Host or Hostess job description
A Host or Hostess is responsible for greeting, welcoming and seating customers as they enter a restaurant or dining area.
Modify this Host or Hostess job description template to attract qualified candidates who’ll fill your restaurant, bar or hotel’s needs. Similar job titles include Culinary Host.
Host or Hostess responsibilities include:
- Welcoming guests to the venue
- Providing accurate wait times and monitoring waiting lists
- Managing reservations
Job brief
We are looking for a Host or Hostess to join our team and be the first point of contact for our guests.
Host/Hostess responsibilities include greeting guests, providing accurate wait times and escorting customers to the dining and bar areas. For this role, you should have solid organizational and people skills to make sure our guests have a positive dining experience from the moment they arrive till their departure. You should also be available to work in shifts.
Ultimately, you’ll ensure we provide excellent customer service and a pleasant dining experience to our guests.
Responsibilities
- Welcome guests to the venue
- Provide accurate wait times and monitor waiting lists
- Manage reservations
- Escort customers to assigned dining or bar areas
- Provide menus and announce Waiter/Waitress’s name
- Greet customers upon their departure
- Coordinate with wait staff about available seating options
- Maintain a clean reception area
- Cater to guests who require extra attention (e.g. children, elderly)
- Answer incoming calls and address customers’ queries
- Assist wait staff as needed
Requirements and skills
- Previous work experience as a Host/Hostess or Waiter/Waitress
- Understanding of restaurant etiquette
- Familiarity with health and safety regulations
- Experience in managing reservations
- Demonstrable customer-service skills
- Excellent communication skills (via phone and in-person)
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to monitor the entire dining and bar area
- Availability to work in shifts as needed
- Good physical condition to walk and stand during an entire shift
- High school diploma; hospitality certification is a plus
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Host or Hostess do?
- A Host or Hostess makes sure that their guests feel welcomed, cared for, and valued. They create a warm and welcoming environment for patrons from the moment they enter the establishment. Hosts or Hostesses typically provide menus, take names for reservations and answer the phone.
- What are the duties and responsibilities of a Host or Hostess?
- The Host or Hostess at a restaurant is the first person who meets the customer and makes sure they are comfortable. Some duties include managing the reservation book and offering menus and drinks to guests once they sit down. Other tasks are ensuring tables are ready for seating guests, constantly monitoring dining activity, inspecting menus for cleanliness and assisting servers when necessary.
- What makes a good Host or Hostess?
- A good Host or Hostess has a warm, friendly and personable demeanor. They are team players, effective communicators and keep their composure when working with disgruntled guests. They must be highly organized to properly maintain seating charts and seat customers in the order of arrival or by appointment. A good Host or Hostess understands the flows of traffic and has exceptional time management and customer service skills.
- Who does a Host or Hostess work with?
- A Host or Hostesses work directly with guests and other restaurant staff such as Servers, Bartenders and Busboys.