How To Become A Host/Hostess: What It Is and Career Path

What is a host/hostess and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A host/hostess greets and welcomes guests at a restaurant, hotel, or event. They are responsible for ensuring a pleasant experience for guests by managing reservations, and seating arrangements, and providing information about menu items and specials. Hosts/hostesses also oversee the flow of customers and communicate with servers to ensure timely service. Additionally, they may assist in basic administrative tasks such as answering phones, taking messages, and scheduling reservations.

ScoreHost/HostessUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $26,207

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 5.98%

Black or African American 10.66%

Hispanic or Latino 21.39%

Unknown 6.90%

White 54.64%

Gender

female 82.80%

male 17.20%

Age - 20

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 20

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

3.7

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a host/hostess?

Pros

Chance to interact with people from diverse backgrounds
Ability to develop customer service and communication skills
Exposure to the culinary industry and food knowledge
Potential for discounts on meals or other perks offered by the restaurant
Possibility of meeting celebrities or VIP guests

Cons

Dealing with demanding customers and difficult situations
Standing for extended periods
Dealing with rude or intoxicated customers
Working in a noisy and crowded environment
Exposure to potential health hazards, such as kitchen accidents or foodborne illnesses.

Key steps to become a host/hostess

Explore host/hostess education requirements

Most common host/hostess degrees

High School Diploma

42.2 %

Bachelor's

24.5 %

Associate

20.2 %

Start to develop specific host/hostess skills

Skills	Percentages
Reservations	19.28%
Cleanliness	11.50%
Food Handling	7.73%
Seat Guests	7.18%
To-Go Orders	7.02%

Complete relevant host/hostess training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New host/hostesses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a host/hostess based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real host/hostess resumes.

Research host/hostess duties and responsibilities

Manage restaurant's front desk area, including welcoming customers, and operating point of sales system (POS).
Manage restaurant sections in order to equalize seating arrangements for each waiter and ensure the restaurant are stocked and well maintain.
Manage the reception desk and help with front-of-the-house operations; organize reservations through OpenTable.
Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.

Prepare your host/hostess resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your host/hostess resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a host/hostess resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable host/hostess resume templates

Build a professional host/hostess resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your host/hostess resume.