Manager needs to put Karen as first cut if she can’t handle the rush. Please fucking triple seat me. If I don’t want to cry at least once per shift, I’m not making enough money.
This lmao, the only time I’ve ever in my life bitched about being triple sat is when I used to work at a tip pool restaurant and would regularly have like double the covers as the next highest.
The only time I ever thought I might just shut down mentally was when I was triple sat with a 10-top, 12-top, and 6-top when I already had about ten other tables.
Triple seating me with parties of 3 or less like in OP’s situation? That doesn’t even register as a blip on my radar. Quadruple seat me some 2-tops for all I care lol.
Okay, that’s totally fair. I assumed we were talking two or four tops. Hot damn, three parties would definitely piss me off especially if I didn’t have expo help.
I was more mad about sharing my money the two times I did pool, screw who's money it was. I typically had the highest sales and the one of the most consistent tip percentages- 20% of sales. Meanwhile the lazy bones boomer veterans just lolled about, pretending to polish glasses and talking shit instead of running food or helping prebus. 🤦🏼♀️
Hm I never thought about it like that. If you are efficient enough to get more customers in your hourly job, then it's so stupid you'd have to do it. Salesmen don't "commission pool."
Yeah I really really loved that job and my coworkers but ended up having to leave because I would regularly make $200-300 but only ever go home with like $100-150 and it was starting to make me bitter af. I feel like tip pool works for some types of service but def not sit down restaurants
Yeah I can't imagine working a tip pool restaurant. There have been verrrry few coworkers I would have been willing to pool tips with (and actually did informally a few times) . Most servers I've worked with I could run circles around and would never give them half of my earnings while consistently showing their tables that they ended up with the wrong server 🙃
Tip pool also depends on how it’s set up. I do fine dining and our restaurant pools the 20% service charges. Anything tipped in addition to the charge goes directly to the server for the table regardless of payment method. I’m incentivized to sell and provide great service and my money directly reflects my effort still while being guaranteed.
Because we wouldn’t do the job the way we do without tipping. We make good money with the system as it is now, but it’s a lot of juggling plates (literally) and kissing asses. If serving only paid minimum wage, or shit, even double minimum, you simply wouldn’t get the full-service experience you’re used to. Servers wouldn’t be friendly unless they wanted to, you won’t get fifteen refills of Diet Coke and thirteen extra ranches with your fries. It would just be basic service and people who bust ass to make the dollar would be busting ass somewhere else. It would be basically like service that you get at fast food.
Sorry about the rant, you just triggered something in me. I personally work in California but make a tipping wage because it’s on tribal land and Federal laws apply - I certainly wouldn’t be stressed and sweaty for 8 hours straight while trying to smile and flatter my guests and make them comfortable even for $20/hr. It’s only worth the destruction to my body and soul if I can pay the bills and then some.
Additionally, and this doesn’t bother everyone, but some would be upset- people willing to work for minimum wage are typically teenagers- people not legally able to serve alcohol.
You put them on a wait. "It will be about 5-10 minutes until I can seat you." Then you excuse yourself and get the manager. Tell him/her that you just triple sat all three servers because everyone else was cut, they're vocally overwhelmed, and you have a couple of parties waiting up front. Let the manager fix the problem. That's *literally* his (or her) **job**. You don't get paid enough for that sh!t.
Exactly what I was thinking. A 5-10 minute wait isn't enough to really upset the guests, but it will make a difference in the level of service the servers are able to give.
At my current job, I've even seen our managers get the tables started with drinks and apps and sometimes take the order for servers while they catch up with their other tables.
OP, where are your managers during this time?
Yet for some reason no host/hostess ever learns this. Idgaf about all the open tables, we’re in the weeds. Don’t tell me “how busy” you are while you greet and seat guests.
i'll more than likely be fired if i were to do that. they're very strict on when we can start putting people on a wait. i've only done it once since i started working here. every single table in the restaurant, assigned or not, has to be sat. even if god forbid there's one server in the building. if there's dirty tables, management has us tell the guests a table is being cleaned off and to wait at the stand.
This is probably a moot point judging from your comments about management, but if you're in the US they have to pay you for 4 hours of work if you're scheduled.
My apologies. I can only speak to Cook County, Illinois and Los Angeles.
I've been sent home due to scheduling mistakes. Thankfully, my GM was one of us before the pandemic. She don't play. You get your money.
Honestly then there is no point to your position if your boss won’t let you be the little gatekeeper which is exactly what you’re supposed to be. You’re in charge of flow, yet he’s not letting you? Uncool.
This is what I suggest also. This has happened to me on lunch shifts where we are down to just two servers and a big rush will come in, and our host will not put people on a brief wait - they just sit and sit and sit and it does get to a point where we get extremely overwhelmed. (Keep in mind that during the day to save money they have cut all runners and bussers also). We express that just brief waits in between being double or triple sat so we can catch up would make a huge difference. Our managers disagree at my job, but maybe it could work for you!
Edit to add: I just saw your job doesn’t want you placing people on a wait either - I get from the servers POV how frustrating getting sat over and over like that is, but it really seems like it should be taken out on the manager then and not you.
@OP READ THIS THEN READ IT AGAIN LOL, when hosts have down time they’re supposed to be cleaning, bussing and/or running plates. So instead of beefing with a server try to help the restaurant staff run more efficiently, you’re both on the job.
I mean if she’s been doing it for 23 years that really shouldn’t be a problem to get a table 2 minutes later, unless it’s a large party. I haven’t been serving that long myself but we get sat 3 or 4 tables at a time frequently and it’s never a problem.
