Restaurant reservation phone script for the host stand
Every restaurant reservation call needs six answers: the date, the time, how many guests, a name, a phone number and any special requests. Get those in under a minute, read them back, and you've got a table that shows up. The script below is written for a host who's also seating a walk-in, with lines for large parties, allergies, a fully booked Friday and the guest who's running late.
Pick up at the host stand
Good evening, Juniper Table, this is Nico. Are you calling to book a table?
Most calls to a restaurant are reservations or hours. Ask about a table first, and the rest of the call gets shorter.
Thanks for calling Juniper Table. You're speaking with our AI assistant. I can book a table, change a booking or tell you our hours.
How can I help tonight?
Three things it can do, said up front. Guests who want the menu or directions ask for them straight away.
I've got a table arriving right now. Can I put you on hold for thirty seconds, or would you rather I call you straight back?
Give the guest the choice and a real number of seconds. An open-ended hold at seven o'clock is when callers hang up.
Date, time and party size
Lovely. What day were you thinking, and for how many people?
We have seven-fifteen or eight-thirty on Friday for four. Which suits you?
Ask day and party size together, then offer two real times. Asking 'what time?' invites a slot you don't have.
Is anyone in the party celebrating, or is there anything we should know, like allergies or a high chair?
One open question catches birthdays, strollers, wheelchairs and nut allergies. The kitchen would much rather hear about a shellfish allergy on Tuesday than at the table.
For a party of ten, we'd seat you at our long table in the back room.
Large groups order from a set menu. I'll have our manager call you tomorrow with the options.
Big tables change the night for the kitchen and the floor. Take the details, then hand the menu and deposit talk to whoever owns it.
Confirm and set the hold time
So that's Friday the fourteenth at seven-fifteen, a table for four, under Alvarez, on 555-0162, with one nut allergy. Have I got that right?
Day, time, party size, name, number, requests. The read-back is where 'Friday' turns out to mean 'Saturday'.
We'll hold the table for fifteen minutes. If you're running late, just give us a call and we'll do our best.
State the hold time once, warmly, with a way out. Guests who know the rule call ahead instead of arriving to an empty spot.
Full nights, changes and other calls
Friday at eight is full, I'm afraid. I can do six-thirty or nine-fifteen, or a seat at the bar at eight.
I can also add you to our waitlist in case a table opens up.
Earlier, later or the bar, then the waitlist. A guest offered three ways in rarely books somewhere else.
Of course. Would you like to move it to another night, or cancel for now?
Thanks for letting us know. That table goes straight to someone on the waitlist.
Thank the guest for the call. A cancellation with notice is a table you can still fill tonight.
For takeout, let me put you through to the kitchen line. They'll take your order there.
Keep the reservation line for reservations. A quick transfer is better than a host writing an order on the back of a menu.
We do host private dinners in the back room for up to twenty-four guests.
Can I take your name, number and the date you have in mind? Our events manager will call you tomorrow.
Event calls are the most valuable calls you'll get all week. Capture the date and a number, and pass it to one named person.
Why this reservation script fills the book
It asks for the day and party size in one breath, then offers times you actually have. Guests choose between two real slots instead of naming one you'll have to refuse. That keeps most reservation calls under a minute, which matters when the host is also greeting the door.
Special requests get one open question, not a checklist. You hear about the anniversary and the allergy at the same time, and the kitchen gets the note before service.
No call ends on 'we're full'. Your guest hears an earlier table, a later one, the bar and the waitlist. Every one of those is still a cover for tonight.
Fitting the script to your restaurant
Set your own hold time. Fifteen minutes is common, but a tasting-menu room may hold ten and a neighborhood spot may hold twenty. Say the number you'll actually keep to.
Change the large-party threshold to fit your floor. If your biggest table seats eight, a party of seven is already the long table. Write the number beside the phone.
Brunch places can swap the special-requests line for 'Will you need a high chair or a stroller spot?'. Wine bars can drop it for 'inside or on the patio?'.
If you take deposits for large groups, keep that conversation with your manager. The phone script only needs to say someone will call with the details.
Telling guests an assistant is answering
How GreetKeeper takes your reservation calls
GreetKeeper picks up while your host is seating the door. Calls that arrive together during the dinner rush are answered at the same time, so nobody listens to a ringing phone at seven o'clock. It answers the questions you train it on, like hours, parking, gluten-free dishes and whether you take walk-ins.
It takes the date, time, party size and special requests, and books the table into your calendar. Before it books, GreetKeeper reads the name, number and time back to your guest. After the call, the guest gets one text with the booking confirmation, and a reply with the opt-out word stops further texts.
For a party of twelve or a private dinner, GreetKeeper texts the on-call manager with the caller's details. A guest who asks for a person is transferred to the host stand. Set closure dates for holidays and buyouts, and GreetKeeper answers as closed on those days. Robocalls are dropped before the greeting plays and don't count toward your plan.
Every call reaches you as a transcript and a short summary. Plans start at $49 a month for 200 answered calls. Run more than one restaurant? Each number gets its own hours, greeting and calendar, and the Multi-location plan starts from $299 a location. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, with every feature on and no card.
Questions people ask about these greetings
What should a host say when answering the phone at a restaurant?
The restaurant's name, their own name and a question about a table: 'Good evening, Juniper Table, this is Nico. Are you calling to book a table?' It's short enough to say while seating guests, and it moves most callers straight to a date.
What information do you need to take a restaurant reservation?
Six details: the date, the time, the number of guests, a name, a phone number and any special requests such as allergies or a celebration. Read all six back before you hang up.
How long should a restaurant hold a reserved table?
Fifteen minutes is the most common hold, and many restaurants use ten to twenty. Pick one number, tell every guest when they book, and ask late guests to call ahead.
Can an AI receptionist take restaurant reservations?
Yes. GreetKeeper takes the date, time, party size and requests, and books the table into your calendar on every plan from $49 a month. It reads the booking back, and the guest gets a text confirmation after the call.
Hear it book a table for four
Your restaurant name, your hours, a guest asking for Friday at eight. Two minutes.