Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
What Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Do
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 0.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
- English Languageimportance 3.7/5
- Food Productionimportance 3.0/5
- Psychologyimportance 2.5/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.4/5
- Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 2.4/5
- Foreign Languageimportance 2.4/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Spend Time Standing4.8/5
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
- Spend Time Walking or Running4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Receptionists and Information Clerks97% skill match
- Waiters and Waitresses97% skill match
- Gambling Dealers97% skill match
- Cashiers96% skill match
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks96% skill match
- Manicurists and Pedicurists96% skill match
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service96% skill match
- Bill and Account Collectors96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.6/5
- Negotiationimportance 2.6/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.6/5
- Instructingimportance 2.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Avenista Table Reservations
- GuestBridge Reserve
- Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
- OpenTable
- Reservation software
- iMagic Restaurant Reservation
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Optimism
- Dependability
- Empathy
- Self-Control
- Sincerity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- EnterprisingMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticMedium
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC3.33× national avg
- 2Barnstable Town, MA2.60× national avg
- 3Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC2.43× national avg
- 4Kahului-Wailuku, HI2.39× national avg
- 5Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL2.30× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Waiters and WaitressesLateral Move
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksCareer Change
- CashiersCareer Change
- First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services WorkersCareer Change
See the full career path from Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop →