The maître ' (short for maître d'hôtel, literally "master of the hall") in a suitably staffed restaurant or hotel is the person in charge of assigning customers to tables in the establishment, and dividing the dining area into areas of responsibility for the various servers on duty. He or she may also be the person who receives and records advance reservations for dining, as well as dealing with any customer complaints and making sure all servers are completing their tasks in an efficient manner. In some localities or traditions particularly small organizations like a single restaurant the post is also known as the headwaiter or host.