Restaurant Server and Host Course (US): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Greeting, seating and the host stand

The host stand sets the pace for the dining room: who sits where, how long people wait, and how evenly work is shared between servers.

What servers and hosts do

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists these main server duties:

• Greet guests, explain specials and answer menu questions.
• Take orders and send them to the kitchen, often through a point-of-sale (POS) system.
• Carry food and drinks, check on guests, prepare checks and take payment.
• Where alcohol is sold, check that guests are old enough to buy it.

Most servers learn on the job, with training that usually lasts a month or less. Hosts greet guests, manage reservations and the waitlist, and seat people.

Greeting and seating

• Acknowledge guests right away, even when you are on the phone: eye contact, a smile and "I'll be right with you."
• Treat every guest the same, whatever they look like or what language they speak.
• Servers should greet a newly seated table as soon as they can, even just to say they will be right back.

Most restaurants divide the room into sections, one per server. A seating rotation sends new tables to each section in turn, so no server gets three new tables at once while another stands idle. Think about each party's needs: a high chair and a table away from busy walkways for a family, or a table on an accessible route with room for a wheelchair. Ask what works for the guest instead of guessing.

Reservations and the waitlist

• For each reservation, record the name, party size, date, time and phone number, plus notes such as a high chair.
• Quote honest wait times. A wait that runs longer than promised upsets guests more than an honest longer quote.
• Keep the waitlist up to date so quoted times stay accurate and no party is skipped. Seat parties in order; only a manager approves exceptions.
• If a wait runs over, check in with the party before they ask, give an updated time and tell your manager.

Guests with service animals

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is a dog individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability. Emotional support animals are not service animals under the ADA, although some state and local laws are broader.

• Service animals must generally be allowed in all public areas, including dining rooms, even where health codes ban animals.
• If it is not obvious what the dog does, you may ask only two questions: Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? What work or task has it been trained to perform?
• Do not ask about the disability, ask for papers or an ID card for the dog, or ask the dog to show its task.
• Allergies and fear of dogs are not reasons to refuse service. If possible, seat the two parties in different parts of the room.
• A dog may be removed only if it is out of control and the handler does not take effective action, or it is not housebroken. The guest must still be offered service without the animal.
• Pet fees must be waived for service animals. A guest can be charged for actual damage, like any guest.

Topic quiz 1: Greeting, seating and the host stand

Lesson 2: Taking orders, menu knowledge and the POS

Know the menu

• Learn the main ingredients and cooking method of every dish, including which contain major allergens (Lesson 3).
• Know the specials and their prices. If a guest asks the price, tell them exactly.
• Check the 86 list (sold-out dishes) and warn guests when a dish takes a long time to cook.

Taking the order

1. Offer drinks, then ask if anyone has a food allergy.
2. Take each order by seat number, starting from a fixed point, so anyone can run food to the right guest.
3. Write down every change, such as "no onions".
4. Repeat the order back to catch mistakes early.
5. Enter it in the POS right away.

Honest upselling

Upselling means suggesting something the guest may enjoy, such as a side or dessert. Make a specific suggestion that fits the order ("The peach cobbler goes well with that"), accept "no" with a smile, and never add items to the check without the guest asking or make false claims.

Using the POS

• Never share your POS login: orders, voids, discounts and payments are recorded under your name.
• Fix a wrong seat or item before the kitchen cooks it, following your restaurant's process.
• Kitchens usually send a table's entrees together. If some guests want food sooner, offer a starter and ask your manager.

Running food safely

OSHA's restaurant safety guidance for servers says to keep loads small, use trays, hot pads or a dry waiter's cloth for hot plates, never use a wet towel on hot items, and not remove a coffee pot until the coffee has finished dispensing. Wipe up spills right away and wear non-slip, closed-toe shoes.

When something goes wrong

If a guest is unhappy with a dish, listen, apologize and offer a fix (remake, replace or another choice) and tell your manager. Never blame the cook in front of guests.

Topic quiz 2: Taking orders, menu knowledge and the POS

Lesson 3: Food allergies and dietary needs

The FDA recognizes nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish (such as shrimp), tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Sesame became the ninth under the FASTER Act, effective January 1, 2023. Guests can be allergic to other foods too, so take every allergy seriously.

