Welcoming and Greeting Guests in a Restaurant: A How to Guide

The statistics show that after just one negative experience at a restaurant, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again. Just imagine choosing to dine at a fine dining restaurant and no one greets you or walks to your table, how would you feel about that experience?

That’s why when guests choose to dine at your restaurant the welcome is important. The way they receive this welcome will set the tone for the rest of the dining experience. Your host needs to make guests feel welcome in their initial interaction, and it needs to continue throughout the whole experience. The reputation of your venue could depend on it.

We’ve put together some tips to make sure you, and your staff, are welcoming and greeting guests in your restaurant in the best way possible. 

Tips on your approach to guest greetings

Show a genuine interest

The host charged with greeting guests should always do so with a warm and welcoming attitude. Since this is the initial rapport with your customers, it’s crucial that it is done so in a genuine and polite manner.  

Establish a standard type of greeting that your restaurant hosts can use, and make sure that they are asking about your customers’ needs, while expressing a real concern for any special requests.  

Hosts need to make guests feel comfortable, and also offer extra assistance to any disabled or elderly guests, like seating them closer to the doorways. And always remember to smile. 

Personalisation strategies

When you return to an establishment and they remember your name, doesn’t it just make you feel at home? Finding ways to tailor your approach to your guests can really make a difference. 78% of consumers say personalisation makes them more likely to repurchase from a business. So finding ways to personalise with new guests, if you can read into their preferences, makes them much more likely to return.

• Use guests’ names, once you know them (try hard to remember!)

• Acknowledge returning diners

• Reference special occasions or any requests noted in their booking

• Adapt your tone. Be professional for business diners, relaxed for casual visits (younger diners tend to prefer informal atmospheres; older diners prefer formal)

• Offer appropriate assistance without being intrusive

Personalising the service you offer shows guests that you pay enough attention and care enough to make the effort just for them. It’s one of the best steps you can take in your customer interactions.

Keep calm and positive 

The hospitality industry can be tough, but it’s important to remember that no matter what happens, hosts need to keep calm and be positive. A positive attitude will help improve even the worst situation.  

Providing the best experience possible for guests is the most important factor. So, if the guest has a complaint about food or some other issue, handling it with a calm and positive attitude can make all the difference to the customer service experience.  

Act with kindness even when busy

One of the hardest elements to manage is responding promptly during busy times. Hosts and servers will be juggling many different tasks during busy periods. However, these are the times when it is most important to greet and respond to guests promptly.  

Even though it’s hard to provide the same level of service compared to quiet times, it’s important to still take the time to greet and serve customers to that same standard.  

When restaurants are busy, it’s also possible that customers have been a little neglected by servers. So if they flag you down, always acknowledge and respond with kindness and understanding. 

Provide accurate wait times

To avoid impacting the customer's dining experience, it is important that the host provides true and accurate wait times. Most guests will be more accepting of a wait at a restaurant if they are pre-advised with an accurate forecast. 

Although honesty with wait times can lead to a higher chance of guest abandonment, customers will certainly appreciate the information.  

Lead guests to their table

When seating the guests, it’s important for the host to maintain eye contact, and continue smiling with the same friendly manner. To avoid any confusion, have the host lead the way to the table and be careful not to walk too fast.  

Additionally, when you reach the table, check with the guests that this area is right for them, giving them the opportunity to confirm their expectations. 

Strategically seat guests 

To reduce frustration and wait times, pre-plan the seating arrangements ahead of time. This preparation will ensure that your guest’s reservations are all honoured correctly and allow for better management of walk ins at your restaurant.  

Common sense is usually the best tool to help determine where to seat guests. Tables will need to be allocated according to the party size or the number of guests and the host will need to be strategic in placement of the tables.  

Couples may prefer a corner or niche area to enjoy a more romantic experience; and larger, noisier parties would be better suited to private dining spaces or in the back to avoid other guests feeling discomfort. Some guests may request certain seating areas, and if the situation permits, it is always best to try to accommodate such requests. In fact, 65% of diners say that having their seating preferences satisfied makes them more likely to return. 

Provide menus 

It’s also best practice to provide guests with the drinks and food menus when seating them.  This gives the customers time to look at the menu while waiting for the server to arrive and complete orders.  

