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The differences between hostesses and food servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hostess has an average salary of $26,298, which is higher than the $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for a hostess include reservations, exceptional guest and seat guests. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.
| Hostess | Food Server | |
| Yearly salary | $26,298 | $25,209 |
| Hourly rate | $12.64 | $12.12 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 82,629 | 125,455 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Hostesses are responsible for managing guests who come to the restaurant. They greet guests, ensure that the guests have tables ready before letting them into the restaurant floor, guide the guests to their assigned tables, and introduce the guests to the waiter assigned to the table. Hostesses also manage the reservation list, often manning the restaurant's reservation hotline. They also control the entry of guests, answer any query that guests may have, and take note of any special requests. Hostesses ensure that guests have the best possible restaurant experience.
A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
Hostesses and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hostess | Food Server | |
| Average salary | $26,298 | $25,209 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $34,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Vermont |
| Best paying company | V-Soft Consulting | Gettysburg College |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a hostess and a food server in terms of educational background:
| Hostess | Food Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between hostesses' and food servers' demographics:
| Hostess | Food Server | |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 7% |