talent that requires multi-tasking skills.
Every host should possess these qualifications: Communication ability; a positive attitude; the patience to deal with pushy, angry, aggressive customers; along with the ability to turn furiy into frolic. And a good training program is crucial for every successful host.
That training program should begin with the menu and what your restaurant has to offer. And don't forget to tell the host never to say, "I am only the hostess." It's the one of the most important roles in the restaurant.
