01/24/05 Monday question - Hosting restaurants

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today we are going to be answering email questions. A listener wrote to ask "I am often entertaining guests at business dinners and I have trouble getting the server to understand that I am the host  especially when it comes to ordering the wine. How do you recommend handling this?" When entertaining clients, it is important to relay to the restaurant server that you are the host. In doing so, you will help the evening to flow according to your desires. First, I recommend that you arrive earlier than your guests, and let the person greeting you know that you wish to be identified to the server as the host and you expect to receive the winelist. If it isn't possible for you to arrive prior to your guests, then when you are seated, select your spot but remain standing until all others are seated. When the server approaches the table, order water for everyone, and ask to see the wine list. Using words such as "I would appreciate it if you could bring water for my guests while I select a wine for us to begin with." If one of your guests is ordering the wine make it clear to the server that you have asked them to do so. However, sometimes no matter how good your intentions, the server just isn't paying attention. If the server is still particularly dense, and isn't getting the picture, then excuse yourself and head back to the arrival area and let the maitre' d know that you wish them to inform the server that you are the host. In most cases just asserting yourself as the host is enough. Thank you for a great question and remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.