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Skilled Trades

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 salary (BLS)

$38,000

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$24k – $68k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Plan a path to Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

    Entry / Junior

    $23,560

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

    Established

    $38,000

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

    Senior

    $53,200

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.