Around The Clock

Restaurant & Bakery

Crystal Lake, Illinois

Host / Hostess
Training Manual

2026

5011 Northwest Hwy, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
(815) 459-2100

A Message from Steve & Fano

Welcome to the Around the Clock team. Your role as a host/hostess is a very important one. We are in the Hospitality business. Your role is to make people feel welcome when they arrive, and to be sure they are happy when they leave.

You are the first impression that the customer makes when they visit us. We want that impression to be a positive one. Our customers are our most prized possessions. We want to treat them as such.

Our theme here is: "Nothing but the best for our customers."

Our goal is to have each and every customer leave our restaurant well pleased with their experience, and to have them become raving fans of Around the Clock.

This guide is designed to inform you of what is expected from you in your very important role as our Host/Hostess.

Please feel free to ask us any questions about anything in this manual that you are not clear about, or talk to us about any other areas of concern you may have.

This is a family restaurant operated by our family for over a quarter of a century. We want you to know that we are glad you selected us as your employer, and are now a part of the Around the Clock family. We will do everything in our power to make this the best job you ever had.

Steve & Fano Theofanous
Owners

1. Dress Code & Appearance

These are the requirements and duties that accompany your job. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the outlined duties if you are unsure of how to proceed.

Dress Code Requirements: You need to remember that this is a business and a family restaurant. You need to dress and act in a professional manner. Wear proper attire that befits a family restaurant. No denim jeans, no clothes that are too revealing or show a lot of skin will be allowed.

Cleanliness: Make sure hair is tidy, clothes ironed — not wrinkled, etc.
Footwear: Wear comfortable shoes, as you will be standing and on your feet for most of your shift.

2. Before Your Shift

Arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time. During this 15 minutes you will get yourself ready for work.

During your pre-shift preparation:

Put your purse and coat away if applicable.
Know what the soups of the day are as well as the specials.
Ask the manager what the stations are and what servers are assigned each station.

3. Seating Customers

After you clock in, your primary duty begins — seating customers.

The Greeting

When a Customer Arrives

Greet them with a smile and friendly attitude.
- "Welcome to Around the Clock."
- "Hello, how are you?"
Ask how many people are in the party.
If a guest is extremely overweight, ask if they prefer a table or a booth.
Obtain the necessary menus — one per person. Include a children's menu and crayons if there are children in the party, as well as a specials menu for each person.
Ask the customers to please follow you.
Lead them to the table, place the menus on the table.
Use a pleasant closing statement:
- "Enjoy your meal."
- "Have a nice lunch."
- "Enjoy your breakfast."
- "[Server Name] will be your server, enjoy."

After Seating

Follow-Up: Keep an eye on the tables that you seat to ensure that the server has indeed been to the table. Sometimes the server is otherwise occupied and may not notice a new table.

The Hideaway Booth: Pay special attention to the booth located in front of the coat rack. If you have time, please inform the server when this booth gets seated as it is quite often overlooked.

4. Station Awareness

When you are in training you will be taught what the stations are and where to seat the customers.

As you seat customers, be alert to your surroundings. If you are not busy, take a walk around the restaurant to survey the following. These are an integral part of your tasks and very important.

Know Your Floor

1 Table Availability

Take notice of which tables are empty and ready to have customers seated. This way you will not be wandering around the restaurant with customers in tow searching for a vacant table, or have to find a vacant table prior to seating them.

2 Dirty Tables

Take notice of empty and dirty tables and inform the busboys to please clean that table.

3 Table Condition Check

Survey the tables that are cleaned to make sure there are no crumbs or dirty cups/silverware on the tables. It is not a good thing to seat a customer at a table that looks disorganized or has wet seats, etc. If you find a table in such a manner, either clean or tidy it yourself if you have the time, or tell the busboy or waitress.

4 Floor Safety

If there is garbage or a wet area from spilled drinks or food, or water from the weather, etc. on the floor — either pick it up or tell a busboy to clean the area at once. This will avoid accidents from happening as well as keep the restaurant looking tidy and neat.

5. Floor Management

Proactive Guest Assistance

5 Customer Needs

If you notice a customer requires something or seems to be looking around for their server, ask the customer if they need anything.

If you have time, do it for them.
If it is an issue that only the server can resolve, find the server and inform them of the customer's need.
If it is something simple — a new fork or extra napkin — just get the necessary item and bring it to them.

6 Pre-Bussing

If you have the time and you notice a dirty dish on the table, please pick it up and take it and place it in the bus tray.

Area Inspections

When you have time, please take note of the appearance and general condition of the following areas:

Areas to Monitor: Bathrooms • Salad Bar • Pie Case • Bakery Case • Foyers & Doors

If any products need replenishing, do so, or inform the appropriate person to restock these items.
If any areas need cleaning, inform the busboys or take care of it yourself.
The windows and foyer doors are your responsibility to keep clean with the paper towels and glass cleaner.
Make sure the crayons are in good condition — no tiny broken crayons that children may choke on.
Replenish the toy box with a variety of toys if needed.

