Hostess at The Social House

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.