The pretty faces at the door
"The guest always remembers the host that treated them kindly" - Homer
The first impression I got from the host was hardly what a guest would expect from this purportedly high-caliber restaurant in the newest property portrayed as a ‘dream city’ in Colombo. Unfortunately, this often happens when restaurants claiming to be ‘fine’, position anyone with a half-smile behind the host stand at the entrance. Restaurant owners need to remember they rely on their hosts to represent them when greeting customers. Going beyond that, they need to orchestrate a smooth and rhythmic flow from the door to the dining room floor.
In this instance, and the first contact point in the restaurant, there were three young females as the keepers to the gate – which incidentally, is described on the hotel’s website as “An all day dining experience that brings the world to your palate.”
There was no proper greeting- just a mumbled “Hi” carried out without real interest, feeling or effort. Asked by one of the three Charlie’s angels’ if we had made a booking, (which we had), and upon providing the name under which the table reservation was made, two hostesses ‘heads’ went down in unison to peer into their individual hand-held tabs. After a while, one of the hostesses nudged her co-worker with her elbow, whilst telling us to follow her colleague into the restaurant. All this was done in a perfunctory manner devoid of any upbeat personality.
It was no different when leaving the restaurant. The door was held open by one of the hostesses and that was it! No bidding any farewell. I guess they found it hard to say goodbye. Full marks though for consistency. They saw us off with the same lukewarm enthusiasm with which they greeted us when we arrived.
This trio of hostesses failed to understand that a farewell is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. People often remember the beginning and the end of an experience more vividly than the middle. This phenomenon, known as the "peak-end rule," suggests that the final moments of a guest's experience are critical in determining their overall satisfaction.
Clearly, these hostesses had not assigned themselves specific roles. Meaning - one hostess to greet and allot the tables, whilst the other answers the phone and manages the door, leaving the third person to handle the seating and waitlist.
Going by the axiom that people who are the "face of the company", are supposed to look their best, stationing attractive females as hostesses at the restaurant’s entrance is a common feature nowadays. However, hostesses are most times over-looked in the restaurant industry, and stationing improperly trained employees as hosts / hostesses at the front door is an unforgiveable mistake operators regularly make.
When customers walk through the front door, they place themselves in the host's hands. Consequently, hosts play a vital role in the flow of a restaurant. But to do that requires proper training, guidance and regular monitoring.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier
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