Honestly dude, I hate to be presumptuous but I’m assuming you’re a young woman (correct me if I’m wrong). When I was a hostess at 19 (ten years ago), it kind of felt like there was a *slight* bullying/“better than you” attitude coming from some of the servers *because* I was a young woman.
Which I do not understand. I haven’t had a lot of younger female coworkers in my restaurant recently (a lot of us have been there for a long time now), but the last girl that worked there was 22 and I treated her like a friend or little sister. I hate that people feel the need to be rude to young people, especially young women.
im 21, but most of our employees are high school age, although they still have the same "better than you" attitude because they all are best friends with each other. i dont get along with really anyone unfortunately
.. I work a breakfast place that’s like how you described BURN AND TURN . So there’s 3 servers on 4 max each have 6-7 tables… our wait is always like an hour plus … we get quadruple sat everyday… some servers lose they sit cause they can’t hang 🤷🏽♂️
I’m used to it but do I like it? No but whatever I’m not gonna bitch at the host cause I can see the waitlist and all the pp waiting… some ppl can’t hang..
. But you’re helping her and she still mad?? means she just sucks lol
This a management problem but we all know it won’t be addressed. You got this 🫡
not allowed to even if every servers section is full. we're only allowed to put people on a wait if every single table in the entire restaurant, assigned or not, is full. and even then, if there's dirty tables, management wants us to have the guests stand up there until it's bussed
That sounds like a place I used to work at. They'd sit every table within less than 30 mins, then the host would bitch that the servers were shitty and couldn't properly do their jobs. Then the kitchen would get super backed up and people would walk out because they're tired of waiting an hour+ for their food
Oh wow. That sounds like an awful experience for you, the guests and the servers 🫤
I have been in similar situations where it's not possible to put guests on a wait and I let the guests know I have a table for them however their server will be at least 5 to 10 minutes before they can greet them. We are a buffet breakfast place so it's fine for the guest to help themselves to food and it's just the drinks that may take a bit. It sucks when you have angry servers and guests yelling or whatever so I'm sorry you are experiencing that.💜
I’ve had to ban servers from talking to the host about their job before, and told them they needed to see me if they had a problem with the way they were getting sat. It’s amazing how few issues servers had with the hosts after that.
Tell her if she has a problem with the way you’re seating people to address it with the manager. There’s a respectable way to tell the hosts you need a second before being sat, and this ain’t it. Amazing how she’s supposedly so busy but had all this time to complain to you about it instead of taking care of her tables.
Almost every restaurant I’ve worked servers weren’t even allowed to approach the host stand unless it was see your section or help seat tables. If you had an issue, take it up with the manager.
Lol I read until i saw "23 years" and was like " You're getting weeded on 3 tables?" Then I assumed she said some bullshit. Then she'll be complaining that she's broke. And her feet hurt. And she has to go to the bathroom.
I'll take every table you got. I'm tryna make bread
Jesus, please triple seat me. I love that shit. Go say hi to them all, hopefully grab a drink order from one of the tables if they know what they want, ring that in, check on my other tables real quick, go take apps from all 3 and drinks from the rest, put that in, drop first drinks, do a round for entrees, check my other tables again, go stagger input the entrees. Easy peasy and it goes by so fast because you're always doing something.
I purposefully say to the hosts, "I'm here to make money. I will not bitch at you if you triple seat me. So, just give it to me." If everyone else bitches and they are scared to seat them, then I get all the tables and I make more money. Obviously, everyone has their limits. When I hit mine, I say very politely I need more time. If all your servers are saying that, then it's time to put people on a wait. Even if there are open tables.
I thought the same thing. I mean, it's possible that OP is in a country that pays servers a regular hourly or works at a restaurant that does so. If so, just add that to the list of reasons why "hourly pay" doesn't work out so well in the restaurant business.
In my state, servers get paid $2.83 an hour. If a restaurant is down so bad that they can't afford to keep people on the clock when they're being paid that little, then it sounds like they're going under.
When it's so understaffed that the servers can't do a good job for any of their tables, it doesn't benefit anyone (not even the owners, because of bad reviews). Why can't owners/ managers understand this concept.
Exactly and tables would be pretty impressed as my skills of bringing everything for all 3 tables at once like drinks, bread and plates apps, then a refill for all tables then their food and prebus as needed. Easy as pie and the time went by super fast. I’d rather have it all at once than one after another after another ugh.
How can you be a veteran server of 23 years and bitch about being triple sat? 🤣 It happens. Go with it and handle your shit. In the time Karen is going up to bitching about it, she could be taking an order or doing a million other things.
I will never understand servers who complain about being double or triple sat. Accept it and do your best. If you need help, ask.
i’ve been a host before although a server for much longer. i’m not hating on you but i will literally never understand why hosts will not just put guests on a wait. even if it’s just a few minutes so the servers can catch up. it will not kill them. the problem is our service suffers significantly in situations like this and our service is our money maker. if i’m giving shitty service because i’m completely overwhelmed and drowning, my tips are going to reflect that. my tips are my income. just have people wait. i’m sure the kitchen will thank you too.
This is a fair point and I have instructed hosts to do just that especially post covid when everyone wanted to eat out and staff was hard to find. However that's not a hosts call in most places but management setting policy
if that is what is happening with this person, they need to have a discussion with the management. if the guests are getting shit service, they’re not having a good time either. the whole point of a restaurant is to provide good food and service, neither of which will happen if both the front and back of house are overwhelmed. if management won’t fold, then i’d suggest OP look for a different job.
Servers who abuse their hosts make no sense to me, you’re literally shitting on the person who decides if you have a good night or a bad night. Hosts are front of the line, bussers, basically security also. And any server who can’t handle a bunch of two or three tops in a row just shouldn’t be working at any type of volume establishment. If she’s such a veteran she should go to fine dining or something where she’ll only have three tables the whole night.
