When you walk into a restaurant, often all you think about is how to get your food the fastest. With comments like “Well, I see an open table right there” to “Can I get a table for 12 right now?” hostesses negotiate every situation you could think of.

From the point of view of a Taverne in the Sky hostess, these are the three things we would like you to know.

#1. If we tell you we cannot seat you, or that you need to wait, we are not lying or being lazy.

On a busy night, we may have five reservations coming in within the next five minutes and when a walk-in comes to the desk to ask if they can have a table, I may not be able to seat them. Many people become angry or tell me that they see a table to sit at, but what they do not understand is we have specific tables for all of our reservations and those are our priorities.

There may also be an instance where we have a large group or two sitting and our servers are too busy to simply take a table we were not planning on. If you are understanding and give us a few moments to figure out when we can get you in, we would be happy to have you as guests!

#2. When in doubt, always make a reservation.

As I talked about in the last section, it is easier for everyone if you make a reservation, especially at smaller restaurants.  This will eliminate any stress if you have plans after your dinner and can not wait to be seated.

It is as simple as picking up the phone and calling or even using an app to make sure you have a table set and ready for you when you arrive.

#3. If you need anything or have any questions, just ask. We don’t bite.

Many people think that they cannot ask us for help, but, in reality, that is what we are there for. If there is anything that we can do to make your night better or more comfortable, we would be happy to do it.

The only restriction on this statement is please be polite while doing it. If you are rude or condescending, we do not see the point in doing anything extra for you and will be less likely to do it or do what you ask much slower.

In general, just be as kind to anyone who is in the service industry as you would be to your grandmother and you will get the best results.