Reservations & Policies

Taking a Reservation

1. Welcome and Name

   Answer with the venue's name and your own, and ask for the guest's name early so you can use it.

2. Date, Time and Guests

   Confirm the day as well as the date, the time and the number of guests, including children.

3. The Occasion

   Ask whether they are celebrating anything, and whether they have a seating preference. Note requests without promising specific tables.

4. Allergies and Dietary Needs

   Ask at every booking and write it in the reservation, so the kitchen knows before the guest arrives.

5. Policies, Once and Clearly

   Mention anything that applies to this booking: a deposit or card guarantee, a table time, a minimum spend, a dress code.

6. Read It Back

   Repeat the full booking and confirm the contact number. Most problems at the door start with a detail nobody checked on the phone.

   So that's Friday the fourteenth at eight, a table for six under Ms Haddad, with one shellfish allergy and a birthday. Is that all correct?

Confirming

Confirm in writing straight away, with the date, time, guests and any policy that applies. Reconfirm a day or two before by message or call, and update the booking with anything new. A reconfirmation is also the right moment for a gentle reminder of a deposit or minimum spend.

Deposits and Card Guarantees

Explain what the card is for, when it would be charged, and when it would not. Keep the tone matter-of-fact: it protects the table for them.

• Use only your venue's secure payment link or system.
• Never take card numbers on paper, by message or by email, and never read them aloud.
• Refer any request for a refund or waiver to the manager.

Minimum Spend

A minimum spend is an amount a table or guest commits to on food and drink. If the bill is lower, the difference is charged. It usually applies to premium tables, terraces, private rooms, busy nights and events.

• Know what counts. Food, drinks, and whether service charge or taxes count, differ by venue.
• Say it three times, gently. At booking, in the confirmation, and at seating. Never for the first time with the bill.
• Before the bill, not with it. If a table is well below the minimum near the end, tell the host discreetly and let them choose.

The terrace carries a minimum spend per table, and everything you eat and drink counts towards it. Most tables reach it easily; I just like to mention it so there are no surprises.

Late Arrivals, Cancellations and No-Shows

Many venues hold a table for around fifteen minutes; know your own grace period and say it at booking for busy nights. When guests are late, call them before releasing the table. When they arrive, welcome them warmly first and solve the timing second. For late cancellations, thank the guest for calling, explain the policy as it was stated at booking, and offer to rebook.

Table Times and Sittings

If the table is needed again, say so at booking, with the exact time, and offer a later slot if they would like a longer evening. Remind the server at seating so the meal can be paced without rushing the guest at the end.

Waitlist and Walk-Ins

Never turn a walk-in away as the first sentence. Offer what exists: the bar, a later time, a call when a table opens, another evening. Keep the waitlist honest and in order, and call guests the moment a table is ready.

Dress Code and House Policies

State dress codes, age policies and any special-event rules at booking and in the confirmation, so they are never a surprise at the door. If you must raise one on arrival, do it privately and kindly, and ask the manager when it is a judgement call.

Privacy

Never confirm who is dining, who has booked, or when, to anyone. Keep the reservation screen out of view, check a second detail when two bookings share a name, and never read a guest's details aloud at the stand.

Practise all of this with Guest Scenarios.