Bar hostess vs food runner

The differences between bar hostesses and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bar hostess has an average salary of $25,990, which is higher than the $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.

The top three skills for a bar hostess include reservations, cleanliness and drink orders. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Bar hostess vs food runner overview

	Bar Hostess	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$25,990	$25,536
Hourly rate	$12.50	$12.28
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	67,446	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Bar hostess vs food runner salary

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

	Bar Hostess	Food Runner
Average salary	$25,990	$25,536
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	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 hostess and food runner education

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

	Bar Hostess	Food Runner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bar hostess vs food runner demographics

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

	Bar Hostess	Food Runner
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.4% 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 hostess and food runner duties and responsibilities

Bar hostess example responsibilities.

Lead the quality assurance line to maintain accuracy, presentation, and cleanliness with every plait meal.
Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Schedule reservations and handle customer concerns and special requests.
Receive, record and make any necessary arrangements for reservations and special functions in restaurant.
Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality, with or without reasonable accommodation.

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 hostess vs food runner skills

Common bar hostess skills

Reservations, 26%
Cleanliness, 20%
Drink Orders, 16%
Seat Guests, 7%
Food Orders, 4%
Fine Dining, 4%

Common food runner skills

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

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Bar Hostess
Bar Hostess vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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