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Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop: Career Profile
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
What Do Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Do?
The core tasks performed by hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop span:
- Provide guests with menus.
- Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
- Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
- Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
- Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
- Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.
- Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.
- Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Bar Host
- Bar Hostess
- Breakfast Host
- Buffet Hostess
- Deli Host (Delicatessen Host)
- Dining Coordinator
- Dining Room Host
- Dining Room Hostess
Job Outlook
There are about 1,461,023 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +10.0% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $31,656 |
| Hourly median | $15.22 |
| 10th percentile | $21,166 |
| 25th percentile | $26,411 |
| 75th percentile | $36,900 |
| 90th percentile | $42,145 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $43,070 |
| New York | $37,070 |
| District of Columbia | $36,950 |
| Washington | $36,500 |
| California | $35,910 |
| Colorado | $35,720 |
| Maine | $35,100 |
| Alaska | $34,800 |
| Massachusetts | $34,790 |
| Oregon | $34,270 |
| New Jersey | $34,270 |
| Arizona | $34,110 |
| Connecticut | $33,650 |
| Vermont | $32,670 |
| Maryland | $32,230 |
| Illinois | $31,080 |
| Virgin Islands | $31,030 |
| Rhode Island | $30,990 |
| New Hampshire | $30,670 |
| Virginia | $30,100 |
| Minnesota | $29,750 |
| Nevada | $29,390 |
| South Dakota | $29,320 |
| Montana | $29,160 |
| Florida | $29,110 |
| Wisconsin | $28,800 |
| Utah | $28,790 |
| Iowa | $28,430 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,400 |
| Tennessee | $28,340 |
| Indiana | $28,330 |
| North Dakota | $28,240 |
| Michigan | $28,160 |
| Georgia | $28,160 |
| Delaware | $28,130 |
| Missouri | $28,030 |
| New Mexico | $27,910 |
| Ohio | $27,590 |
| Nebraska | $27,320 |
| Texas | $27,000 |
| Kansas | $26,970 |
| Idaho | $26,650 |
| North Carolina | $26,560 |
| South Carolina | $26,520 |
| Arkansas | $26,180 |
| Kentucky | $26,000 |
| Alabama | $24,960 |
| Wyoming | $23,280 |
| West Virginia | $23,180 |
| Oklahoma | $22,430 |
| Mississippi | $21,580 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,740 |
| Louisiana | $20,650 |
| Guam | $19,920 |
Where Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Earn the Most
Earnings for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $35,436 | 15.6% | 0.97 |
| New England | $33,861 | 5.0% | 1.06 |
| Middle Atlantic | $33,029 | 12.1% | 0.83 |
| Rocky Mountains | $32,076 | 4.2% | 1.08 |
| Great Lakes | $28,704 | 13.6% | 0.99 |
| Plains States | $28,324 | 6.8% | 1.02 |
| Southwest | $28,088 | 13.1% | 1.05 |
| Southeast | $27,479 | 29.0% | 1.22 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | HI | $46,250 | 430 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $42,070 | 1,460 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $40,000 | 1,880 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | NY | $38,280 | 610 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $38,160 | 5,090 |
| Kingston, NY | NY | $37,740 | 210 |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $37,360 | 570 |
| Ithaca, NY | NY | $37,200 | 90 |
Industry Breakdown
Most hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and Food Services | 404,440 | $30,220 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 11,830 | $33,110 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 3,530 | $38,390 |
| Manufacturing | 2,410 | $31,780 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,240 | $31,200 |
| Retail Trade | 1,230 | $28,220 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 870 | $34,130 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 270 | $36,310 |
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Contact With Others
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Education and Training
Entry-level hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Food Service Managers (Supplemental)
- Lodging Managers (Supplemental)
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (Supplemental)
- Chefs and Head Cooks (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (Supplemental)
- Cooks, Private Household (Supplemental)
- Food Preparation Workers (Supplemental)
- Bartenders (Primary-Long)
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 35-9031.00 (Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop).
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