Dining room hostess vs server

The differences between dining room hostesses and servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dining room hostess has an average salary of $33,233, which is higher than the $29,901 average annual salary of a server.

The top three skills for a dining room hostess include reservations, cleanliness and customer service. The most important skills for a server are wine, customer service, and guest satisfaction.

Dining room hostess vs server overview

	Dining Room Hostess	Server
Yearly salary	$33,233	$29,901
Hourly rate	$15.98	$14.38
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	34,343	162,734
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	39	28
Years of experience	-	-

Dining room hostess vs server salary

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

	Dining Room Hostess	Server
Average salary	$33,233	$29,901
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $21,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Dell
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between dining room hostess and server education

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

	Dining Room Hostess	Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dining room hostess vs server demographics

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

	Dining Room Hostess	Server
Average age	39	28
Gender ratio	Male, 6.7% Female, 93.3%	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between dining room hostess and server duties and responsibilities

Dining room hostess example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Supervise efficient working and maintain cleanliness.
Monitor cleanliness of dining room and overall resident satisfaction, encourage resident socialization, assist with meals as needed.
Show exceptional leadership skills in delegating tasks to other employees while encouraging and motivating teams to exceed expectations from management.

Server example responsibilities.

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Provide exceptional customer service, while frequently checking for food allergies, by utilizing excellent communication and multitasking skills.
Maximize profits by upselling food and alcoholic beverages and utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure guests repeat business.
Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
Provide exceptional service to guests with charm, professionalism, respect, and bright personality.
Embrace serving on a more personal level due the quaint, small-town charm of the location.

Dining room hostess vs server skills

Common dining room hostess skills

Reservations, 34%
Cleanliness, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Departmental Policies, 8%
Fine Dining, 6%
Seat Guests, 4%

Common server skills

Wine, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Guest Satisfaction, 8%
Cleanliness, 7%
Cash Handling, 7%
POS, 6%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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