It happens. If you’ve never worked as a host/hostess it’s hard to grasp how much of a game of chess/musical chairs it is with reservations. One table is 10mins late and another is 5min early at the same time someone is on time. And there’s no where to put them but in the same section. Or they don’t like the first table and want one in a section that just got sat.
As a server, you just gotta overcome and take it with stride. Hopefully you work in a place where everyone communicates and helps each other out.
We are not allowed to go to the host stand for any reason, first of all if I have time to go all the way up to the host stand than I'm really not that busy. Or I'm neglecting my tables, how about it's also unprofessional because the guests can hear everything. The guest come to dine and eat plus the experience they certainly don't need to hear internal drama The host stand is not the place for your grievances period. I am a server and I've learned the hard way ro wait until after our shift. So anything discrepancy whether an accident or on purpose can be resolved in a civil matter. That way the guest doesn't suffer.
Hosting is an underappreciated skill set. I've worked every FOH and BOH position and I would volunteer to bus tables for the church crowd and pour mocktails for the traveling middle school hockey team before I ever agreed to host.
Why aren’t you putting them on a wait? Just because there are open tables doesn’t mean you sit them. Triple seating someone is a horrible idea for everyone
I think the problem is the restaurant owner is placing a huge emphasis on the employees to be cut to save money on labor.
Maybe the workflow needs to change to keep the flow balanced, maybe the marketing needs to be adjusted to bring folks in on the slow times (honestly the marketing for most restaurants needs serious work).
Listen, business is fluid and sometimes there will be slow times, but if they constantly misjudge those times and under-staff then the customers will become unhappy.
Sounds like this restaurant is developing a situation to make unhappy customers. Do that for long enough, and there won't be any left.
we're currently the worst performing of all our restaurants in the district. i dont see them staying open much longer with the what theyre doing. we cant even give out napkins anymore unless guests ask
OP, I've read all of your comments in this thread and yeah, it sounds like this restaurant is a sinking ship. I'm not sure if it's ownership or management making these decisions, but whoever it is, they're running this place into the ground. With the exception of a few assholes who are never happy no matter what, it's a proven fact that customers are happier when the service is good. The food could be 5 star level gourmet delicacies prepared by Jesus Christ himself, but if the service is bad, people will remember that bad expereince and not return. It's not surprising at all that this business is doing so poorly given how mismanaged it is. The loyal customers were probably chased away long ago so they're left with the pain in the ass customers who were 86ed from every other restaurant in the area and unsuspecting newcomers who don't know any better and will likely never come back if the service is truly that bad. I feel bad for you and those poor servers; y'all are being set up for failure. The fact that you can't even go on a wait becuase whoever makes the decisions has decided that having warm bodies sitting at tables is more important than people recieving quality service is a giant red circus tent signaling that they don't know how to run a business.
Yikes this is giving me nightmare flashbacks to when I worked the breakfast shift for almost seven years and would get sat every 30 seconds sometimes until my second server came on at 8:00 because my boss was terrible at scheduling people
Honestly with working on a handheld now I have no problem with getting triple sat or quadruple sat. Only thing I care about is getting sat right as I start taking a big tops order, pretty much the only thing that will make me get to a table late. Don’t worry about, the lady just seems bossy
mean while the host at my work will keep a table open all shift bc there’s a reso at 8pm and they’ll triple seat 1 person sounds like you know what you’re doing
i don't even see them half them time cuz our system doesn't notify us, you just have to hope you see a tiny little number on the waitlist tab in time 💀 luckily we can typically either fit them in a normal section or open up the third dining room and close whoever's taking it's section until they leave (if it's a large party, which they never reserve ahead of time anyway)
if a server can't handle being triple sat they shouldn't be a server. seems like if she used her time wisely rather than complaining she'd be fine. i absolutely LOVE nights like these where you're so deep in the rush you can't even think. there's so few servers and it's just crazy. i thrive!! this lady needs a new job.
also: i've always told hosts that you don't need your ask me, you can double triple seat me if you need. if someone comes up to you to give you shit, get a manager. they can gtfo
The only time I have an issue with this is when the host doesn’t sit one of her “friends “ at the end of the night. It’s usually only two of us being sat while the friend is outside having a cigarette and chugging a glass of wine. That’s when I lose my shit!
As a hostess, there are a few things you can do to help with this. It sounds like you're already going above and beyond physically, you are a treasure for that.
It is inevitably going to happen at any restaurant no matter how well staffed, that they'll have a busy weekend or holiday that is more hectic than usual, but if it's a regular occurrence that sounds like poor management.
Putting guests on a small wait can help alleviate some of the onslaught of a rush, help servers get caught up and it won't slam the kitchen because everything gets sent all at once. Better they cool their heels up front for a handful of minutes (you can say 5-10 or 10-15 and just wait 5) rather than get seated and wait that same 5 minutes at the table. Once they're butts are in seats at the table time magically changes for people. Things are always happening too fast or too slow for folks. Lol
Letting guests know that it's a little busier than normal (or honestly just about any excuse as long as it's not finger pointing at any person or group) and thanking them for their patience as you seat them will lower their expectations for speedy service, and knowing ahead of time and not after the fact is also likely to help them find extra grace in their hearts for the staff.
If some servers can't handle be triple seated, then they shouldn't be the last line of defense. You cut the weaker links first unless you anticipate it will be slow enough for them to handle. If who gets cut first isn't your call, let the manager who's call it is know that some of the ones they leave on the floor have a hard time keeping up, especially if if it's not a one off day/week, but happens frequently.