Who makes the rules

Restaurants are overseen mainly by state and local agencies. The FDA Food Code is a model code, FDA's best advice for food safety, and each agency decides whether to adopt it and which edition. The 2022 edition added telling customers in writing about major allergens that are ingredients in unpackaged food. Some states add their own laws:

Taking an allergy order

1. Take every allergy seriously and find out exactly which food to avoid.
2. Never guess. Check the recipe information or ask the chef or manager.
3. Tell the guest honestly what the dish contains and what the kitchen can and cannot promise.
4. Add an allergy note on that seat in the POS and tell the kitchen in person.
5. Carry the allergy plate separately and confirm it with the guest.

Cross-contact is when an allergen gets into a food that should be free of it, for example fries cooked in the same oil as shrimp, or shared tongs, boards and garnishes. If you know of it, tell the guest.

Some guests avoid foods for health, religious or personal reasons (vegan, gluten-free, halal, kosher). Respect every request. Asking politely whether it is an allergy tells the kitchen whether it needs the full allergy process. Never promise a dish is "100% free" of something unless the kitchen can guarantee it.

If a guest has trouble breathing, swelling or fainting after eating, call 911 immediately and alert your manager.

Topic quiz 3: Food allergies and dietary needs

Lesson 4: Serving alcohol responsibly

The minimum legal drinking age in the US is 21, the national standard since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The minimum age to serve alcohol is set by each state: the BLS notes that most states require servers to be at least 18, and some set an older age.

Server training: state examples

Many states require alcohol server training or a permit. This course does not replace it.

In Texas, safe harbor can protect the business from TABC administrative action when an employee serves a minor or intoxicated person, if conditions such as certified staff and written policies are met. The employee can still face criminal charges.

Checking ID

California ABC says a valid ID is issued by a US government agency and shows name, date of birth, photo and physical description, and is currently valid. Passports and military IDs are also accepted; school IDs, birth certificates and expired cards are not. Check ID by feeling the card, looking at the photo and birth date, and asking questions such as the birth month. In California, licenses for people under 21 are vertical. If you have any doubt, refuse the sale.

Signs of intoxication

In California it is illegal to sell or give alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person, meaning the average person can plainly see it; other states have their own laws. Watch for slurred or loud speech, red or watery eyes, fumbling with money, swaying, stumbling, arguing and drinking faster than usual. One standard drink is about 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine or 1.5 oz of 80-proof liquor.

Refusing service

1. Tell your manager and get support.
2. Speak to the guest privately and calmly, without accusing them: "I'm not able to serve you another drink tonight."
3. Offer water, food or a non-alcoholic drink, and help arrange a safe ride.
4. Fill out the incident log right away, as California ABC advises.

Topic quiz 4: Serving alcohol responsibly

Lesson 5: Tips, payments, side work and closing

Federal law sets a floor for tip rules and many states add more. When the two differ, the employer must follow the rule that protects workers more.

The tip credit

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a tipped employee regularly gets more than $30 a month in tips. An employer may pay a lower cash wage and count part of the tips toward minimum wage: a tip credit. The employer must tell you about it first, and your cash wage plus tips must reach the full minimum wage every workweek, or the employer makes up the difference.

The DOL lists Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington as states that require the full state minimum wage before tips. Wage rates change, so check the DOL's state table or your state labor department.

Whose tips are they?

• Employers may not keep any part of employees' tips.
• Managers and supervisors may keep only tips for service they alone provide, and may not take money from a tip pool.
• Traditional pool (tip credit taken): only customarily tipped workers, such as servers, bussers and service bartenders.
• Nontraditional pool (no tip credit, full minimum wage paid in cash): may include cooks and dishwashers.

A mandatory service charge, such as 18% for large parties, is not a tip under DOL and IRS rules, because a tip is voluntary. In California, mandatory restaurant fees must be clearly and conspicuously shown wherever prices are shown. For card tips, an employer may deduct only the card company's actual processing percentage, never more.

Reporting tips

The IRS requires you to report tips to your employer by the 10th of the next month when they total $20 or more that month. Card tips and tips from a pool count. Keep a daily tip record.

Payments, side work and closing

• Ask early, "One check or separate?", and enter items by seat so splitting is easy.
• Return each card to the right person and count change back clearly.
• Do not count cash in front of guests, and keep the register closed when not in use.
• Do your side work (restocking, rolling silverware, cleaning stations) and help teammates in the weeds.
• At closing, complete your checkout and tip record. OSHA advises locking back doors unless receiving a delivery, having staff leave together, and never leaving young workers alone at night to lock up.

Topic quiz 5: Tips, payments, side work and closing