Five checkpoints that need a named owner before service starts
A look at how restaurants can assign - not just list - checks for groups, allergies, table requests and delays in the final 20 minutes before service, ending with a verbal confirmation that closes any gaps.
Why a general checklist isn't enough
Most restaurants already have an opening routine covering lighting, music and till reconciliation. The trouble is that this routine rarely specifies who has actually laid eyes on today's booking list. When ownership is unclear, several people end up assuming 'someone else' has checked group sizes and allergies, and in reality nobody has.
The final 20 minutes is also when information from throughout the day converges: morning bookings, changes phoned in at midday, and notes the kitchen has added during its own prep. A short, targeted review catches discrepancies between these sources before guests do it for you.
Groups and table requests: the host's responsibility
The host should review today's group bookings as a separate list, not simply skim them within the general overview. A party of ten seated together often requires two or three tables to be pushed together in advance, with chairs physically counted - not just assumed from the floor plan.
Table requests from earlier contact - a window seat, a quiet corner, proximity to the exit - should be confirmed against actual table status right before opening, since a table may have been used for something else earlier in the day. If a request can't be met, it's better to know now than to improvise once the guest is already standing at the door.
Allergies and delays: two different types of risk
Allergy information should be cross-checked against the kitchen's own list, not just the booking system. If a guest has noted a nut allergy when booking, the kitchen must have seen this before service begins, not only when the order comes in under pressure. The person confirming this should be a named individual on the kitchen team, not 'the kitchen' as a collective.
Delays represent a different kind of risk, since they aren't known until they happen. How long a table should be held without further word is something each restaurant must decide for itself, based on its own capacity and waiting times at the host stand. Whatever threshold is chosen, it should be noted visibly by the floor plan so the whole team shares the same limit and reacts consistently when a guest is late.
Assigning ownership is the checkpoint itself
The final item on the list shouldn't be a task in itself, but a confirmation that the four preceding ones have been carried out by named individuals. A brief verbal round - the host says 'groups and table requests are set', the kitchen says 'allergies have been reviewed', the shift leader says 'the delay threshold is set' - closes any gaps before the doors open, without requiring a separate meeting or form.
A dashboard that brings bookings, guests and the floor plan together in one place makes this round quicker to carry out, since no one has to search through several systems to confirm status. In TableBooking, each table can also have a reference photo, so whoever is setting a table can quickly find the right spot without having to ask a colleague.
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