6. Customer Assistance

As you work at our restaurant you will over time become familiar and friendly with many of the customers as well as the other employees. We do have some guidelines that you should follow:

Important Guidelines:

Do not engage in long personal conversations with other employees during work time.
If you are involved in a conversation with customers, you must keep your eye on the door. Do not have your back turned away from the door.
When a customer arrives to be seated or requires assistance, politely end your conversation and go seat or assist the waiting customer.

7. Restroom & Common Areas

Maintaining clean, well-stocked restrooms and common areas is essential to guest satisfaction. Check these areas regularly throughout your shift.

Illinois Health Code Reminder: Under Illinois Department of Public Health regulations (77 Ill. Admin. Code 750), food service establishments must maintain clean and properly stocked restrooms at all times during operating hours. Soap, paper towels, and toilet paper must always be available.

8. Answering the Telephone

Required Phone Greeting

"Hello, Around the Clock — this is [your name], how can I help you?"

Be attentive of the telephone and answer if needed. You will be taught the register/cashier responsibilities during training.

9. Side Work Tasks

The following tasks are your responsibility during slower periods and at the beginning/end of your shift:

Clean the glass on the doors in the entry way
Clean the glass on the bakery cases
Clean the glass on the register counter
Make sure the toy box is filled
Make sure crayons are in good condition
Wipe menus if necessary
Make sure pie boxes are stocked (busboys will get them for you)
Put the menus back where they belong

Golden Rule: Never stand with your back to the door if possible. You must be attentive to arriving customers at all times.

These are the main tasks of a hostess/host. There may be other tasks you will be required to do as well that may not be outlined in this general list.

10. Professional Conduct

Workplace Communication

Do not engage in long personal conversations with other employees during work time.
If you are involved in a conversation with customers, you must keep your eye on the door.
Do not have your back turned away from the door.
When a customer arrives to be seated or requires assistance, politely end your conversation and go seat or assist the waiting customer.

Key Reminders

Always maintain a professional and welcoming demeanor.
Communication is the key to a great work environment — do not hesitate to talk to management about any questions or concerns.
Treat every guest as if they are visiting for the first time.
Learn the names of regular customers — it makes them feel valued.

11. Cashier & Check Policies

Accepting Personal Checks

Around the Clock accepts personal checks if they are local. We do not accept checks from out of state or from cities farther than 50 miles away.

When you are the cashier and you accept a personal check, you must do two things:

Review the check to be sure that it contains all the necessary current information including telephone number. If a check does not have a telephone number, it is your responsibility to get it.
Place your initials on the back of the check, signifying that you are the person that checked the necessary information.

We welcome you to Around the Clock. Please do not hesitate to communicate with the management or employers if there are any questions you may have. Communication is the key to a great work environment.

12. Host/Hostess Knowledge Test

These are the areas that you need to know as a Hostess/Cashier. You will be tested on each of these areas:

#	Test Area	Details
1	Proper Greeting at the Door	Good morning, afternoon, evening...
2	Proper Greeting at the Table	"[Server's name] will be your server."
3	Checking Back at Table	Table clean & properly set up — Immediate Service
4	Waiting List Procedure	Proper way to take names for the waiting list
5	Bakery Item Knowledge	Pies, Cakes, Pastries, Muffins
6	Taking Pie and Cake Orders	Process and options
7	Hostess Side Work	All tasks listed in Section 9
8	Stations & Station Assignment	Floor layout and server zones
9	Telephone Procedures	Proper greeting, transfer to office & hand phone

Cashier Knowledge Areas

Letter	Area
A	Making Change
B	Credit Card Processing
C	Adding Checks
D	Personal Check Acceptance
E	Adding Bakery Items & Gum
F	ComEd Bill Payment
G	Senior & Employee Discounts
H	Selling & Redeeming Gift Certificates
I	Server Tip Outs

13. Acknowledgment of Receipt

I acknowledge that I have received and reviewed the Around The Clock Restaurant & Bakery Host/Hostess Training Manual (2026 Edition).

I understand that:

I am responsible for learning and following all procedures outlined in this manual.
I will be tested on the knowledge areas listed in Section 12.
I may ask management any questions about the material at any time.
Failure to follow established procedures may result in additional training or disciplinary action.

Employee Name (Print):

Employee Signature:

Date:

Manager Signature:

Illinois Tip Credit Notice (820 ILCS 105/3c): Illinois law requires that employers provide written notice to tipped employees regarding tip credit. If you are in a tipped position, you will receive a separate Tip Credit Acknowledgment form. The current Illinois minimum wage for tipped employees is 60% of the standard minimum wage, provided your tips bring your total hourly compensation above the standard minimum wage.