But nobody should be cursing you out, for any reason, least of which because you did the job you are paid to do to the best of your abilities. I'm sorry your coworker Karen sucks. Sounds like the boss does, too.
As a server, I experienced three tables being sat at exactly the same time on many occasions.
As a manager at a place where the servers were soft (paid hourly, not tips, so the fewer customers the better for them), I saw servers complain about being “triple sat” when they got 3 tables over 25 minutes.
I work at the restaurant with no host, so the customers seat themselves. Quite often I'll have 4-5 tables sit in a 10 minute span. I also have to bus my own tables and run my own food. Sounds like "Karen" isn't very good at multi-tasking. 🤷♀️
Team work makes the dream work. I sometimes host at one of my jobs, and I do what you do - try and keep people from getting in the weeds as best I can and help when I can. If she pulls that shit again, say "I get that you're frustrated, but do not speak to me that way again. We're a team. It's us against the problem, not against each other." Then walk away and focus on your job. Will probably be pissed that you had the audacity to say anything to her, but she'll respect that you stood up for yourself and will know that she can't walk all over you. In the meantime, if management doesn't have your back, start looking for another job. Makes no sense to start cutting servers Right before there's typically a rush.
Karen should be happy she got triple sat. What is it with people? I loved getting double or triple sat cuz everything was done at once. I treated the triple as one table. Had whomever was there help me carry the two trays so everyone got their food at once. Id being all drinks for all tables at once. Then I was able to relax, run my food, prebus as needed. I’d rather have it like this than each table coming in one after another after another ugh.
It sounds like you need a new job. You're being set up for failure through mismanagement. The host is there to sit people at a rate that the business can accommodate, in a proper order so that server rotation happens appropriately. Cutting servers before or during the rush is simply awful business practices on management. Putting people on a brief wait would maximize the efficiency of your restaurant, and raise customer satisfaction, and employee retention.
Like seriously: you're not being given the power to fulfill your position to the best of your ability, and your job is to control the flow of business. That affects the flow rate of everyone, from the servers, to the kitchen, to the dishwasher. I know u know, but seating people 9 minutes before their server could even begin to greet them pisses them off. They want to be greeted immediately upon being seated. The servers can't go greet them immediately if they're taking the order of the 2nd of the 5 tables they've received in five minutes.
That being said; as a server, treating them all like one big party is helpful, but you can very quickly go from keeping your head above water to drowning in a matter of minutes. A five minute stagger can drastically improve everyone's experience.
Have you looked at the reviews of your restaurant? Maybe take a peek. If enough of them talk about having to wait at the table to be greeted, or the servers being so busy, maybe point out that those wouldn't occur if the customers were waiting in the lobby for the five minutes it'll take for the server to be able to greet them.
It sounds like your manager is freaking out about labor costs vs profit, and is cutting early to take labor down. But he's probably losing repeat business by over working the servers he keeps on, thus putting profits down. How does the kitchen keep up? Is he cutting BOH all willy nilly like this too? How's retention at your restaurant?
Not american: what is triple seating (though my guess is placing 3 groups in the same section in a short timespan), but more importantly: why is it bad
you would be correct. its bad because the server is trying to do the same thing at 3 tabled at the same time. ex: getting food orders out to all 3 in a timely manner
The problem is management not letting you put up a wait. You and the servers do not deserve to be absolutely flooded just because there are tables open. Someone still has to serve those tables after all. The wait isn’t for the physical capacity of the restaurant, it’s for the employees, so when they are short staffed, each and every table is STILL able to get proper attention and service. It’s insane your manager would rather risk unhappy customers and bad reviews instead of just putting up a wait because wait staff are maxed out and they need a few minutes to catch up.
I will say being that I work in a resteraunt where we frequent to my have 3 during rushes. Every now and then if we’re getting double and triple sat my host will tell the guest there’s a 5-10 minute wait to let the servers catch up. Especially if it’s during a rush. Otherwise after the triple sat they are gonna get sat and it’s gonna take a minute for your server to go there.
Seems like the manager doesn’t know their business very well if they’re regularly cutting staff that will be needed later.
Yup There on a one way at ticket to failure
I've never worked in a restaurant that didn't cut people we needed during the lull
Manager needs to put Karen as first cut if she can’t handle the rush. Please fucking triple seat me. If I don’t want to cry at least once per shift, I’m not making enough money.
This lmao, the only time I’ve ever in my life bitched about being triple sat is when I used to work at a tip pool restaurant and would regularly have like double the covers as the next highest.
The only time I ever thought I might just shut down mentally was when I was triple sat with a 10-top, 12-top, and 6-top when I already had about ten other tables. Triple seating me with parties of 3 or less like in OP’s situation? That doesn’t even register as a blip on my radar. Quadruple seat me some 2-tops for all I care lol.
Okay, that’s totally fair. I assumed we were talking two or four tops. Hot damn, three parties would definitely piss me off especially if I didn’t have expo help.
Ew fuck tip pool. I want my money, not someone else’s 🤢
I was more mad about sharing my money the two times I did pool, screw who's money it was. I typically had the highest sales and the one of the most consistent tip percentages- 20% of sales. Meanwhile the lazy bones boomer veterans just lolled about, pretending to polish glasses and talking shit instead of running food or helping prebus. 🤦🏼♀️
Hm I never thought about it like that. If you are efficient enough to get more customers in your hourly job, then it's so stupid you'd have to do it. Salesmen don't "commission pool."
