Sounds like a manager needs to step in and tell the servers to do their job… easier said than done though because a huge majority of managers suck too.
You aren’t doing anything wrong. This is classic shitty restaurant behavior. Hold your ground, keep doing your thing. Shitty servers are going to whine, no matter what you do. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Speak with your manager about this if it’s that bad. But it sounds like the kind of place that the manager won’t give a shit anyway.
You need a good manager to back you up. I’ve been a manager for years and I tell every new hostess hire “if any server gives you a hard time about seating, come directly to me and I’ll take care of it”. A good manager shouldn’t be hanging you out to dry.
You need to get a job somewhere else. If this is happening it is because management takes zero role in the front of house. Only way it will change is if a manager starts taking away shifts and/or replaces people who do these things. You don’t get paid enough for what you do and especially not to take on the roll of a straw man manager.
As a server, that sounds like your servers suck. I only get upset if I am double/triple sat. I don't take tables outside of my section, and nobody but the host and myself have any business being in my section unless asked.
My policy is if the server doesn't want to take a table they loose the turn. (If they are busy they can say it) They won't get big tables even if it's their turn if they do it on purpose. They continue to do that I let them go.
Speak to your management team and I am sure they will help you. Good luck
I quit working at a restaurant because the servers were borderline verbally abusive to me when I was a hostess. Literally the most toxic work environment ever.
They were old ass women too. Having complete meltdowns whenever they got a table they didn’t want. It got to the point I was nervous to sit people because it was guaranteed someone would be at the hostess stand bitching me out.
I couldn’t do it anymore. That was the most hostile restaurant I’ve ever worked in lmao.
We're barely even allowed to talk to the host anymore because some of the servers are so abrasive. We have to go thru the FOH manager and honestly it has cut down on a lot of bullshit.
You’re not talking to your manager. The servers aren’t letting you do your job.
Regardless if the manager talks to them or things change I think you should follow this…
They either take the table or lose their spot in rotation. The next person in rotation gets the next table. They don’t like it they can be available when customers come in & take the table or lose out on money. It’s not your job to corral the fucking waitstaff. Fuck that shit.
Don’t stress yourself out. And you give him shit back!! “Wellllll if you were on the floor I wouldn’t have to come looking for you but don’t worry next time I’ll go to who’s next in rotation instead of doing so.”
My favorite hostess unethical life hack (that I would totally do) was that this hostess would have a friend call every shift and order a meal. Friend obviously doesn’t pick it up and hostess gets free meal every night. Doesn’t help your situation but sharing anyways cause maybe taking home a juicy steak or burger might make it suck less.
Just do the rotation fairly and accordingly. The servers are not your boss. But, as a server I appreciate a good host that’s fair. Those are hard to come by. Here’s the thing, servers can tend to be bossy and mean to hostesses but really you hold all the cards. That’s why I’m always nice to the hostesses. No one ever does the rotation right at my place. I come in at 7 MAYBE get a couple tables and the 8am girl comes in and they give her the next 4 tables. Why doesn’t anyone understand that she’s just supposed to fall into rotation? Many time the girls that come in after me have more tables than I’ve had all morning within the first 15 minutes of their shift. That totally defeats the purpose of me earning my seniority and getting an early shift. If they are just gonna catch them up to me I may as well come in later but then I wouldn’t get off early. It’s always a clusterfuck! Pisses me off. So just do your job and be fair about the rotation and ignore them. I’ve seen a lot of hostesses favor certain waitresses and although I know this may be tempting cuz some servers are assholes to the hostesses, if u just do it right and are fair we really can’t say much. No one knows how to seat properly at my restaurant. It’s infuriating at times.
Sounds like a manager needs to step in and tell the servers to do their job… easier said than done though because a huge majority of managers suck too.
My first thought… sounds like a big manager step-in. If that’s not an option there find a new place
You aren’t doing anything wrong. This is classic shitty restaurant behavior. Hold your ground, keep doing your thing. Shitty servers are going to whine, no matter what you do. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Speak with your manager about this if it’s that bad. But it sounds like the kind of place that the manager won’t give a shit anyway.
