Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
SOC 35-9031BLS OEWS May 2025
Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.
National median · BLS
$31,200
▲ +2.7%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$32,690
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
432,690
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$22,340
25th
$27,570
Median (50th)
$31,200
75th
$36,250
90th — top pay
$43,990
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
BLS projects employment of hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 107,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
444,200 → 459,500
+15,300 jobs
Projected change
+3.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
107,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
2% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop do
Provide guests with menus.
Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.
Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.
Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $31,200.