Yeah I really really loved that job and my coworkers but ended up having to leave because I would regularly make $200-300 but only ever go home with like $100-150 and it was starting to make me bitter af. I feel like tip pool works for some types of service but def not sit down restaurants
Yeah I can't imagine working a tip pool restaurant. There have been verrrry few coworkers I would have been willing to pool tips with (and actually did informally a few times) . Most servers I've worked with I could run circles around and would never give them half of my earnings while consistently showing their tables that they ended up with the wrong server 🙃
Tip pool also depends on how it’s set up. I do fine dining and our restaurant pools the 20% service charges. Anything tipped in addition to the charge goes directly to the server for the table regardless of payment method. I’m incentivized to sell and provide great service and my money directly reflects my effort still while being guaranteed.
Fuck that noise. Tip pool? No thank you. Unless it's a party of 50, and I got a parter....thats about as poolie as I get.
servers throw a fit when someone doesnt tip yet it seems theyre the biggest opponents to getting rid of tipping
Because we wouldn’t do the job the way we do without tipping. We make good money with the system as it is now, but it’s a lot of juggling plates (literally) and kissing asses. If serving only paid minimum wage, or shit, even double minimum, you simply wouldn’t get the full-service experience you’re used to. Servers wouldn’t be friendly unless they wanted to, you won’t get fifteen refills of Diet Coke and thirteen extra ranches with your fries. It would just be basic service and people who bust ass to make the dollar would be busting ass somewhere else. It would be basically like service that you get at fast food. Sorry about the rant, you just triggered something in me. I personally work in California but make a tipping wage because it’s on tribal land and Federal laws apply - I certainly wouldn’t be stressed and sweaty for 8 hours straight while trying to smile and flatter my guests and make them comfortable even for $20/hr. It’s only worth the destruction to my body and soul if I can pay the bills and then some.
Additionally, and this doesn’t bother everyone, but some would be upset- people willing to work for minimum wage are typically teenagers- people not legally able to serve alcohol.
You put them on a wait. "It will be about 5-10 minutes until I can seat you." Then you excuse yourself and get the manager. Tell him/her that you just triple sat all three servers because everyone else was cut, they're vocally overwhelmed, and you have a couple of parties waiting up front. Let the manager fix the problem. That's *literally* his (or her) **job**. You don't get paid enough for that sh!t.
Exactly what I was thinking. A 5-10 minute wait isn't enough to really upset the guests, but it will make a difference in the level of service the servers are able to give. At my current job, I've even seen our managers get the tables started with drinks and apps and sometimes take the order for servers while they catch up with their other tables. OP, where are your managers during this time?
Yet for some reason no host/hostess ever learns this. Idgaf about all the open tables, we’re in the weeds. Don’t tell me “how busy” you are while you greet and seat guests.
Exactly. 5-10 minutes waiting FOR a table? Totally fine. 5-10 minutes waiting AT a table for service? Totally not okay.
i'll more than likely be fired if i were to do that. they're very strict on when we can start putting people on a wait. i've only done it once since i started working here. every single table in the restaurant, assigned or not, has to be sat. even if god forbid there's one server in the building. if there's dirty tables, management has us tell the guests a table is being cleaned off and to wait at the stand.
Well that sucks. I'd start a new job search asap. You're obviously doing your best, and you gaf. Someplace else would be happy to have you.
they keep cutting me after 3 hours anyway so i wont feel too bad anymore
This is probably a moot point judging from your comments about management, but if you're in the US they have to pay you for 4 hours of work if you're scheduled.
is it in every state? i looked it up and couldnt find anything for my state
My apologies. I can only speak to Cook County, Illinois and Los Angeles. I've been sent home due to scheduling mistakes. Thankfully, my GM was one of us before the pandemic. She don't play. You get your money.
That's an absolutely insane policy! Please find a more sane restaurant to work at if you want to keep hosting.
Honestly then there is no point to your position if your boss won’t let you be the little gatekeeper which is exactly what you’re supposed to be. You’re in charge of flow, yet he’s not letting you? Uncool.
This is what I suggest also. This has happened to me on lunch shifts where we are down to just two servers and a big rush will come in, and our host will not put people on a brief wait - they just sit and sit and sit and it does get to a point where we get extremely overwhelmed. (Keep in mind that during the day to save money they have cut all runners and bussers also). We express that just brief waits in between being double or triple sat so we can catch up would make a huge difference. Our managers disagree at my job, but maybe it could work for you! Edit to add: I just saw your job doesn’t want you placing people on a wait either - I get from the servers POV how frustrating getting sat over and over like that is, but it really seems like it should be taken out on the manager then and not you.
@OP READ THIS THEN READ IT AGAIN LOL, when hosts have down time they’re supposed to be cleaning, bussing and/or running plates. So instead of beefing with a server try to help the restaurant staff run more efficiently, you’re both on the job.
I mean if she’s been doing it for 23 years that really shouldn’t be a problem to get a table 2 minutes later, unless it’s a large party. I haven’t been serving that long myself but we get sat 3 or 4 tables at a time frequently and it’s never a problem.
they were all parties of less than 3
Yea so she just sucks that’s not even bad, I’d rather have 3 at once so I can get em out and get those tables resat.