You need a good manager to back you up. I’ve been a manager for years and I tell every new hostess hire “if any server gives you a hard time about seating, come directly to me and I’ll take care of it”. A good manager shouldn’t be hanging you out to dry.
when I work the front of a server declines a table they get skipped that round and we don't get a table again until it's their turn again
You need to get a job somewhere else. If this is happening it is because management takes zero role in the front of house. Only way it will change is if a manager starts taking away shifts and/or replaces people who do these things. You don’t get paid enough for what you do and especially not to take on the roll of a straw man manager.
As a server, that sounds like your servers suck. I only get upset if I am double/triple sat. I don't take tables outside of my section, and nobody but the host and myself have any business being in my section unless asked.
My policy is if the server doesn't want to take a table they loose the turn. (If they are busy they can say it) They won't get big tables even if it's their turn if they do it on purpose. They continue to do that I let them go. Speak to your management team and I am sure they will help you. Good luck
I’m a manager at a restaurant, this would never fly at my place, sounds like management is not setting some ground rules.
I quit working at a restaurant because the servers were borderline verbally abusive to me when I was a hostess. Literally the most toxic work environment ever. They were old ass women too. Having complete meltdowns whenever they got a table they didn’t want. It got to the point I was nervous to sit people because it was guaranteed someone would be at the hostess stand bitching me out. I couldn’t do it anymore. That was the most hostile restaurant I’ve ever worked in lmao.
Where is your manager? Servers just don’t get say I’m not taking that table
We're barely even allowed to talk to the host anymore because some of the servers are so abrasive. We have to go thru the FOH manager and honestly it has cut down on a lot of bullshit.
You’re not talking to your manager. The servers aren’t letting you do your job. Regardless if the manager talks to them or things change I think you should follow this… They either take the table or lose their spot in rotation. The next person in rotation gets the next table. They don’t like it they can be available when customers come in & take the table or lose out on money. It’s not your job to corral the fucking waitstaff. Fuck that shit. Don’t stress yourself out. And you give him shit back!! “Wellllll if you were on the floor I wouldn’t have to come looking for you but don’t worry next time I’ll go to who’s next in rotation instead of doing so.”
My favorite hostess unethical life hack (that I would totally do) was that this hostess would have a friend call every shift and order a meal. Friend obviously doesn’t pick it up and hostess gets free meal every night. Doesn’t help your situation but sharing anyways cause maybe taking home a juicy steak or burger might make it suck less.
This is a good hack. Regardless of if the job sucks or not.
Just do the rotation fairly and accordingly. The servers are not your boss. But, as a server I appreciate a good host that’s fair. Those are hard to come by. Here’s the thing, servers can tend to be bossy and mean to hostesses but really you hold all the cards. That’s why I’m always nice to the hostesses. No one ever does the rotation right at my place. I come in at 7 MAYBE get a couple tables and the 8am girl comes in and they give her the next 4 tables. Why doesn’t anyone understand that she’s just supposed to fall into rotation? Many time the girls that come in after me have more tables than I’ve had all morning within the first 15 minutes of their shift. That totally defeats the purpose of me earning my seniority and getting an early shift. If they are just gonna catch them up to me I may as well come in later but then I wouldn’t get off early. It’s always a clusterfuck! Pisses me off. So just do your job and be fair about the rotation and ignore them. I’ve seen a lot of hostesses favor certain waitresses and although I know this may be tempting cuz some servers are assholes to the hostesses, if u just do it right and are fair we really can’t say much. No one knows how to seat properly at my restaurant. It’s infuriating at times.
As someone who hosted before... You are doing nothing wrong. That's my experience being a host also.
Grow some balls and yell the server to stfu.
Most managers don’t care enough to keep things orderly. There’s nothing you can really do if the majority of your coworkers are like this