Dining room host vs cafeteria assistant

The differences between dining room hosts and cafeteria assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dining room host has an average salary of $30,681, which is higher than the $30,012 average annual salary of a cafeteria assistant.

The top three skills for a dining room host include reservations, cleanliness and wine. The most important skills for a cafeteria assistant are kitchen equipment, cleanliness, and food handling.

Dining room host vs cafeteria assistant overview

	Dining Room Host	Cafeteria Assistant
Yearly salary	$30,681	$30,012
Hourly rate	$14.75	$14.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	36,107	7,590
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Dining room host vs cafeteria assistant salary

Dining room hosts and cafeteria assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dining Room Host	Cafeteria Assistant
Average salary	$30,681	$30,012
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $39,000	Between $21,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Lawrence, MA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Christian Academy School System
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between dining room host and cafeteria assistant education

There are a few differences between a dining room host and a cafeteria assistant in terms of educational background:

	Dining Room Host	Cafeteria Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dining room host vs cafeteria assistant demographics

Here are the differences between dining room hosts' and cafeteria assistants' demographics:

	Dining Room Host	Cafeteria Assistant
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between dining room host and cafeteria assistant duties and responsibilities

Dining room host example responsibilities.

Manage customer reservations and table seating arrangements.
Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Operate POS system to input customer orders and print checks
Work over the phone with guests create dining reservations, party events, and fulfill customer needs.
Inform guests of the owners' history in the wine industry and develop rapport by accurately answering all questions.
Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room personnel to provide fast and courteous service to patrons, and to ensure cleanliness.

Cafeteria assistant example responsibilities.

Experience with HACCP and HSE.
Self-Motivate with strong planning, organizational, and leadership skills.
Operate electronic point-of-sale (POS) equipment such as cash registers, computers and keypads.
Balance receipts with POS, prepare funds for bank deposits and prepare bank deposit report.
Maintain and submit accurate information for payroll reporting.
Hand wash all plates and bowls and stack in rack rinse off then send through dishwasher.

Dining room host vs cafeteria assistant skills

Common dining room host skills

Reservations, 30%
Cleanliness, 11%
Wine, 11%
Guest Satisfaction, 7%
Seat Guests, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%

Common cafeteria assistant skills

Kitchen Equipment, 19%
Cleanliness, 15%
Food Handling, 10%
Cash Handling, 8%
BARS, 6%
Lunch Meals, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Dining Room Host
Dining Room Host vs Cafeteria Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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