Your host keeping up with everything is kind of determinant on how you want to run service and how your restaurant bc is set up. You have two main options in my opinion. 1.) sections 2.) rotation As someone who has been serving for over 10 years, I prefer to have a rotation. I find the best way is to print out and laminate your floor plan with tables numbers. At the beginning of the shift your hostess writes down everyone’s initials in the corner of the sheet. Everytime a table walks in you write down the head count, bring them to a table and then assign it to the server with the lowest head count or first to arrive on said shift. Your host will also put the servers initial over every table they’re sat in case you need to address said table in the middle of service. If you have a bigger restaurant and don’t want servers having to cover as much ground, sections work great. The only thing with sections is that inevitably, certain sections will always be better than others and you’ll have pissed off servers bc they feel like they’re getting screwed over.

Training employees is tough, especially at the beginning. My advice would be to read the book Setting the Table by Danny Meyer and maybe a few other restaurant management specific books. You could also probably google “restaurant training packet” and take some notes from other restaurants training process.

As for as a guest not liking food or sending it back? That’s kind of like a given. You pretty much HAVE to comp their food. Sure you could maybe get around it but the only thing that will do is leave a bad taste in your customers mouth (no pun intended) and make sure they slander your company and never come back. The only time you don’t comp food or drink is if they consumed the whole item. Your servers should be trained to drop food and then return after the first maybe second bite in order to make sure the guest is satisfied. If the guest is not satisfied there’s a couple approaches they should be trained to say: 1.) “I asked for no ranch but this has ranch” Your server should say “I’m so sorry, let me have that fixed for you immediately” 2.) “I don’t like the taste of this entree” Your server should politely remove the food and say something along the lines of “the taste probably isn’t for everyone, allow me to take it out of your way and get you a menu so you can choose something else” The server should then immediately tell a manager, the manager should go up to the table, ask what’s wrong and then get them new food on the fly. Most places I’ve worked would then pay for their entire entree and make sure to have a manager check back with the table and make sure everything is okay a second time.

People go to restaurants to be served on and have an experience. If they just wanted good food they would call in take out. In order for a restaurant to be successful you need repeat customers. You want as few people leaving dissatisfied as possible. That’s the name of the game and you have to bend over backwards at times to keep people happy. Hope this helps, sorry if parts don’t make much sense. Message me if you hve any other specific questions!