What is the recommended approach to greeting guests during peak hours?

• A. Acknowledge within 1-2 minutes, maintain a friendly tone, and manage expectations.
• B. Ignore guests until they prompt you.
• C. Greet after they have been seated for several minutes.
• D. Greet loudly and demand they order immediately.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is signaling attentiveness and setting expectations even when things are busy. Greeting guests within a brief window—about a minute or two—while keeping a warm, friendly tone shows you’re on top of things and gives you a chance to brief them on what to expect (like seating, menus, and typical wait times). This quick acknowledgment helps guests feel seen and reduces anxiety about the wait, which improves their overall experience during peak hours.

Ignoring guests until they prompt you delays their start to service and leaves a poor first impression. Greeting after they’ve been seated for several minutes suggests you hadn’t noticed them or weren’t prepared to assist. Greeting loudly and demanding they order immediately is jarring and inappropriate, putting pressure on guests and undermining a comfortable dining pace.