Host, Seating & Reservations: the full procedure
Greet, seat to balance the floor, and run reservations and the waitlist so service flows and sections stay even.
- Applies to: Host / host team.
- Frequency: Every service.
- Scope: Covers greeting, seating rotation, reservations, and waitlist. Table service steps belong to servers.
What you need
- Reservation / waitlist system
- Floor plan with table status
The procedure, step by step
- Greet to standard — Greet every guest promptly and warmly with the standard greeting; confirm party size and reservation or add to the waitlist.
- Seat on rotation — Seat new parties across server sections in a set “next up” order rather than clustering, accounting for party size and each server’s current load.
- Keep table status live — Track every table’s status (sat → drinking → eating → cleared → bussed) so you always know what’s truly open.
- Manage reservations — Hold reservation tables, watch the book for upcoming arrivals, and pace seating so the kitchen isn’t slammed all at once.
- Run the waitlist — Quote realistic waits using party-size dwell times (a 2-top turns faster than a 6-top), use SMS/virtual waitlist where available, and seat the moment a table is bussed.
- Overflow protocol — Once waits pass your set threshold, follow the overflow plan (manage expectations, offer bar seating, pre-bus for micro-turns).
Quality check before you finish
- Standard greeting used; party/reservation confirmed.
- Seating rotated to balance sections.
- Table status kept current.
- Reservations held and paced.
- Realistic waits quoted; bussed tables seated fast.
- Overflow protocol followed when busy.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Restaurant business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- SevenRooms — Walk-in & Waitlist Guide (sevenrooms.com)
- Toast — Host Stand Guide (greeting, rotation, turns) (pos.toasttab.com)
About Free Host & Seating SOP
Free printable host SOP: greeting standard, seating rotation across servers, reservation and waitlist management, and table-turn tracking for smoother, balanced service.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
How should a host rotate seating?
Seat to balance the floor: rotate new parties across server sections in a set "next up" order rather than clustering them, account for party size and current table load, and keep the floor plan/table status accurate (sat → drinking → eating → cleared → bussed) so you always know what is open.
How do you manage a waitlist at the door?
Quote realistic waits using party-size dwell times (a 2-top turns faster than a 6-top), use a virtual waitlist with SMS notify where possible, keep the floor status current so you seat the moment a table is bussed, and have an overflow protocol once waits pass a set threshold.
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