Informal waiter/waitress vs hostess

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and hostesses 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 $24,354 average annual salary of an informal waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for an informal waiter/waitress include beverage orders, waiter and customer service. The most important skills for a hostess are reservations, exceptional guest, and seat guests.

Informal waiter/waitress vs hostess overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Hostess
Yearly salary	$24,354	$26,298
Hourly rate	$11.71	$12.64
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	3,660	82,629
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

What does an informal waiter/waitress do?

An informal waiter/waitress is primarily in charge of serving patrons in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and other similar dining establishments, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with kitchen and management staff, greeting and welcoming customers, providing menus and answering inquiries, offering suggestions, and serving the customers' orders promptly and accurately. They may also process payments or provide other assistance as needed. Furthermore, an informal waiter/waitress must maintain the cleanliness of tables and workspaces, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

What does a hostess do?

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.

Informal waiter/waitress vs hostess salary

Informal waiter/waitresses and hostesses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Hostess
Average salary	$24,354	$26,298
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Saratoga Springs, NY	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	New York	Maine
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	V-Soft Consulting
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and hostess education

There are a few differences between an informal waiter/waitress and a hostess in terms of educational background:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Hostess
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs hostess demographics

Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and hostesses' demographics:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Hostess
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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 informal waiter/waitress and hostess duties and responsibilities

Informal waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Train in bartending duties, knowledgeable of preparation of alcoholic beverages.
Request and record customer orders, and totale orders using the POS system.
Help bartending when staff are short.
Fix POS computers, printers, and credit card systems above and beyond job responsibilities.
Start as a busboy and are quickly promote to a waiter when a spot are made available.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.

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.

Informal waiter/waitress vs hostess skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

Beverage Orders, 48%
Waiter, 18%
Customer Service, 12%
Food Service, 9%
Fine Dining, 3%
Wine, 2%

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
Informal Waiter/Waitress
Informal Waiter/Waitress vs Hostess

Updated January 8, 2025

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