Lead Hostess

Groot Hospitality employs team members who demonstrate a passion for hospitality and dedication to company values and customer service. We are a diverse organization that provides the opportunity to excel in a fast paced multicultural environment. We are always looking for passionate people who will embrace our belief of hospitality, company growth and customer experience. Our commitment to diversity, teamwork, and integrity are indicative of the service we provide to our guests. We offer career opportunities with work/life balances, as well as a rewarding career experience.

As a Lead Host, you help set the standards by which our restaurant is judged in your personal appearance, your disposition, and your attitude towards the guest. You are always in full view of the guest. You only get one opportunity to make a first impression.

Good communication skills are a must. Your working relationship with the entire staff is vital to the operation of the restaurant. You must be able to anticipate guest needs, as well as communicate those needs to your service staff. Many times, you will be asked to take care of the problem yourself.

A good Lead Host needs to have a positive attitude at all times and be able to maintain that attitude in any situation. You are responsible for maximizing cover counts, controlling a steady flow of seating while keeping dining rooms and kitchen at a steady pace. Our goal is to be busy. When our restaurant is busy, we all make money. Being busy is not an excuse to not be friendly or forgetting to smile and acknowledge the guests.

Due to the nature of our business, this position is required to work weekends and holidays.

The day-to-day responsibilities include but are not limited to:

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Attends all restaurant required meetings and trainings.
• Maintain regular attendance in compliance with Groot hospitality standards.
• Full time availability with flexibility to work a variable schedule, including evenings, holidays and weekends.
• Maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming, which includes wearing the proper uniform.
• Follow food safety and sanitary guidelines issued by the Health Department.
• Complete assigned side-work in allocated timeframe.
• Responsible for host team schedule following pars provided by Department Manager.
• Train and oversees new hire development.
• Has complete knowledge of the floor plan, table #’s and stations.
• Oversees our reservation book.
• Great at managing the flow of our busy door with confident warmth.
• Needs to have strong food and beverage menu knowledge.
• Updates Host manuals to reflect changes on protocols and policies.
• Plots the book to maximize seating.
• Goes over all reservations notes prior to shift and discuss with Management.
• Communicate VIP’s and flow during pre- shift.
• Greets guests promptly as they enter the restaurant, making a positive first impression.
• Greets guests warmly with a smile, making eye contact.
• Knows and acknowledges all VIP’s by name.
• Promotes the company’s elevated level of service standards by exhibiting friendliness, knowledge of the restaurant and attentiveness to the guests’ needs.
• Answers phones, keeps accurate count of waitlist and reservations.
• Collects and stores menus. Maintains the cleanliness and preventability of the menus.
• Ensures that all menus are current according to the most recent changes. Replaces all menus in poor condition after making sure that replacements are available.
• Monitors which tables are in use, available, and about to turnover. Is immediately aware when tables are reset and ready for guests. Checks for completeness of table settings.
• Keeps an accurate count of guests providing the kitchen and management with updates regularly.
• Frequently checks back with guests who are waiting in the bar area to be seated. Makes it evident to guests that they have not been forgotten and that tables are being prepared for them.
• When a guest is leaving, always thanks them and use their name when able to.

The requirements for this position include but are not limited to:

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a fast - paced high end environment
• Opentable or similar platform knowledge
• Fluent in English
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to multi-task
• Attention to detail, cleanliness and safety
• Patience and customer-oriented approach
• Excellent people skills with a friendly attitude
• Responsible and trustworthy

Physical Requirements:

• Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
• Ability to be mobile for a minimum of 6 hours.

Teamwork is the cornerstone of our company philosophy. You are expected to work with other lead hosts as a team. You are also expected to work with other servers, runners, hosts, server assistant, managers and all of your colleagues. During service here are some things that you can do, to help promote that teamwork.

• Communicate, with respect, to your team any pertinent information that you feel may effect the guest experience
• Communicate with management if there are any issues that you see that could effect the guests experience
• If you see that something is not in the correct place, fix it
• Basically do what needs to be done without being asked

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees. Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.