As an additional bonus, have your hosts take initial drinks orders, or at least bring water to the table for those thirsty diners. This can make customers feel extremely welcome and comfortable.  

Non-verbal communication

Often, how your team acts and appears can have as big an impact on the impression they give as the words they say. Positive non-verbal communication helps guests feel comfortable and valued, and plays a key role in that first impression. So it’s worth encouraging your team to:

• Maintain friendly, relaxed eye contact, but avoid staring!

• Carry a good posture without being stiff

• Avoid crossed arms or rushed, distracted, or fidgety movements

• Nod to indicate your understanding when listening

• Keep phones and distractions out of sight to keep attention on the guest

They say that 80-90% of communication is non-verbal. Well, the body language of your team should communicate warmth and approachability whenever possible. Calmness and openness expresses both control and care, so your guests know that even when things get busy, or start to go wrong, they can come to your team with problems and those problems will be taken care of professionally.

How long should greeting a guest take?

A great greeting should be both warm and efficient and should definitely feel unhurried, lasting around 20 to 40 seconds. But this could be longer or shorter, based on the context. The ideal timing depends on:

• Guest needs and questions

• Reservation complexity

• The presence and length of a queue

• Staffing levels

• Venue style (fine dining vs casual)

The key here is balance. Too brief a greeting could feel dismissive; too long can delay service for others and try the guest’s patience. Train your staff to read the situation, stay flexible and prioritise both the guest experience and their own time management.

After seating the guests

Once the guests are seated, implement the above tips. Provide the guests with the menus and offer to take a drinks order.  

Before the host leaves, ask if there is anything else they need and wish the guests a pleasant evening. At this point a service staff member will take over and complete the next steps.

Examples of what to say when greeting guests

Training every team member to greet guests confidently ensures a consistent and welcoming experience, no matter when or why a guest comes in. Here are some examples of what to say and what not to say in common scenarios:

Regular new customer greeting

Good:
“Good evening! Welcome to XYZ. Is this your first time dining with us? Do you have a reservation today?”
Bad:
“Hi! Table for how many?”

Why this works:
The good example feels warm, friendly and unhurried. It acknowledges the guest first before moving into logistics. Meanwhile, the bad version sounds hurried, transactional, and informal.

Late arrival

Good:
“Thank you for coming in today! We’re so glad you made it! I can see your booking here. There may be a short delay seating you, but we’ll do our best to settle you in nice and quickly.”
Bad:
“You’re late, so your table might be gone. Just hang on for a few minutes and I’ll see what I can do.”

Why this works:
The good example balances empathy with honesty. You’re still glad the guests have arrived, even if they’re late, but you may also need to find space to fit them in. The bad one places blame on the guest, which starts the experience negatively and suggests you resent them for their lateness.

Arrivals during peak times

Good:
“Hello! Thanks so much for your patience. We are very busy this evening. The wait time is around 20 minutes. Can I take your name and preferences while you wait?”
Bad:
“Hi. Sorry. We’re super busy! You’ll have to wait. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”

Why this works:
Clear, open communication creates trust and confidence with the guest. On the other hand, even though the bad communication is honest, it’s lost that professionalism, and makes the guest feel like they’re a burden.

A guest entering to complain

Good:
“Thank you for letting us know. I’m sorry you’ve had this experience. Let’s talk through what happened so I can help resolve it.”
Bad:
“I’m happy to talk to you about this, but I don’t think that’s really our fault.”

Why this works:
The good approach is clear, cooperative, and takes responsibility for resolving the complaint, maintaining control of the situation. The bad response creates a divide between the restaurant and the customer, talking about blame, and doesn’t present a way forward to the customer.

CRM and POS systems at the door

When you enter a restaurant and see not only a staff member at the door, but also a tablet, how do you feel? Confident? Reassured? Excited? Restaurant technology helps create a smooth customer experience, and it’s not just restaurant managers that believe this; studies show that 73% of diners agree restaurant technology improves their experience by reducing friction and enhancing service quality.

