How long does it take to become a Server And Hostess?

It takes one year or less to become a server and hostess. That is the time it takes to learn specific server and hostess skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

A host is a greeter in a restaurant, while a server is someone who brings customers their meals in a restaurant. Hosts greet incoming customers of a restaurant and either bring them to an available table or ask them to wait until a table opens up. Hosts may also answer the phone and take down reservations, and perform restaurant-essential tasks, such as rolling silverware, during their shift. It is important for hosts to be friendly and sociable when they are dealing with customers.

How To Become A Server And Hostess: What It Is and Career Path

What is a server and hostess and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

As a server and hostess, your job is to do everything except cook. You greet guests and show them to their table, you take food and beverage orders, and you might even clear off some tables. You're definitely a team player.

A server and hostess may keep unusual hours, ranging from super early morning to super late night. You might even work a few weekend shifts from time to time. And don't be surprised when you get called into work on Thanksgiving. Not everyone likes their family and turkey and prefers a night out.

As a server and hostess, you'll probably receive some tips from customers, as long as you get their orders right and provide them with excellent customer service. Still, some customers will never be happy, no matter how hard you try and those customers will make the workday seem really long.

ScoreServer And HostessUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,020

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.2

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 8.22%

Black or African American 11.45%

Hispanic or Latino 20.85%

Unknown 5.62%

White 53.05%

Gender

female 81.73%

male 18.27%

Age - 25

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 25

Stress Level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a server and hostess

Explore server and hostess education requirements

Most common server and hostess degrees

High School Diploma

38.7 %

Bachelor's

31.3 %

Associate

17.5 %

Start to develop specific server and hostess skills

Skills	Percentages
POS	10.88%
Food Preparation	9.83%
Food Orders	9.30%
Customer Orders	6.53%
Customer Service	5.76%

Complete relevant server and hostess training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New server and hostesses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a server and hostess based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real server and hostess resumes.

Research server and hostess duties and responsibilities

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Provide quality customer service, process customer transactions utilizing proprietary POS system, skillfully handle cash and credit card transactions.
Perform bartending duties during busy events or whenever require.
Coordinate with kitchen managerial staff using POS systems to ensure timely and accurate order preparation.

Prepare your server and hostess resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your server and hostess resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a server and hostess resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Server And Hostess Resume templates

Build a professional Server And Hostess resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Server And Hostess resume.

Apply for server and hostess jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a server and hostess job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do server and hostesses rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Server And Hostess reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

A total time you spend knowing and communicate and get attachment to the clients

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021

Pros

What I like about working as a hostess is that you get to greet and meet new people on a daily basis.

Cons

What I don’t like at times about being a hostess is sometimes running into those mean and rude customers at times.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I like food, I believe that food is a comfort and food brings people together, and I like being apart of this.

Cons

Many restaurants are corporate or franchisees, and they dont really have good management, which leads to not hiring people on skill, but just to fill the space, which leads to high turn over rates for both FOH, BOH and management. There's no stability

What is a server and hostess and how to become one

Server And Hostess career paths

Key steps to become a server and hostess

Explore server and hostess education requirements

Most common server and hostess degrees

Start to develop specific server and hostess skills

Complete relevant server and hostess training and internships

Research server and hostess duties and responsibilities

Prepare your server and hostess resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Server And Hostess Resume templates

Apply for server and hostess jobs

How Did You Land Your First Server And Hostess Job

Average server and hostess salary

How do server and hostesses rate their job?

Server And Hostess reviews

Server And Hostess FAQs

How long does it take to become a Server And Hostess?

Host vs Server

Search for server and hostess jobs

Server And Hostess jobs by state