Dining room host vs hostess

The differences between dining room hosts and hostesses 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 $26,298 average annual salary of a hostess.

The top three skills for a dining room host include reservations, cleanliness and wine. The most important skills for a hostess are reservations, exceptional guest, and seat guests.

Dining room host vs hostess overview

	Dining Room Host	Hostess
Yearly salary	$30,681	$26,298
Hourly rate	$14.75	$12.64
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	36,107	82,629
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	39	23
Years of experience	-	-

Dining room host vs hostess salary

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

	Dining Room Host	Hostess
Average salary	$30,681	$26,298
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $39,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	V-Soft Consulting
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between dining room host and hostess education

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

	Dining Room Host	Hostess
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dining room host vs hostess demographics

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

	Dining Room Host	Hostess
Average age	39	23
Gender ratio	Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%	Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	5%

Differences between dining room host and hostess 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.

Hostess example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Welcome guests upon arrival and provide seating arrangements base upon OpenTable reservations and guest preference.
Greet by name and escort patrons to their personalize private dining area while coordinating reservations and exemplifying customer service
Help bar back when need and learned minimal skills in bartending.
Make managers aware of guests' special dining requirements and allergies.
Set up and maintain continental breakfast buffet, hors d'oeuvres and VIP bar.

Dining room host vs hostess skills

Common dining room host skills

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

Common hostess skills

Reservations, 49%
Exceptional Guest, 9%
Seat Guests, 4%
To-Go Orders, 4%
Bus Tables, 3%
Telephone Calls, 2%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Dining Room Host
Dining Room Host vs Hostess

Updated January 8, 2025

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