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or boring. An example of robotism is when the host seats
guests. The host picks up the menus; says,  Follow me ;
104 Banquet Management and Room Division
and sprints to the table. The host then places the menus
at the place settings and says,  Have a good meal. The
next group of people are treated to the same robotic antics.
This method of dealing with guests is eventually
transferred to the actions of the service staff.
It becomes especially obvious when the service person
is going through the  Hi, my name is... canned speech.
To alleviate the sin of robotism, the host should act natural,
and should encourage the staff to act natural also. The
host s movements should be energetic, and his or her
speech should be cordial toward the guests. A robot would
be great to do the dishes, but not to manage the dining
room.
Rule book excuses: Rules are a necessary part of any
business. However, when a host manages only by rules,
and does not use common sense, the restaurant will suffer.
A couple decided to try a new restaurant that had
windows overlooking beautiful view. The tables directly
in front of the windows were all booths for four people.
When the hostess seated them at a deuce away from the
windows, they asked for a window seat. The hostess said
 I m sorry but I have to save those seats for parties of
four. They tried to buy the table by giving her a five-
dollar bill. She still said that she could not give them the
table. The time was 5 P.m., just when the restaurant
opened and there were no other guests demanding to be
seated. They could not understand why they could not
have the table they desired. During their meal, they
watched the table to see how many people she sat at the
booths. When they left an hour and a half later, there still
were no guests seated at the table they wanted. Of course,
they never returned to the restaurant-and apparently not
too many others did either, because the restaurant went
out of business. This was another example of a host failing
at the moment of truth. The host must not fall victim of
Organising Dining Services 105
the sin of rule book excuses, and may bend the rules when
it benefits the guests.
The runaround: The final sin of service has been
experienced by everyone at one time or another in life-
the runaround. An example of this as it relates to the host
often occurs when the guest is waiting for a table at a no-
reservation restaurant. When the guest approaches the host
and asks how long it will be before the party is seated,
the host replies,  Just a short time. The guest waits for a
table to be vacant, and after twenty minutes returns to
the host and asks the same question. Again the host says
it will be just a short while. When the guest demands a
specific time, the host pretends to check the dining room
and gets sidetracked.
The definition of the runaround is to give vague
answers or to refuse to answer the question by ignoring
or changing the meaning of the question. The way to avoid
the runaround is for the host to give definite answers. A
definite time will satisfy the guest s question of  How long
will it be before the table is ready? An appropriate answer
would be fifteen to twenty minutes, not  In a short while.
Knowing and training the staff to recognise and avoid
the seven deadly sins of service is important for the host.
The restaurant business is filled with many moments of
truth. The restaurant cannot afford to have sins committed
at any moment of truth. The first moment of truth comes
when the host greets guests into the restaurant. The last
moment occurs when the guest leaves the establishment.
Throughout their meal, they will experience a series of
moments of truth. All of these moments of truth add up
to the total service in the restaurant. If the staff fail in one
of these moments of truths, then service will suffer.
WARM GREETING
The host is exactly that: a host. The greeting should be
106 Banquet Management and Room Division
warm and cordial, just as it would be in the host s home.
The first thirty seconds are critical for the guest. In those
few seconds, the guest forms an opinion about the
restaurant: it wants or does not want the guest s business.
This is all determined from the greeting offered by the
host. The size and volume of the restaurant determine the
number of hosts on duty and their responsibilities.
Smaller restaurants usually have one host who has
to perform all the jobs. At larger establishments there may
be as many as four hosts. One remains at the podium to
greet guests, take names, and assign tables. Another finds
the guests in the waiting area or at the bar. The other two
show the guests to their tables, each being responsible for
one half of the dining room. Other establishments use
three hosts. One remains at the podium to greet guests,
take names, and assign tables. Another gets the guests
when their table is ready. The third seats people and does
table checks.
Regardless of the size of the establishment or the
number of hosts employed, one host is always responsible
for greeting the guests. This individual is always in a
position to see when a guest enters the restaurant.
Once the guest enters the restaurant, it becomes the
host s responsibility to greet the guests immediately. If the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]