As with almost any other large item you purchase for your restaurant, the pricing and costs of professional host stations depend upon whether you decide to play it safe with standard, no-frills models or whether you think it's time your business upgrades to the more expensive, computerized systems. Standard service stations that help your waiters and waitresses organize napkins, flatware and other items necessary for efficient service can cost under $200. But if you're leaning toward the computerized Point of Sale, "POS", systems, you should expect to pay at least $2000, depending upon the special features you opt for.

It's easy to find information on waiter and waitress stations pricing and costs when you consider these points, as well as check out the following online sources:

1. Consider investing in what most waiter station makers regard as the future of hostess stations, the Point of Sale systems.

2. Compare prices on maitre d stands, a streamlined version of a waiter and waitress station.

3. Keep your waiter and waitress stations pricing and costs down to a minimum when you buy the most affordable service stations.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find great prices on the newest items from leading waiter station manufacturers

Perhaps the greatest investment you can make when it comes to buying a waiter station is to invest in the Point of Sale restaurant system. These computerized stations allow your wait staff to order foods, check on availability and print easy to read receipts with just a few simple steps.

I recommend: Foodman helps you avoid the hidden costs of software and tech support when you purchase its POS systems, which sells for about $1300. Gemini Computers offers discounts on its POS systems, which range from $2000 to $3000. The price of a POS system at Buyer Zone and E Systems Sales depends upon the optional features you order but most of these service stations start at $2000.

Select waiter stations and maitre d stands that fit within your budget

Pay as little as $200 for a table top maitre d stand without all the frills. Or spend as much as $750 for a full floor model made by a respected manufacturer.

I recommend: Choose between wood and natural wood maitre d stands at Top Food Service that sell from $265 to about $400. Central Restaurant carries maitre-d stands in table top and full floor stand varieties. The table top versions start at about $120 and the full floor models range from $190 to $340. US Marker Board's maitre d stand costs between $450 and $500. Prices range from $650 to $750 for the stands that well-known supplier Instawares offers.

Get discounts on full service hostess stations that provide maximum efficiency

You'll see the greatest difference in cost when you start to price traditional waitress cabinets, under $100 for a standard wood two-foot service station or more than $4000 for a full-scale model with all the frills.

I recommend: Prices for waitress cabinet stations range from $600 to $4500 at Zesco, depending upon whether you're looking for a simple bar station or full-scale service station. K Petersen makes restaurant cabinets with single or multiple drawers and shelves that range between $1600 and $2700. Host stations with doors, drawers and shelves at Gala Source can range between $775 and $1100, depending on whether the supplier is offering the discounts it has become known for. Special order a waitress station with steel rack holders at the Webstaurant Store for as little as $67.

With so many details to consider when you open a restaurant, choosing the right waiter and hostess stations may not be at the top of your list. However, they are important and essential pieces of restaurant furniture that help the business run smoothly and help your employees provide better service.

Waiter stations and hostess stations look very similar in appearance. They both have a large, flat surface for staff to work on and include drawers and cabinets for storage.

Fully stocked waiter stations include pitchers for refilling glasses, beverage napkins, straws, drink garnishes and any other materials that help your waiters and waitresses do their job. Place the stations in strategic locations around the restaurant so they are easily accessible to waitstaff and out of the patrons' way.

Host and hostess stations serve the very same purpose. They enable staff to provide better service and are one of the first things your guests see when they enter the restaurant. When you shop for waiter or host stations, remember the following:

1. Select from plastic, laminate and metal waiter and waitress stations.

2. Waiter stations come in varying sizes to suit different spaces.

3. Expand the waiter stations with add-on storage space.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose the waiter station and host station to fit the restaurant decor

When you open a high-end restaurant, the waiter and host stations need to be of the highest quality. Choose products created by reliable waiter station manufacturers that are made from metals, high-end laminates or quality woods. When you open a more informal restaurant, save money and choose less expensive waiter stations, such as those made from particle board.

I recommend: Find higher-end, solid wood waiter stations at B&D Joinery, Ltd. Locate waiter stations made from of particle board at Central Products, Inc.

Purchase the waitress stations and hostess stations to fit in the space

Determine where to place waitress stations and hostess stations within the restaurant. Measure the length, width and height of those identified spaces. Find suitable stations to fit those dimensions at local or nationwide waiter station suppliers.

I recommend: Compare waitress stations in many sizes at KegWorks.com. See hostess stations different shapes and sizes at Forbes Industries.

Consider waitress stations that can be outfitted with hutches or top shelves

Some waiter stations can be expanded with hutches or top shelves. Give your staff added storage space and save important floor space at the same time.

I recommend: Purchase a hutch for a waitress station at Central Products, Inc. Find an appropriate top shelf for a waiter station at Rapids Wholesale Equipment Company.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Designate an employee to keep waiter and host stations fully stocked and organized at all times during operating hours. Disorganized waiter and host stations make staff lose valuable time when serving patrons. Pre-stock the stations before each shift and restock them throughout each shift.

Waiter and waitress stations types and styles are very diverse and can accommodate many types of food service. Wait and host stations may just be areas to set schedules or write orders, or they can be used to store place settings and service hot beverages. Therefore, when purchasing a host station and waitress station for your business, don’t rush into buying a model that's not perfect.

The waitress station you buy need to meet your business’s unique requirements. How big is your eatery? How many servers will you have on staff at one time? Once these questions are answered, you can better decide which waitress station will make your employees' jobs easier. When researching waitress and hostess stations, consider the following:

1. Host stations are available in many materials, from stainless steel to oak, so you should really invest in something that fits in with your restaurant's decor.

2. A waiter station should blend in with your restaurant’s surroundings, especially if its objective is to house plate setting or beverage glasses.

3. Don’t plan on cluttering your wait station, as the mess will stand out like a sore thumb.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose host stations for your restaurant

The intention of a host station should be two-fold. Initially, it is a customer's first impression of the venue. Additionally, a host station needs to neatly house menus and booking schedules for your host. Maitre D' Stations, or podiums, are sleek-looking host station options.

I recommend: The WEBstaurant Store features a handsome Maitre D' Station where your hosts can organize their menus and set schedules. Royal Industries features podium options for a hostess station and demonstrates how restaurant signage can be added to the front.

Find a waitress station that accommodates easy access for service

Waitress stations are most often set up to accommodate beverage service or table settings. With this in mind, you should choose wait stations with cabinets and drawers for plates and cutlery.

I recommend: Peterson Furniture offers a wide variety of waitress station options, from single shelf for beverage set up to storage cabinets with drawers. Taylors Pub & Restaurant Furniture provides antique restaurant furniture, including carved oak and distressed style options, all of which can accommodate place setting and beverage serving needs.

Section your bar off with mounted waiter stations

If you own a bar or pub, then sectioning off your bar with a mounted stations is a smart idea. Mounted wait stations are the perfect option because they reserve an area at the bar where your wait staff can organize themselves, drop off and pick up their orders.

I recommend: McMurray Metals offers face and top- and face-mount wait stations available in polished brass, stainless steel and chrome. Zesco Products features a compact stainless steel waitress station that fits under a bar and accommodates server trays, menus and other service products.