I had a recent experience booking a reservation in a restaurant, 12 days in advance for a weeknight, that annoyed me so profoundly that I spent several hours crafting a letter of complaint. The most interesting thing about it is that there was nothing so terrible about the experience. It wasn’t overtly bad service; it was simply unacceptable in light of the fact that the highly regarded high-end restaurant it involved should know better. The idea that the reservationist believed it was OK pushed my buttons. As the adage goes, “We definitely get bitten by mosquitoes and not elephants.” Here is the missive I wrote, substituting the name of the actual individual with the term “Hostess.”
Dear Hostess,
I am sending you this note via your manager because I am pretty sure you are unaware of the true power and value of your position. Being the first person that a guest encounters is an important job. It sets the tone for the entire experience. Being hospitable and making future guests feel welcome and pleased that they chose ______ is vital to the overall feeling that guests have about the restaurant. The experience doesn’t start when people arrive at the front door; it actually starts with the reservation. Of course, people can use Open Table and avoid any interaction and just make a perfunctory reservation online. Many people opt to do just that. Others like myself prefer to talk to a real person, especially one that understands that the true essence of the hostess position is to start the experience on the right note and make a personal connection.
Hostess: “Thanks for calling ______, how can I help you?”
Holly: “I would like to make a reservation in the seven o’clock time frame on August 16th.”
Hostess: “We have a 6 and an 8 available.” (silence)
Holly: “Do you only take six o clock and 8 o clock reservations?”
Hostess: “No, we take them at 7 and 7:30 but we are sold out at that time.” (silence)
Holly: “Let me talk to my friend and get back to you. Bummer, I am really disappointed.” (silence)
Hostess: “OK. Bye.”
I checked with my friend and he said 6 pm was OK, so I called back.
Holly: “I would like a 6 o’clock reservation for Thursday the 16th for 4.”
Hostess: “What month? What is your name and phone number?”
Holly: (some small talk) “I really didn’t want six. I wanted later.”
Hostess: (in a curt tone) “Didn’t you just ask for a six o’clock reservation?”
Holly: “Yes I did.” (awkward silence) “OK.” (phone call ended)
I proceeded to sit in my dining room feeling disappointed about the impersonal nature of the exchange. I have many choices of restaurants in San Francisco. I was planning a special evening and it was an expensive proposition to choose _____. Since I believe the first point of contact sets the tone of the experience, I didn’t want to take the chance that my evening would be a reflection of the reservation process. Both conversations felt like a computer transaction. There was no connection, no appreciation that out of the hundreds of choices I chose you, no inquiry as to whether it was a special occasion or celebration and no interest whatsoever that a real person was making the reservation to spend time, money and memories. Just the time, name and phone number. It did not feel welcoming.
Hostess, it is obvious to me that you believe your job is to take reservations, nothing more and nothing less. I am also sure that you believe that you did nothing wrong when speaking to me about my reservation. Indeed you did everything correctly, but in fact nothing was right. Which is why I called back and cancelled the reservation choosing to go somewhere else. Do you realize the value and importance of the work you do is to understand that you are responsible for revenue as well as reservations? Your job affects the bottom line and directly reflects on the restaurant.
In case you are wondering what you should have done, and I hope you are, here are a few options. As you can see, I am not suggesting you offer me a table other than at 6 or 8. It was the style and intention of what you were saying that made all the difference.
Option A
Hostess: “I know you are calling well in advance and I wish I had a table at seven thirty. It looks like we are sold out at that time. I can do a table for four at 6 or at 8. Will either of those times work for you?”
Option B
Hostess: “I would love to seat you at that hour but it looks like we are fully booked at 7:30. Would you be able to come at six or a little later at 8? I can get you a nice table at either of those times.”
Some things you might add:
“Thank you for choosing ______. It really is a special place. Just to let you know, our restaurant fills up well in advance and if you would like to dine with us at seven thirty in the future please call ___ weeks out and we’ll be sure to get you the time you request.”
“Are you celebrating a special occasion? Thank you for choosing _____ for your event. We’ll do our best to make it memorable. “
“If you dine early I can suggest some great music nearby to enjoy after dinner.”
“Let me take your name and number just in case. I will call you if there is a cancellation.”
“If you arrive before 8, I suggest you have a drink in our bar. We’ll get your table as soon as we can.”
“Hostess, it would be good for you to recognize that what you do is important. If you do your job well, you will impact the business and enhance your own self-esteem and enjoyment by knowing that your work is valuable. Your behavior made me choose another restaurant. You are making a memory, not a reservation.”
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