SOC 35-9031.00Bright outlook

    Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

    Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.

    Median pay
    $31,200
    Growth
    +3.4%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    107,100
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $22,340
    Median
    $31,200
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $43,990
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    432,690 people work in this occupation.

    What hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    37 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    12 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    71 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    57 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    52 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SEC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    70
    Getting Information
    69
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    66
    Performing General Physical Activities
    66
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    66
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    64
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    61
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    60
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    59
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    59
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Service Orientation
    • Speaking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Coordination
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Critical Thinking
    • Active Learning
    • Negotiation

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Food Production
    • Psychology
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Foreign Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Sales and Marketing

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Recognition
    • Speech Clarity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Far Vision

    Work styles

    • Cooperation
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Dependability
    • Empathy
    • Self-Control
    • Sincerity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Bar Host · Bar Hostess · Breakfast Host · Buffet Hostess · Deli Host (Delicatessen Host) · Dining Coordinator · Dining Room Host · Dining Room Hostess · Front Desk Host · Front Desk Hostess

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    7 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.