The First Two Minutes Standard
Five steps from the restaurant door to the first drink. The guest decides how the evening will go before reading a single line of the menu.
- Who
- Host, head waiter and the section server
- When
- Every guest, from the door until the first drink is offered
- You need
- Tonight’s bookings with notes, the table plan, menus at the stand
- Measured by
- Acknowledged within 30 seconds of entering
- Seated at a laid table within 1 minute
- Menus and water on the table in 2 minutes
5 steps
01
Acknowledge
Within 30 seconds of a guest stepping in, someone makes eye contact and speaks, even if the host is on the phone or seating another table. A nod and one sentence hold the guest until you are free.
Say this
“Good evening. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”
Common mistake Finishing the phone booking first. The guest at the door is counting the seconds; the caller can hold for ten.
02
Greet by name
Read the booking list before the guest reaches the stand, so the name comes first and the question second. Confirm the party size, take coats, and note any occasion or request already on the booking.
Say this
“Good evening, Mrs Laurent. A table for four at eight. Welcome back.”
Common mistake “Do you have a reservation?” as the first words, to a guest who booked, confirmed and arrived on time.
03
Seat
Walk the guests to the table at their pace, one step ahead, and pull the chair for each guest who wants it. The table is fully laid and checked before they arrive, never finished while they watch.
Say this
“Here is your table, by the window as you asked. Please, take your time.”
Common mistake Pointing to the table from the stand. The guest crosses the room alone, past six tables, looking for the right one.
04
Menus and a name
Within the first minute at the table, offer to open each napkin and present the menus open at the first page, guests first and the host last. Then name the server who will look after the table tonight.
Say this
“Ms Rossi, this is Marco, who will be looking after you this evening.”
Common mistake Stacking the menus at the edge of the table. Four people pass them round while the server is already gone.
05
First offer
Within two minutes of seating, water is on the table and a first drink is offered. Ask before pouring, and name every choice, the house filtered water included, so nobody pays for water they didn’t pick.
Say this
“Bottled or our filtered water to start? And something to drink while you look at the menu?”
Common mistake Pouring water before anyone is asked. The table has made its first decision without being consulted.
The First 120 Seconds
One table, two minutes, three people. On a busy night, the line that runs over is where your team is short.
Brief one row a day at the line-up. On Friday the head waiter times three arrivals with a phone stopwatch and reads the results at the next briefing, without names.
The Standards Library.
No. 68 · Restaurant
The Allergy Standard
Five steps that carry a guest’s allergy from the booking to the plate. Most mistakes happen in the hand-over between two careful people.
No. 69 · Restaurant
The Pacing Standard
Five steps for timing a meal around the table, not the kitchen. A ten-minute wait that is announced feels shorter than five minutes nobody explains.