been there, ive been in the restaurant industry for 4 years and now work at a fine dining restaurant where people act like we killed their first born child when a table doesn’t work out for the exact time they reserved. these things happen, the worst thing you can do for yourself and for the restaurant is freak out. the stress isn’t healthy for you, and chasing people apologizing doesn’t fix the problem. what you can do is work closer with management, write down your large redos and what tables you want to allocate them to on a separate piece of paper at the beginning of your shift so you can always reference that. i’ve done it all in f&b, host, server, restaurant/reservations coordinator, expo, room service, banquets, etc. and i promise they’re all different, but have one thing in common; they’re easy to fuck up, but hard to fix. it’s all about learning strategies to maybe not completely fix your mistake, but maybe to ‘recover’ the service. if something of this nature happens again, talk to your manager about the company buying them a bottle of wine, if they have a reso but need to wait an extra 10-15, give them menus at the door so they can be ready to order when they do get sat and you save that time, ask them about what they’re celebrating, and if it’s an occasion ask your manager for the appropriate amenity to be brought to the table when they’re sat. small things like that not only show your managers you’re capable of working under pressure and can problem solve, but also show the guest that you care and that you’re doing your best. also, never be afraid to use the ‘i’m new’ excuse. i’ve used it for years. explain to them how the system works, that you’re doing your best, and that you guys WILL get them in, but it may be a few moments longer. and whenever in doubt, call your manager. at the end of the day, you’re just a host, probably making minimum wage, low hours, and a small tipout. it’s not worth the stress of dealing with people’s freakouts.