Just after Christmas, my family (7 of us) wanted to dine at 'Ohana in my mother's memory (her birthday was Dec. 28), but I had been unable to get a reservation online. I had been trying for about 5 weeks, and nothing opened up. We decided to try to get in on stand-by seating, but were not optimistic.
Victorious (Vic) was in charge of the stand-by line. His job was essentially to tell tired and hungry guests that they were probably not going to eat at the restaurant that night. He explained how the process worked -- that it didn't matter where you were in line, it only mattered if a party didn't show up that was the same size as your party.
He didn't really do anything extraordinary, but his manner was absolutely perfect for what he had to do. He kept telling us, if we didn't get in, it wasn't personal, it was all about party size. He kept us informed at all times; told us that his supervisor was a real stickler and if the table wasn't filled at the exact deadline, one of us would get the table.
It seemed like a real balancing act of being sympathetic with those of us in line and also making sure we knew that there was a real chance (especially around the holiday) that we wouldn't be seated. He handled a potentially unhappy situation with absolute professionalism.
AND, he got us seated so we could enjoy 'Ohana and reminisce about my mom!
Victorious (Vic) was in charge of the stand-by line. His job was essentially to tell tired and hungry guests that they were probably not going to eat at the restaurant that night. He explained how the process worked -- that it didn't matter where you were in line, it only mattered if a party didn't show up that was the same size as your party.
He didn't really do anything extraordinary, but his manner was absolutely perfect for what he had to do. He kept telling us, if we didn't get in, it wasn't personal, it was all about party size. He kept us informed at all times; told us that his supervisor was a real stickler and if the table wasn't filled at the exact deadline, one of us would get the table.
It seemed like a real balancing act of being sympathetic with those of us in line and also making sure we knew that there was a real chance (especially around the holiday) that we wouldn't be seated. He handled a potentially unhappy situation with absolute professionalism.
AND, he got us seated so we could enjoy 'Ohana and reminisce about my mom!
