First of all, always keep the reservations, that's why they made them. In the first case, seat the table of 6 at an appropriate table, then seat the 4 at a 4-top. Go in order of when they walked in if they're walk-ins.







The second is trickier. If the family insists on sitting up front, well, the customer is always right. Talk that over with you manager and do as told.







As far as the last one, always keep the reservation. A 2-top takes about 45 minutes, more people the longer they take. An 8-top could take 3 hours. So make sure that 8-top stays open, put a reservation sign on it and people will understand. They'll understand that this restaurant actually honors reservations.

I'm the only (new) hostess and I was overwhelmed. big game tomorow, gonna be SO busy, im so scared.

If there is a wait list, say a group of 6 come in first, then a group of 4, and a table for 4 clears up, i seat the group of 4 first dont i?

Also, there is a family section in the back where i'm supposed to seat families with little kids. My boss gets annoyed when a family wants to sit up front. Just because theres empty tables doesnt mean they can sit there. is it rude to tell them we have a family section?

Lastly, if there is a reservation for say 8 pm, a party of 8, and we get hit with a rush at like 6:30 - 7, am I supposed to keep the part of 8 open, because the restaurant is fairly small and if there is a huge wait, i feel bad..