Host - City Line Bar and Grill in Albany, New York at City Line Bar

About City Line Bar

City Line Bar and Grill has proudly served the Capital Region since 2014, sitting right on the edge of Albany and Guilderland, but with bold flavors and big-city energy that go far beyond the border. After more than a decade of growth, we're entering an exciting new chapter. In 2024, Rob Malkus became the sole owner of City Line, bringing his full focus to hospitality, creativity, and evolving the experience for our guests. Together with new Executive Chef Ryan O’Shea, whose diverse culinary background spans private dining, event catering, and acclaimed kitchens. We’ve always been a place to gather for the big game, weekend brunches, or casual dinners on the patio, and now we’re doubling down on what makes us great. That means a fresh, seasonal menu with new crowd-favorites (like our wildly popular birria potstickers), an expanded catering operation, and a shift toward daytime events and elevated private dining.

At our core, we remain committed to quality food, approachable service, and bringing people together. Whether you're visiting for happy hour, catching up over brunch, or planning a special celebration, City Line is still your neighborhood spot, with just the right amount of edge.

About the role

• The Host is responsible for promptly greeting guests at the door in a warm and friendly manner. Duties will include greeting and seating guests, maintaining the wait list and wait times and supplying guests with clean menus upon seating them.

What you'll do

• Promote, work, and act in a manner consistent with the mission of City Line Bar
• Warmly and graciously greet all guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
• Open the front door for guests entering or leaving the restaurant when possible.
• Provide guests with menus and inform them of their server’s name upon seating.
• Record guest names and the number of people in party and provide guests with estimated waiting time when immediate seating is limited.
• Assign guests to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
• Call out name and number of party when tables become available.
• Speak with guests to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
• Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
• Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and guests to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
• Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.
• Inform guests of establishment specialties and features.
• Receive and record guests' dining reservations.
• Inspect restrooms for cleanliness and availability of supplies and clean restrooms when necessary.
• Direct guests to coatrooms and waiting areas such as lounges.
• Relay messages to servers and bussers as needed.
• Thank guests as they leave and invite them to return.
• Attend all scheduled employee meetings and offers suggestions for improvement.

• Coordinate with and assist fellow employees to meet guests’ needs and support the operation of the restaurant.
• Fill-in for fellow employees where needed to ensure guest service standards and efficient operations.

Supplemental

• Take and prepare to-go orders.
• Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
• Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.
• Order or requisition supplies and equipment for tables and serving stations.
• Assist with preparing and serving food and beverages.

Training and Experience

• Previous hosting experience preferred
• 1+ year customer service experience

Qualifications & Expectations

• Basic reading and writing skills are required
• Basic computer skills
• Ability to count money and maintain a register
• Knowledge of workplace safety procedures
• Ability to determine wait time
• Must visually scan restaurant for clean, unoccupied tables

Competencies and Personal Characteristics

• Customer-oriented approach and strong communication skills
• Ability to work well with other teammates while maintaining a positive attitude
• Excellent people skills
• Multi-task oriented
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizations skills

Environment and Physical Demands

• Must be able to walk and stand during entire shift
• Reaches, bends and stoops frequently
• Remain stationary for long periods of time
• Must be able to safetly lift and carry up to 20 lbs
• Frequent washing of hands
• Hazards include, but are not limited to slipping and tripping