Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
35-9031.00
Bright Outlook Updated 2025

Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.

Sample of reported job titles: Buffet Hostess, Dining Coordinator, General Teller, Greeter, Hospitality Coordinator, Host, Host Coordinator, Hostess, Maitre D' (Maitre d'hotel), Seater

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • 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.
  • Assist other restaurant workers by serving food and beverages, or by bussing tables.
  • Inspect restrooms for cleanliness and availability of supplies, and clean restrooms when necessary.
  • Take and prepare to-go orders.
  • Inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.
  • Receive and record patrons' dining reservations.
  • Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
  • Direct patrons to coatrooms and waiting areas, such as lounges.
  • Prepare cash receipts after establishments close, and make bank deposits.
  • Order or requisition supplies and equipment for tables and serving stations.
  • Hire, train, and supervise food and beverage service staff.
  • Confer with other staff to help plan establishments' menus.
  • Perform marketing and advertising services.
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Technology Skills

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Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Performing General Physical Activities — Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Spend Time Standing — 90% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Contact With Others — 93% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 85% responded “Every day.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 85% responded “Every day.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 77% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Spend Time Walking or Running — 61% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 63% responded “Every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 51% responded “Every day.”
  • Physical Proximity — 44% responded “Moderately close (at arm's length).”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 57% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 42% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 66% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 36% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 33% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 32% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People — 61% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 36% responded “Moderate results.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 34% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Health and Safety of Other Workers — 39% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 49% responded “Never.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed
Education
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Related Experience
Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include agricultural equipment operators, dishwashers, floor sanders and finishers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, baristas, and maids and housekeeping cleaners.
SVP Range
(Below 4.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
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Apprenticeship Opportunities

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Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Knowledge

  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Food Production — Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 42%
     
    Less than high school diploma required
  • 29%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required
  • 16%
     
    Some college, no degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Interests

Interest code: SEC
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  • Social — Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Work Styles

  • Optimism — A tendency to exhibit a positive attitude and positive emotions at work, even under difficult circumstances.
  • Social Orientation — A tendency to seek out, enjoy, and be energized by social interaction at work.
  • Cooperation — A tendency to be pleasant, helpful, and willing to assist others at work.
  • Dependability — A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2024)
$14.61 hourly, $30,380 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
429,900 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Decline (-1% or lower)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
107,700
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data and 2024-2034 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

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Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

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National Associations
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