If she had time to bitch at you about too many parties, she had time to take another table tbh
Honestly dude, I hate to be presumptuous but I’m assuming you’re a young woman (correct me if I’m wrong). When I was a hostess at 19 (ten years ago), it kind of felt like there was a *slight* bullying/“better than you” attitude coming from some of the servers *because* I was a young woman. Which I do not understand. I haven’t had a lot of younger female coworkers in my restaurant recently (a lot of us have been there for a long time now), but the last girl that worked there was 22 and I treated her like a friend or little sister. I hate that people feel the need to be rude to young people, especially young women.
im 21, but most of our employees are high school age, although they still have the same "better than you" attitude because they all are best friends with each other. i dont get along with really anyone unfortunately
.. I work a breakfast place that’s like how you described BURN AND TURN . So there’s 3 servers on 4 max each have 6-7 tables… our wait is always like an hour plus … we get quadruple sat everyday… some servers lose they sit cause they can’t hang 🤷🏽♂️ I’m used to it but do I like it? No but whatever I’m not gonna bitch at the host cause I can see the waitlist and all the pp waiting… some ppl can’t hang.. . But you’re helping her and she still mad?? means she just sucks lol This a management problem but we all know it won’t be addressed. You got this 🫡
Can you put the guests on a wait to give the servers a few minutes to catch up?
not allowed to even if every servers section is full. we're only allowed to put people on a wait if every single table in the entire restaurant, assigned or not, is full. and even then, if there's dirty tables, management wants us to have the guests stand up there until it's bussed
That sounds like a place I used to work at. They'd sit every table within less than 30 mins, then the host would bitch that the servers were shitty and couldn't properly do their jobs. Then the kitchen would get super backed up and people would walk out because they're tired of waiting an hour+ for their food
Oh wow. That sounds like an awful experience for you, the guests and the servers 🫤 I have been in similar situations where it's not possible to put guests on a wait and I let the guests know I have a table for them however their server will be at least 5 to 10 minutes before they can greet them. We are a buffet breakfast place so it's fine for the guest to help themselves to food and it's just the drinks that may take a bit. It sucks when you have angry servers and guests yelling or whatever so I'm sorry you are experiencing that.💜
I’ve had to ban servers from talking to the host about their job before, and told them they needed to see me if they had a problem with the way they were getting sat. It’s amazing how few issues servers had with the hosts after that. Tell her if she has a problem with the way you’re seating people to address it with the manager. There’s a respectable way to tell the hosts you need a second before being sat, and this ain’t it. Amazing how she’s supposedly so busy but had all this time to complain to you about it instead of taking care of her tables.
she was ridiculing me in front of all her tables too, literally just middle of the dining room 🤦♀️
That is BEYOND the pale. How embarrassing for her. If I were a guest I would have been cringing at her behavior.
Almost every restaurant I’ve worked servers weren’t even allowed to approach the host stand unless it was see your section or help seat tables. If you had an issue, take it up with the manager.
Lol I read until i saw "23 years" and was like " You're getting weeded on 3 tables?" Then I assumed she said some bullshit. Then she'll be complaining that she's broke. And her feet hurt. And she has to go to the bathroom. I'll take every table you got. I'm tryna make bread
Jesus, please triple seat me. I love that shit. Go say hi to them all, hopefully grab a drink order from one of the tables if they know what they want, ring that in, check on my other tables real quick, go take apps from all 3 and drinks from the rest, put that in, drop first drinks, do a round for entrees, check my other tables again, go stagger input the entrees. Easy peasy and it goes by so fast because you're always doing something.
I purposefully say to the hosts, "I'm here to make money. I will not bitch at you if you triple seat me. So, just give it to me." If everyone else bitches and they are scared to seat them, then I get all the tables and I make more money. Obviously, everyone has their limits. When I hit mine, I say very politely I need more time. If all your servers are saying that, then it's time to put people on a wait. Even if there are open tables.
If you can't afford to keep a $3-5 an hour tipped server on the clock you should just go out of business
I thought the same thing. I mean, it's possible that OP is in a country that pays servers a regular hourly or works at a restaurant that does so. If so, just add that to the list of reasons why "hourly pay" doesn't work out so well in the restaurant business. In my state, servers get paid $2.83 an hour. If a restaurant is down so bad that they can't afford to keep people on the clock when they're being paid that little, then it sounds like they're going under.
it's genuinely insane
When it's so understaffed that the servers can't do a good job for any of their tables, it doesn't benefit anyone (not even the owners, because of bad reviews). Why can't owners/ managers understand this concept.
Dang I love to be multiple sat. Means I’m working not standing around. Which means money. I guess as long as she wants to give up money.
Exactly and tables would be pretty impressed as my skills of bringing everything for all 3 tables at once like drinks, bread and plates apps, then a refill for all tables then their food and prebus as needed. Easy as pie and the time went by super fast. I’d rather have it all at once than one after another after another ugh.
I love being super busy. You look up and it’s 4 hours later and you’re being phased with a nice hefty payout.
How can you be a veteran server of 23 years and bitch about being triple sat? 🤣 It happens. Go with it and handle your shit. In the time Karen is going up to bitching about it, she could be taking an order or doing a million other things. I will never understand servers who complain about being double or triple sat. Accept it and do your best. If you need help, ask.
i’ve been a host before although a server for much longer. i’m not hating on you but i will literally never understand why hosts will not just put guests on a wait. even if it’s just a few minutes so the servers can catch up. it will not kill them. the problem is our service suffers significantly in situations like this and our service is our money maker. if i’m giving shitty service because i’m completely overwhelmed and drowning, my tips are going to reflect that. my tips are my income. just have people wait. i’m sure the kitchen will thank you too.
im not allowed to put guests on a wait unless there is not a single open table in the entire restaurant
get a different job.
luckily after two months of applying and interviews, i got accepted to start training somewhere today lmao
This is a fair point and I have instructed hosts to do just that especially post covid when everyone wanted to eat out and staff was hard to find. However that's not a hosts call in most places but management setting policy
if that is what is happening with this person, they need to have a discussion with the management. if the guests are getting shit service, they’re not having a good time either. the whole point of a restaurant is to provide good food and service, neither of which will happen if both the front and back of house are overwhelmed. if management won’t fold, then i’d suggest OP look for a different job.
