Name: Kimberly Galban
Position: Hostess, Blackbird restaurant
Years: 2 1/2
Q. Some restaurant hostesses just show people to their tables and hand them menus, but you do a lot more than that.
A. My job includes answering the phones, taking reservations over the phone, confirming reservations, seating people, bussing tables, running food, doing coat check, delivering drink orders, sometimes preparing drink orders, delivering messages, kind of being the customer’s second hand.
Q. The computer system you use for reservations is like something out of “Star Trek.” Tell me about it.
A. We got it about a year and a half ago to replace pen and paper. The system takes in all our reservations. It also has our floor plan. It carries the customer’s history, it tells how many times they’ve been in, how many times they no-showed. It’ll also carry customer notes, if the customer is a vegetarian or has special dietary restrictions or only sits at one table, it’ll note that. It’s a great little system, but I try not to depend on it too much. I walk around and try to check on things myself. I always want to be out there and know where everything is and what’s going on at the restaurant.
Q. Blackbird is pretty tiny. How many people can you get in there?
A. We can technically seat 67 at one time. I’ve probably had 71. For a Saturday night, we’ve done as many as 199 people, that’s basically going fully through to an 11 seating. On average, we typically do 170, 175.
Q. Based on your experience, what can a person do to get a table at a really popular restaurant?
A. Being nice with the person at the door will go a lot further than being angry. We’ll put forward our best energy to get them down. . . . I’ve had people walk in and pay for their table. It’s all about patience. If you really want to eat at a restaurant and you know it’s Saturday night, come in with an open mind, let the people at the front do their job, because we know what we’re doing [laughs].
Q. People really have slipped you money for a table?
A. It’s usually for a good reason. A guy forgot his 10-year reservation and forgot to call two months in advance, he put something under the table and said, please do your best. It doesn’t hurt to take care of the front of the house, but it doesn’t take money at the door [to get a table]; it’s being really nice. Those are the people I really want to help out. I really want to get them a table.
Q. The tables at Blackbird are stuck close to each other, and there’s not a lot of room to move. How does that affect you?
A. With all of us working together, you have to learn before you move your body, move your head, look around before you turn.
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Q. You’re on your feet and running around all night. Are you exhausted when your shift is over?
A. Yes, especially because the shoes that all four of us wear are 4-inch heels. Before I went to Blackbird, I never gave a thought to people at the front door and what they do. It’s a lot of work. It’s not an easy job.
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Blackbird, 619 W. Randolph St., is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and for dinner from 5-10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Galban recommends making reservations four weeks in advance for peak weekend seating, a day in advance for weeknights. 312-715-0708.