For your front-of-house team
How to Welcome Restaurant Guests: What to Say at the Door
The dining room is filling up and a party walks in. Who greets them, and what do they say when the table isn't ready, a dish is 86'd or someone has an allergy? Here's the whole path from door to order, with scripts your team can rehearse before service.
Updated
A great welcome starts in the kitchen
When a guest asks if there's a table, the host can't wing it. Before service, the host team reviews reservations, expected large parties, open tables and 86'd dishes. The kitchen briefs the floor on menu changes before the first guest orders the missing dish.
Decide, too, who owns a special request once the host hands the table to a server. An allergy or an accessibility need should never get lost between the door and the table.
- Check the floor plan and reservations before service starts.
- Confirm which dishes are unavailable and the key details on the menu.
- Decide who greets guests and who steps in when several parties arrive at once.
Greet with one question. Answer straight.
A simple "Hi, welcome in. Do you have a reservation?" is all you need to start. Then confirm the party size and check the table. If it's ready, walk the party over. If it isn't, give them information you can stand behind.
Don't say "just two minutes" out of habit when nobody has checked yet. Try instead: "Let me check the floor and I'll come right back with a wait time." It's a small change in wording and a big change in what you're promising.
- Confirm the name and party size for a reservation, without reading out unnecessary details.
- Ask whether the party needs step-free access, a high chair or any special seating.
- Walk guests to their table and introduce the person who'll be taking care of them.
Quote wait times you can actually keep
An honest wait time is easier to accept than a promise that keeps getting broken. If you don't know the wait yet, explain what you need to check and come back to the guest.
For example: "All our tables are full right now. I'm checking which ones are about to open up and I'll be right back with you." If things change, let the guest know before they have to ask.
- Only quote a wait time the team can actually deliver.
- Tell guests where to wait and how they'll be notified when their table is ready.
- Only offer an alternative if it really exists: a different table, a later time or takeout.
Treat every allergy as serious
When a guest mentions an allergy, don't guess what's in a dish. Write down the request exactly and check the ingredients and cross-contact risk with the kitchen before you answer.
A safe response might be: "Thanks for letting me know. Let me check with the kitchen before I confirm what we can do." If the kitchen can't confirm a dish is safe, say so clearly.
- Pass the request to the kitchen and to whoever will take the order.
- Never present a modification as guaranteed until the kitchen has approved it.
- Repeat the confirmed answer back to the guest before you enter the order.
Hand off every table the moment it's seated
The welcome doesn't end when guests sit down. Make sure they have the menu, know who to flag down and that their requests have been passed on. A quick, low-key check-in means no table gets forgotten.
In the post-shift debrief, note recurring feedback on wait times, directions and menu clarity, and fold it into your front-of-house routine. When guests leave, thank them, make sure they got the right check and tell them how to come back or book, if you take reservations.
- Hand over the menu, or explain how to open it if you use a QR code menu.
- Pass any useful details to the server assigned to the table.
- Check that the server has actually greeted the table.
Five scenarios to role-play with your team
Use these scripts as practice drills. Whoever plays the guest can change the party size, arrival time and request. After each role-play, check that the answer given matches the seating and services you actually have available.
- No table available: "Hi, welcome in. All our tables are taken at the moment. Let me check when the next one opens up and I'll be right back. Would you like to wait?" If there's no reliable time, say so without promising a table.
- Walk-in group: "Hi there, how many in your party? Let me check what's open and see how we can seat you together." Then confirm the wait and whether the group may need to be split before seating them.
- Complaint about the wait: "I understand the wait is frustrating. I'm checking on your order right now and I'll come back with a clear update." Let the manager know, and actually go back to the guest.
- Hotel restaurant: "Good evening, welcome to the restaurant. Do you have a reservation?" Then ask for whatever details your venue's process requires, without assuming the check can be charged to a room.
- Lounge: "Good evening, welcome. Did you reserve a table?" Check availability and explain any service terms that apply before seating guests.
Team sheet to copy or print
Pre-shift front-of-house briefing
Cover it before doors open, so nobody hesitates at the host stand or the table.
Date: ____ / ____ / ______
Shift: __________
Manager on duty: __________
Confirm with the team
- □ Reservations, large parties and open tables
- □ Daily specials, prices and 86'd items
- □ Wait time to quote guests
- □ Host, floor, kitchen and register roles
- □ Flagged allergies and who to check with
Two useful lines
"Hi, welcome in. Do you have a reservation?"
"Let me check with the team and I'll be right back."
Adapt these lines to your venue's style and to what you've confirmed.
Note for the next shift: ______________________________
Copy this sheet onto a single page for your team. The manager fills in the fields, reads it out at the start of service and confirms who handles special requests. New hires can use it as a cheat sheet, but it doesn't replace shadowing on the floor.
Adapt these points to your restaurant
- Date and shift | host lead | floor lead | backup if the host is busy.
- Reservations and expected large parties | open tables | closed sections | accessibility to check.
- Unavailable dishes, drinks or options | price or hours changes | menu checked.
- Greeting to use | how to quote a wait time | where to log special requests.
- Allergy procedure: take down the request, check with the kitchen, pass on the confirmed answer. Never improvise a guarantee.
- Handoff after seating: who brings or explains the menu, who takes the order, who follows up on a waiting table.
- End of shift: guest feedback to review | scenario to role-play at the next briefing.
Sources and further reading
See Zeat in action
Item 86'd? Your menu should know too.
If the host knows an item is out, guests and servers should see it on the menu too. Try the Zeat mobile menu with your real dishes, then show your team how orders move from the floor to the kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
What should a host say when greeting guests?
Keep it short: "Hi, welcome in. Do you have a reservation?" Then tailor your next question to the party and guide them to the next step.
What do I tell guests when their table isn't ready?
Explain the situation, check the wait with your team and tell guests how you'll keep them updated. Don't promise an exact wait time you can't confirm.
What should staff say when a guest has a food allergy?
Thank them for telling you, pass the request to the kitchen and check ingredients and cross-contact before you answer. If you can't confirm a dish is safe for them, say so.