View Alert

Statewide occupation search

Sort your search results or select and compare details of two occupations. Find out if an occupation is in demand or not in demand in your local area, at Learn about an occupation.

Print

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.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
    • Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
    • Assist other restaurant workers by serving food and beverages, or by bussing tables.
    • Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
    • Direct patrons to coatrooms and waiting areas, such as lounges.
    • Prepare cash receipts after establishments close, and make bank deposits.
    • Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.
    • Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
    • Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.
    • Hire, train, and supervise food and beverage service staff.
    • Confer with other staff to help plan establishments' menus.
    • Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
    • Inspect restrooms for cleanliness and availability of supplies, and clean restrooms when necessary.
    • Take and prepare to-go orders.
    • Take and prepare to-go orders.
    • Inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.
    • Inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.
    • Receive and record patrons' dining reservations.
    • Operate cash registers to accept payments for food and beverages.
    • Order or requisition supplies and equipment for tables and serving stations.
    • Hire, train, and supervise food and beverage service staff.
    • Perform marketing and advertising services.
    • Provide guests with menus.
    • Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.

    Skills

    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.

    Abilities

    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    36500/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    17.55/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    9,050
    Yearly Projected Openings
    2400

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation
    • Persistence
    • Self Control
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Cash registers
    • Commercial use coffee or iced tea makers
    • Desktop computers
    • Ice dispensers
    • Non carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Personal computers
    • Pocket calculator
    • Point of sale POS terminal
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Touch screen monitors

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software