Simple targets
- A hello, and water or a drink order, within 2 to 3 minutes of sitting down.
- An order rung in within about 5 minutes for a small table, a little longer for a big group.
- At 10 minutes without an order, someone should already be at that table.
Why tables slip
Servers don't skip tables on purpose. They're at the pass, in another section, or didn't see the host seat a party. The host knows the table is new; the server often doesn't. The fix is telling the server the moment a table is seated, not a minute later.
Measure it, don't guess
Your POS records when the first item was rung in. Your host stand knows when the party sat down. The gap between the two is your real time to first order, per table and per server. Look at it by lunch and dinner, and by party size.
How Mesa does it
When the host seats a party, Mesa's team screen shows "Go greet" next to that table for the server. With Toast connected, the table turns amber at 5 minutes without an order and coral at 10, with a little more time for bigger groups. Insights shows minutes to first order for each server.