How to greet guests in a restaurant

Greetings are the first and foremost thing to do in forming relationships. If you are working in a restaurant, they can be considered one of the most important factors because they decide good or bad impressions as well as feelings of guests. If you can do greetings well, guests will return more frequently.

1. Courteous language

Remember, whether it is a first-time guest or a regular visitor, treat them as if they were your new clients. We should never refer to any guest as a “regular”, “walk-in”, “reservation” or any other vague or generalised restaurant phrase. To them, they are none of those things, they are our guest who chose to dine with us over all other restaurants for that meal.

It is very important that we never call any attention to any of our guests that could embarrass them. No matter the situation, we should make the approach with grace, respect & a sense of calm.

Some very useful sentences for conversation:

• Initial Greeting:
  • Hey y’all! Welcome to Miz Kathi’s! How many will be dining with us today?
• DO NOT ASSUME THEY HAVE A RESERVATION. LET THEM TELL YOU IF THEY DO. If they have a reservation:
  • “Under what name did you reserve the table?”
• If they do not have one:
  • “One minute please while I check the availability for you Sir/Ma'am, Folks”
  • “One moment while we prepare a table for you.”
  • “Your table will be ready within the next __ minutes, would you like some drinks while you stick around?.”
• If all tables are filled:
  • “It looks like all our tables are full right now, we can seat you in about ___ minutes. We have seating (explain seating areas) would you like some drinks while you relax?”

TIPS:

• Guests hate to wait! Refrain from using the word "wait" and instead choose words like "one moment, stick around, rest, relax or linger"

2. Emotion, position and gestures

There are three very efficient gestures that famous and professional restaurants always train their employees.

• Open the door

When the guest enters the restaurant, if the door is already opened, bowing is the first thing that you must do. 45 degree is the expected and correct position. In contrast, if the door is not opened, you need to do it. And when bowing or opening the door, you can say “Welcome to Miz Kathi's, How are y'all today?” with a friendly smile on your lips as a polite greeting to them.

Either bowing or opening the door is the first contact with your guest. So if you make it right, you have succeeded at the first task.

• Take their Umbrellas

So after greeting and checking their reservation, you can offer to take their wet coat or umbrella. According to my experiences, they barely say no to such courteous suggestions. You can use the sentence “Shall I take your Umbrella?”

• Show guests their table

This is the highest appreciated gesture that will create the best impression to your clients. Because when they go to your restaurant for the first time, they may get lost. This action will prevent confusion and guests’ being new to surroundings, which might embarrass them. To start showing your clients, you can say “I’ll show you your table” or simply “This way, folks.”

You and your teammates will be considered highly professional if you pull the chair for the women first and then the man. After serving the main course, just wish them a nice meal before leaving, and they will remember your restaurant forever. You may say “Wish you a pleasant meal” or “Enjoy your meal.”

I’m sure our guests' satisfaction will be boosted to the highest level after this small gesture.

Welcoming Salutations

Whether it is a first-time guest or a regular visitor, treat them as if they are part of the "family now". We should always address them by name or a courteous and professional moniker such as "sir/Ma'am".

• Salutation examples:
  • Thanks for joining us today!
  • We are so happy to have had you with us today.
  • We hope to see you again soon.
  • We look forward to seeing you next time.