With a POS system and CRM setup at the door, linking guests with their booking and placing them at a table takes seconds. Hosts can access reservation details, and if relevant, even find out their preferences and dietary requirements. This can reduce wait times and keep queues short, but it also makes a restaurant more adaptable. If guests need (or want) a different table, they can be switched over digitally. Plus, if any notes need adding to the tab, this can happen straight away, without any hassle.

POS systems like Epos Now are built to help restaurants keep service smooth. They don’t just integrate with CRM systems like SimpleERB, they also link with technology like KDS, which sends orders straight to the kitchen (“Bread and olives to start?”), and CallerID, which can help restaurants offer more personal service, especially to regulars, by recognising who’s calling and linking the call with a customer account!

Handling special guest situations

Phone greeting

It could be that a guests phone call to you is your first interaction with them. After all, 63% of customers still prefer phone as a primary method of contact with a restaurant. A professional phone call sets the tone before guests they even arrive on site, and sets their expectations. Priorities include warmth, clarity and efficiency.

Take care to:

• Answer promptly and introduce the restaurant and yourself

• Speak clearly and politely

• Use caller ID (if you have it) only to verify booking details when appropriate

• Confirm special requirements, requests, or allergies carefully

Avoid:

• Sounding rushed or distracted

• Becoming excessively formal or informal

• Leaving guests on hold without explanation

Disabled guests

Accessibility and dignity must always come first with disabled guests. Staff should focus on comfort and practical support, without changing anything else about the service you offer. 45% of disabled diners find their choice limited by accessibility issues, so if your restaurant is part of that, listening to what your disabled guests are saying could help you accomodate them and win their custom.

Take care to:

• Ask how you can help rather than assuming

• Offer accessible seating and pathways

• Speak directly to the guest, not companions

Avoid:

• Drawing unnecessary attention

• Touching mobility aids without permission

• Over-assisting when it isn’t needed

Late arrivals

Sometimes, people are late. It happens to everyone, so it’s important to be understanding and fair to the late guest and any other guests:

Take care to:

• Acknowledge the guest warmly

• Explain any impact on seating time or table availability

• Offer realistic alternatives where possible

Avoid:

• Showing frustration

• Making the guest feel unwelcome

• Overpromising when delays are unavoidable

When you’re busy

During peak times, your priority is calm efficiency and clear communication so guests still feel valued, even if you can’t offer them as much of your time as you usually would.

Take care to:

• Greet every guest soon after their arrival, even if it’s only brief

• Give honest wait times

• Remain positive and composed

Avoid:

• Ignoring guests while multitasking

• Rushing interactions to the point of rudeness

• Overcrowding areas without guidance

Complaints

Complaints must be handled respectfully and carefully. This is a key moment in any customer journey. Listening and resolution are the priorities and should be at the forefront of your mind.

Take care to:

• Stay calm and empathetic

• Acknowledge the issue and apologise sincerely

• Offer appropriate solutions or escalate when needed
  

Avoid:

• Becoming defensive

• Blaming other staff

• Minimising the guest’s experience or their frustrations

Training your staff to greet professionally

Training your staff to greet guests effectively is a crucial part of any customer service training, and as we know, exceptional customer service and friendly staff significantly influence where people choose to dine. 70% of customers say friendly and welcoming staff greatly influences their dining decision and 80% linking overall satisfaction directly to staff friendliness. Additionally, 63% of diners feel valued when staff remember their preferences, underlining the importance of your team paying attention in customer interactions, and of your paying attention to your team.

• Plan out your customer journey. Make sure staff know the journey a customer takes through your business, and train them for each step, starting with when a guest walks through the door!

• Run role-playing sessions. Practice handling walk-ins, reservations, and special requests so no situation is ever fully new to them.

• Workshop empathy and listening skills. Train staff to respond considerately to a diverse range of guest needs.

• Shadowing and mentoring. Pair new hires with experienced team members who will show them strong customer service skills.

A goodbye to ready yourself for the next greeting

Whether someone’s returned to your business to make a complaint, or because they had a five* experience last time, it’s always beneficial to be polite and courteous (in life as it is in business!). Proper training of all staff members on correct greeting practices ensures there are no gaps in service and help you better maintain the level of service your business should always be striving for!