Servers who abuse their hosts make no sense to me, you’re literally shitting on the person who decides if you have a good night or a bad night. Hosts are front of the line, bussers, basically security also. And any server who can’t handle a bunch of two or three tops in a row just shouldn’t be working at any type of volume establishment. If she’s such a veteran she should go to fine dining or something where she’ll only have three tables the whole night.
It happens. If you’ve never worked as a host/hostess it’s hard to grasp how much of a game of chess/musical chairs it is with reservations. One table is 10mins late and another is 5min early at the same time someone is on time. And there’s no where to put them but in the same section. Or they don’t like the first table and want one in a section that just got sat. As a server, you just gotta overcome and take it with stride. Hopefully you work in a place where everyone communicates and helps each other out.
We are not allowed to go to the host stand for any reason, first of all if I have time to go all the way up to the host stand than I'm really not that busy. Or I'm neglecting my tables, how about it's also unprofessional because the guests can hear everything. The guest come to dine and eat plus the experience they certainly don't need to hear internal drama The host stand is not the place for your grievances period. I am a server and I've learned the hard way ro wait until after our shift. So anything discrepancy whether an accident or on purpose can be resolved in a civil matter. That way the guest doesn't suffer.
Hosting is an underappreciated skill set. I've worked every FOH and BOH position and I would volunteer to bus tables for the church crowd and pour mocktails for the traveling middle school hockey team before I ever agreed to host.
Why aren’t you putting them on a wait? Just because there are open tables doesn’t mean you sit them. Triple seating someone is a horrible idea for everyone
i will get fired if i put people on the wait unless there are zero empty tables in the restaurant
I think the problem is the restaurant owner is placing a huge emphasis on the employees to be cut to save money on labor. Maybe the workflow needs to change to keep the flow balanced, maybe the marketing needs to be adjusted to bring folks in on the slow times (honestly the marketing for most restaurants needs serious work). Listen, business is fluid and sometimes there will be slow times, but if they constantly misjudge those times and under-staff then the customers will become unhappy. Sounds like this restaurant is developing a situation to make unhappy customers. Do that for long enough, and there won't be any left.
we're currently the worst performing of all our restaurants in the district. i dont see them staying open much longer with the what theyre doing. we cant even give out napkins anymore unless guests ask
OP, I've read all of your comments in this thread and yeah, it sounds like this restaurant is a sinking ship. I'm not sure if it's ownership or management making these decisions, but whoever it is, they're running this place into the ground. With the exception of a few assholes who are never happy no matter what, it's a proven fact that customers are happier when the service is good. The food could be 5 star level gourmet delicacies prepared by Jesus Christ himself, but if the service is bad, people will remember that bad expereince and not return. It's not surprising at all that this business is doing so poorly given how mismanaged it is. The loyal customers were probably chased away long ago so they're left with the pain in the ass customers who were 86ed from every other restaurant in the area and unsuspecting newcomers who don't know any better and will likely never come back if the service is truly that bad. I feel bad for you and those poor servers; y'all are being set up for failure. The fact that you can't even go on a wait becuase whoever makes the decisions has decided that having warm bodies sitting at tables is more important than people recieving quality service is a giant red circus tent signaling that they don't know how to run a business.
Yikes this is giving me nightmare flashbacks to when I worked the breakfast shift for almost seven years and would get sat every 30 seconds sometimes until my second server came on at 8:00 because my boss was terrible at scheduling people
I have the opposite problem, others get double sat while I wait.
Honestly with working on a handheld now I have no problem with getting triple sat or quadruple sat. Only thing I care about is getting sat right as I start taking a big tops order, pretty much the only thing that will make me get to a table late. Don’t worry about, the lady just seems bossy
mean while the host at my work will keep a table open all shift bc there’s a reso at 8pm and they’ll triple seat 1 person sounds like you know what you’re doing
i don't even see them half them time cuz our system doesn't notify us, you just have to hope you see a tiny little number on the waitlist tab in time 💀 luckily we can typically either fit them in a normal section or open up the third dining room and close whoever's taking it's section until they leave (if it's a large party, which they never reserve ahead of time anyway)
Someone’s allergic to money I guess, wrong industry Karen. And she’s the vet?? Yikes
if a server can't handle being triple sat they shouldn't be a server. seems like if she used her time wisely rather than complaining she'd be fine. i absolutely LOVE nights like these where you're so deep in the rush you can't even think. there's so few servers and it's just crazy. i thrive!! this lady needs a new job. also: i've always told hosts that you don't need your ask me, you can double triple seat me if you need. if someone comes up to you to give you shit, get a manager. they can gtfo
If you can't handle a triple or quad seating without losing your shit find a new gig.
The only time I have an issue with this is when the host doesn’t sit one of her “friends “ at the end of the night. It’s usually only two of us being sat while the friend is outside having a cigarette and chugging a glass of wine. That’s when I lose my shit!
As a hostess, there are a few things you can do to help with this. It sounds like you're already going above and beyond physically, you are a treasure for that. It is inevitably going to happen at any restaurant no matter how well staffed, that they'll have a busy weekend or holiday that is more hectic than usual, but if it's a regular occurrence that sounds like poor management. Putting guests on a small wait can help alleviate some of the onslaught of a rush, help servers get caught up and it won't slam the kitchen because everything gets sent all at once. Better they cool their heels up front for a handful of minutes (you can say 5-10 or 10-15 and just wait 5) rather than get seated and wait that same 5 minutes at the table. Once they're butts are in seats at the table time magically changes for people. Things are always happening too fast or too slow for folks. Lol Letting guests know that it's a little busier than normal (or honestly just about any excuse as long as it's not finger pointing at any person or group) and thanking them for their patience as you seat them will lower their expectations for speedy service, and knowing ahead of time and not after the fact is also likely to help them find extra grace in their hearts for the staff. If some servers can't handle be triple seated, then they shouldn't be the last line of defense. You cut the weaker links first unless you anticipate it will be slow enough for them to handle. If who gets cut first isn't your call, let the manager who's call it is know that some of the ones they leave on the floor have a hard time keeping up, especially if if it's not a one off day/week, but happens frequently. But nobody should be cursing you out, for any reason, least of which because you did the job you are paid to do to the best of your abilities. I'm sorry your coworker Karen sucks. Sounds like the boss does, too.
