The hostess is a personal representation of the service and overall hospitality of the staff of the restaurant. While guests are waiting to be seated or waiting for take-out orders to be ready, it is the job of the hostess to ensure that the guests are made comfortable and kept informed of the status of their orders or wait times. In some restaurants, the hostess offers drinks to the guests who have to wait. The responsibilities of the hostess includes monitoring the open dining sections of the restaurant for empty and cleaned tables, estimating wait times for guests, monitoring the guest waiting list, and ensuring that the needs of the guests are met while they are waiting. The hostess is often responsible for answering the telephone, booking reservations and moving tables together to accommodate large parties.