Bar host vs food runner

The differences between bar hosts and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food runner has an average salary of $25,536, which is higher than the $24,113 average annual salary of a bar host.

The top three skills for a bar host include reservations, wine and guest satisfaction. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Bar host vs food runner overview

	Bar Host	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$24,113	$25,536
Hourly rate	$11.59	$12.28
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	82,035	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Bar host vs food runner salary

Bar hosts and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bar Host	Food Runner
Average salary	$24,113	$25,536
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $31,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between bar host and food runner education

There are a few differences between a bar host and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Bar Host	Food Runner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bar host vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between bar hosts' and food runners' demographics:

	Bar Host	Food Runner
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 5.8% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between bar host and food runner duties and responsibilities

Bar host example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.
Build relationships with guests -help prepare for restaurant opening -Maintain restaurant at all times -Persuasive- positive use of upselling techniques

Food runner example responsibilities.

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).
Expedite the kitchen to ensure food leaves fast and accurately.
Demonstrate strong computational skills for tendering receipt of payments from clients.

Bar host vs food runner skills

Common bar host skills

Reservations, 24%
Wine, 10%
Guest Satisfaction, 7%
POS, 7%
Cleanliness, 7%
Fine Dining, 6%

Common food runner skills

Cleanliness, 20%
Wine, 9%
Culinary, 7%
Food Orders, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Handling, 5%

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Bar Host
Bar Host vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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