How to hire a banquet captain

Banquet captain hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring banquet captains in the United States:

HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
The median cost to hire a banquet captain is $1,633.
Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per banquet captain on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
There are currently 36,170 banquet captains in the US and 60,883 job openings.
Washington, DC, has the highest demand for banquet captains, with 9 job openings.
Atlanta, GA has the highest concentration of banquet captains.

How to hire a banquet captain, step by step

To hire a banquet captain, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a banquet captain:

Here's a step-by-step banquet captain hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a banquet captain job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new banquet captain
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a banquet captain do?

Banquet captains are responsible for directing each banquet staff in the entire meal service and assign tasks to them as required. Their duties include teaching new staff members how to execute their designated tasks in the banquet. Also, they organize meetings to give updates on service or policy changes as well as administering any staff issues and resolving them in a timely manner. Additionally, they guide the setup of the banquet, preserve stock room supply, and ensure all sanitary regulations and company policies on appropriate and safe food handling are followed by every staff member.

Learn more about the specifics of what a banquet captain does

Post a banquet captain job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

First, determine the employments status of the banquet captain you need to hire. Certain banquet captain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

A banquet captain's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, banquet captains from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

This list presents banquet captain salaries for various positions.

Type of Banquet Captain	Description	Hourly rate
Banquet Captain		$13-19
Room Service Server	A room service server is an employee employed in a hotel or lodging to provide various services to the room occupants in the hotel. They often deliver ordered food, drinks, or movies to the occupants' rooms... Show more	$8-18
Fine Dining Server	Fine dining servers the people who make your stay at a restaurant enjoyable. They deliver well-written orders for the kitchen to prepare and bring your food and beverage... Show more	$10-22

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Customer Service
- Cleanliness
- Food Service
- Beverage Service
- Banquet Functions
- Wine
- Room Set-Up
- Fine Dining
- Banquet Event Orders
- Banquet Checks
- Banquet Rooms
- Culinary
- BARS
- Allergies
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage department service standards, POS system, schedules and labor / beverage costs.
- Supervise functions, delegate service staff, working closely with group contacts and culinary staff to ensure maximum possible guest experience.
- Assist management of daily operations for FOH.
- Supervise, plan, and execute in-room cater events.
- Correct POS user errors and provide comps and signature gold/promotional discounts.
- Work directly with the executive chef in planning and preparing cuisine.
More banquet captain duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your banquet captain job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A banquet captain salary can vary based on several factors:

Location. For example, banquet captains' average salary in wisconsin is 39% less than in hawaii.
Seniority. Entry-level banquet captains earn 32% less than senior-level banquet captains.
Certifications. A banquet captain with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a banquet captain's salary.

Average banquet captain salary

$16.55hourly

$34,428 yearly

Entry-level banquet captain salary

$28,000 yearly salary

Updated January 20, 2026

Average banquet captain salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$44,177	$21
2	California	$42,884	$21
3	Washington	$40,973	$20
4	Colorado	$39,853	$19
5	Texas	$38,247	$18
6	District of Columbia	$37,209	$18
7	Massachusetts	$36,460	$18
8	Oregon	$36,060	$17
9	Maryland	$35,516	$17
10	Nebraska	$34,678	$17
11	Montana	$34,556	$17
12	Virginia	$34,117	$16
13	North Carolina	$33,889	$16
14	Iowa	$33,293	$16
15	Ohio	$32,367	$16
16	Pennsylvania	$31,861	$15
17	Georgia	$31,647	$15
18	Illinois	$31,339	$15
19	Missouri	$31,221	$15
20	Louisiana	$29,989	$14

Average banquet captain salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Aspen Snowmass	$42,000	$20.19	6
2	The Culinary Institute of America	$40,517	$19.48
3	University of Colorado Boulder	$39,745	$19.11	2
4	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$38,831	$18.67
5	Rich Products	$38,708	$18.61	10
6	SMG Holdings	$38,482	$18.50
7	Sentry	$38,137	$18.34	5
8	Kohler Co.	$38,029	$18.28	7
9	Osage Casino	$37,939	$18.24	7
10	Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City	$37,415	$17.99	4
11	University of Washington	$37,207	$17.89
12	Brinker International	$36,892	$17.74
13	Sycuan Casino Resort	$36,804	$17.69
14	Georgia World Congress Center Authority	$36,558	$17.58	2
15	POWDR	$36,548	$17.57
16	Remote	$36,311	$17.46
17	HEI Hotels & Resorts	$36,254	$17.43	81
18	Vacasa	$36,245	$17.43
19	Benchmark Hospitally	$36,244	$17.43	4
20	Quality Oil	$36,243	$17.42

Writing a banquet captain job description
A good banquet captain job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a banquet captain job description:
Banquet captain job description example
About Us
At the DoubleTree by Hilton Denver Central Park we consistently rise above the competition. On day one, you will begin with a robust wage package, excellent benefit plans, a matching 401K plan, professional development, generous bonuses, travel perks and the opportunity to grow across a portfolio of 100 hotels representing all major brands. We are an Employer of Choice-we understand that the care of our team members is as important as the service we provide to our guests and the communities around us.

If you have a genuine passion for hospitality, come and join our team. You will have an important role in the delivery of outstanding service and memorable experiences for each guest. You will have fun, learn and be part of a successful journey at a growing company. Find out today what a career at the DoubleTree by Hilton Denver Central Park with Pyramid Hotel Group can mean for you!
Description
Elevate Your Career by joining the DoubleTree Denver Family!

At the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Denver Central Park we consistently rise above the competition. We are an Employer of Choice-we understand that the care of our team members is as important as the service we provide to our guests and the communities around us.

We offer all of our employees the following benefits:
- Highly competitive wages
- Free Parking
- Free Ecopass/RTD Pass
- Hotel room discounts and travel benefits with the Hilton family of brands as well as Pyramid and Benchmark hotels
- 401K Plan with Employer Match
Additionally, we offer our full-time employees the following benefits:

· Paid Time Off (PTO)

· Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO) rollover

· Paid Time Off (PTO) cash out options

· Comprehensive employee benefit/insurance programs

· Company paid life and AD&D insurance

· Tuition reimbursement

· Paid Time Off with unlimited PTO rollover and PTO cash out options

· 7 Paid Holidays

If you have a genuine passion for hospitality, come and join our team. You will have an important role in the delivery of outstanding service and memorable experiences for each guest. You will have fun, learn and be part of a successful journey at a growing company. Find out today what a career at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Denver Central Park with Pyramid Hotel Group can mean for you!

The DoubleTree by Hilton Denver Central Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. EOE/AA

Responsible for acting as a contact person for banquet functions. Also responsible for scheduling and supervising banquet staff, ensuring that functions are set correctly, helping with paperwork, linen inventory and training of staff.
Post your job
To find the right banquet captain for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with banquet captains they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit banquet captains who meet your education requirements.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your banquet captain job on Zippia to find and recruit banquet captain candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with banquet captain candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new banquet captain
Once you've decided on a perfect banquet captain candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new banquet captain. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a banquet captain?

Hiring a banquet captain comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting banquet captains involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of banquet captain recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $34,428 per year for a banquet captain, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for banquet captains in the US typically range between $13 and $19 an hour.

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Banquet Captain
How to hire a Banquet Captain

Updated January 20, 2026

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How to hire a banquet captain