The Greeter Role at Peak
At peak, one FOH owns the door. The Sweetgreen Captain move.
Peak is when a wave of guests arrives at once and the line backs up past seven people. At that point, the cashier alone is not enough. One FOH team member moves from the counter to the door and becomes the Greeter.
7 or more guests in line, OR a wave of 5+ just walked in, OR the dining room is half full and the door keeps opening. If any of these is true, the Greeter takes the floor. Confirm with the manager on shift if you are unsure.
- Walks the line, hands out paper menus to anyone who does not have one.
- Asks each the right second question (first time, sitting together, what are you in the mood for) so they are decided by the time they reach the counter.
- Takes orders on a handheld POS for guests near the front of the line, so the cashier only handles payment when they reach the counter.
- Flags first-timers, allergens, and big groups to the cashier so the cashier can speed up.
- Acknowledges every new who walks in within 4 seconds, even if the cashier is heads down.
The Greeter move is borrowed from Sweetgreen's line captain and Chick-fil-A's drive-thru runner. Both built billion-dollar brands on the same insight: the wait feels half as long when someone in uniform is talking to you. The Greeter is what turns a 12-minute line into a 6-minute experience.