WHAT YOU WILL DO
As Restaurant Hostess, you will:
- Welcome every arriving guest warmly and create an immediate sense of arrival.
- Recognise and greet returning guests by name whenever possible.
- Learn guest preferences and use that information to create more personalised experiences.
- Give guests a genuine and warm farewell when they leave.
- Manage restaurant reservations accurately and professionally.
- Handle walk in guests confidently while balancing reservations and available capacity.
- Manage waiting lists and provide realistic wait times rather than leaving guests uncertain.
- Keep waiting guests informed and comfortable.
- Seat guests intelligently according to reservations, floor plans, server rotations, table availability and guest preferences.
- Maintain balanced table allocation so that one service section is not overloaded while another remains underutilised.
- Monitor the restaurant floor and anticipate which tables are approaching completion.
- Communicate continuously with servers, supervisors and managers regarding seating, availability and service flow.
- Coordinate VIP arrivals, celebrations, large parties and special requests.
- Take telephone reservations and respond professionally to restaurant enquiries.
- Maintain accurate reservation information, including guest names, contact details, preferences and special occasions where appropriate.
- Understand our restaurants, menus, current promotions and experiences well enough to confidently guide guests.
- Have a basic understanding of common dietary requirements and know when to involve the service or culinary team.
- Gather guest feedback before departure rather than waiting for dissatisfaction to appear online.
- Identify unhappy guests early and immediately involve the appropriate manager where necessary.
- Keep the host station organised, clean and ready throughout service.
- Ensure menus and guest facing materials are clean, current and correctly presented.
- Maintain The Social House's personal presentation and grooming standards.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
You should bring:
- A Diploma in Hotel Management or Certificate/Diploma in Food & Beverage Service from a recognised hospitality or tourism institution.
- A relevant degree will be an added advantage.
- Previous experience as a Restaurant Hostess, Host, Restaurant Receptionist or similar guest facing hospitality professional.
- Experience within a 4 or 5 star hotel, premium restaurant, lifestyle hotel or high volume quality dining environment is strongly preferred.
- Excellent spoken communication and confidence engaging guests face to face and over the telephone.
- A polished and professional personal presentation.
- A naturally warm, outgoing and expressive personality.
- Strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail.
- The ability to remember faces, names and guest preferences.
- Confidence managing reservations, walk ins, waiting lists and busy restaurant periods.
- Ability to make quick decisions while remaining composed under pressure.
- Strong teamwork and communication skills.
- Hands on experience with POS terminals, digital reservation platforms or table management systems.
- Genuine interest in food, restaurants, people and hospitality.
- Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and public holidays according to the operational rota.
