The 6 Rudest Things You Can Say And Do To A Restaurant Host

When it comes to restaurant staff, your first thoughts are probably of chefs, servers and bartenders. But there’s one major player that you’re probably forgetting about — the restaurant host. The host is the person you first see when you walk into an eatery, the one who answers your calls and works to solve any last-minute reservation changes.

“I don’t expect people to have an in-depth knowledge of how a restaurant operates — and the host, the maître d’, is kind of like the conductor of a big symphony, and people aren’t privy to that,” said Patrick Murphy, the director of hospitality and partner at Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge, Colorado.

The role of the host is demanding yet oft-overlooked, Murphy added.

“There’s a lot of vectors of information coming your way… there’s a good amount of pressure to make sure that people are getting their tables,” said Murphy. “And, oftentimes, people think that person at the front door is sort of the low man on the totem pole, or someone that can kind of be pushed around… people think that they can kind of bully those people to get their way, and I think that that can be really challenging.”

When it comes to challenging, difficult and downright rude interactions, there are certain situations and phrases that really irk hosts. Below, restaurant hosts and front-of-house staff share the rudest things people do and say to them at a restaurant:

1. Not greeting the host when you walk in.

If you’ve ever skipped over the greeting pleasantries when walking into a restaurant, you’re being pretty rude.

“When someone walks in… [the host says], ‘Hi, good evening, how are you tonight?’ and there’s no reciprocation or response, it’s just, ‘We have a reservation,’” Murphy said.

It’s a simple