Taking a reservation by phone

The phone remains the busiest booking line in most places. The roster is your working screen: it shows at a glance which times still have room.

The order that works fastest

Ask for the party size first, then the time. The size determines which tables qualify, so it tells you immediately whether the requested time is possible at all. The other way round you end up asking twice.

Record the name and a phone number. That number is not admin: it is what you use when you still have an empty table at 19:00.

What to record straight away

Allergies, a high chair, a birthday — record it with the reservation, not in your head. What is on the reservation is seen by the colleague working tonight; what is in your head is not.

Choosing a table, or letting it be chosen

You do not have to assign a table right away. For an ordinary reservation it is easier to leave that to the table plan and move things just before service. Only for a guest with a clear preference — the window, away from the walkway — do you fix it immediately.