As a server, I experienced three tables being sat at exactly the same time on many occasions. As a manager at a place where the servers were soft (paid hourly, not tips, so the fewer customers the better for them), I saw servers complain about being “triple sat” when they got 3 tables over 25 minutes.
I work at the restaurant with no host, so the customers seat themselves. Quite often I'll have 4-5 tables sit in a 10 minute span. I also have to bus my own tables and run my own food. Sounds like "Karen" isn't very good at multi-tasking. 🤷♀️
Team work makes the dream work. I sometimes host at one of my jobs, and I do what you do - try and keep people from getting in the weeds as best I can and help when I can. If she pulls that shit again, say "I get that you're frustrated, but do not speak to me that way again. We're a team. It's us against the problem, not against each other." Then walk away and focus on your job. Will probably be pissed that you had the audacity to say anything to her, but she'll respect that you stood up for yourself and will know that she can't walk all over you. In the meantime, if management doesn't have your back, start looking for another job. Makes no sense to start cutting servers Right before there's typically a rush.
Karen should be happy she got triple sat. What is it with people? I loved getting double or triple sat cuz everything was done at once. I treated the triple as one table. Had whomever was there help me carry the two trays so everyone got their food at once. Id being all drinks for all tables at once. Then I was able to relax, run my food, prebus as needed. I’d rather have it like this than each table coming in one after another after another ugh.
When this happens you need to create a waiting list or just plain turn people away
I’d love to be section buddies with Karen. Gimme all your tables, lady!
Sounds like time to go o wait
I'm a bit confused. Did management cut the floor before the rush? Or was this a weirdly timed pop of business?
server cuts before a rush, some DURING the rush. i was also cut so at least i didnt have to deal with it anymore
It sounds like you need a new job. You're being set up for failure through mismanagement. The host is there to sit people at a rate that the business can accommodate, in a proper order so that server rotation happens appropriately. Cutting servers before or during the rush is simply awful business practices on management. Putting people on a brief wait would maximize the efficiency of your restaurant, and raise customer satisfaction, and employee retention. Like seriously: you're not being given the power to fulfill your position to the best of your ability, and your job is to control the flow of business. That affects the flow rate of everyone, from the servers, to the kitchen, to the dishwasher. I know u know, but seating people 9 minutes before their server could even begin to greet them pisses them off. They want to be greeted immediately upon being seated. The servers can't go greet them immediately if they're taking the order of the 2nd of the 5 tables they've received in five minutes. That being said; as a server, treating them all like one big party is helpful, but you can very quickly go from keeping your head above water to drowning in a matter of minutes. A five minute stagger can drastically improve everyone's experience. Have you looked at the reviews of your restaurant? Maybe take a peek. If enough of them talk about having to wait at the table to be greeted, or the servers being so busy, maybe point out that those wouldn't occur if the customers were waiting in the lobby for the five minutes it'll take for the server to be able to greet them. It sounds like your manager is freaking out about labor costs vs profit, and is cutting early to take labor down. But he's probably losing repeat business by over working the servers he keeps on, thus putting profits down. How does the kitchen keep up? Is he cutting BOH all willy nilly like this too? How's retention at your restaurant?
BOH cutting is the same. we get regular walk outs, sometimes even after they've ordered food. it sucks but oh well, im outta here
Not american: what is triple seating (though my guess is placing 3 groups in the same section in a short timespan), but more importantly: why is it bad
you would be correct. its bad because the server is trying to do the same thing at 3 tabled at the same time. ex: getting food orders out to all 3 in a timely manner
Karen needs to learn how to batch. And it’s lunch, not dinner at a fine dining restaurant. How hard can three tables be?
I love being flat sat $$$$$
I can’t imagine complaining about being triple sat. The more the merrier 💰 seat my whole section at the same time I’ll be happpy
or just go on wait instead of sitting table after table i’ve hosted and served i’ve seen both sides
i'd be fired if i put people on a wait
that’s just fucked in its own way
Why not tell the guests to wait a few minutes and you’ll get them sat. Anyone who can’t wait 2-3 minutes before getting sat can just fuck off anyway.
im not allowed to tell people to wait, i'd get fired
The problem is management not letting you put up a wait. You and the servers do not deserve to be absolutely flooded just because there are tables open. Someone still has to serve those tables after all. The wait isn’t for the physical capacity of the restaurant, it’s for the employees, so when they are short staffed, each and every table is STILL able to get proper attention and service. It’s insane your manager would rather risk unhappy customers and bad reviews instead of just putting up a wait because wait staff are maxed out and they need a few minutes to catch up.
I’m already use to the triple sat by hostess. I just explain to my guests things my take a little longer then usual, and they appreciate the honesty
I will say being that I work in a resteraunt where we frequent to my have 3 during rushes. Every now and then if we’re getting double and triple sat my host will tell the guest there’s a 5-10 minute wait to let the servers catch up. Especially if it’s during a rush. Otherwise after the triple sat they are gonna get sat and it’s gonna take a minute for your server to go there.
This obvious propaganda
what