Host/waiter vs food runner

The differences between host/waiters and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a host/waiter has an average salary of $25,593, which is higher than the $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.

The top three skills for a host/waiter include customer service, food handling and waiter. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Host/waiter vs food runner overview

	Host/Waiter	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$25,593	$25,536
Hourly rate	$12.30	$12.28
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	73,399	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

Host/waiter vs food runner salary

Host/waiters and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Host/Waiter	Food Runner
Average salary	$25,593	$25,536
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $34,000	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 host/waiter and food runner education

There are a few differences between a host/waiter and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Host/Waiter	Food Runner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Host/waiter vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between host/waiters' and food runners' demographics:

	Host/Waiter	Food Runner
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 10.1% White, 50.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	6%	8%

Differences between host/waiter and food runner duties and responsibilities

Host/waiter example responsibilities.

Manage restaurant sections in order to equalize seating arrangements for each waiter and ensure the restaurant are stocked and well maintain.
Train employees on job duties and POS system.
Edit POS system to adjust for changes in prices and new inventory to assist ease of usage for employees.
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Maximize profits by upselling food and alcoholic beverages and utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure guests repeat business.

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.

Host/waiter vs food runner skills

Common host/waiter skills

Customer Service, 27%
Food Handling, 21%
Waiter, 10%
Food Orders, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Customer Orders, 3%

Common food runner skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Host/Waiter
Host/Waiter vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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