Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
What it pays
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop earn a median of $15.00/hr — about $31,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $10.74/hr; the top 10% earn $21.15/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop earn a median of $15.00/hr — about $31,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $10.74/hr; the top 10% earn $21.15/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Provide guests with menus.
- Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
- Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
- Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
- Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
- Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
Working for yourself
About 0.1% of hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, take-charge and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Chefs and Head Cooks
- Fast Food and Counter Workers
- Cooks, Fast Food
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
- Bartenders
- Dishwashers
Quick questions
- How much does a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop make?
- The median pay is $15.00 per hour — roughly $31,000 a year, with the real range running from about $10.74/hr (10th percentile) to $21.15/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop actually do all day?
- Provide guests with menus. Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings. Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.