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Boston Career Explorer

Food Preparation and Serving Related

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.

Also called: Buffet Hostess, Dining Coordinator, Greeter, Host, Host Coordinator, Hostess

Median pay in Greater Boston
$35,140
$16.89/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
10,580
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−2.6%
2,810 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$31,200$31,200$35,140$36,760$42,290

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure50 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 45
  • Language-model AIOE 51
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 53

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for hosts is moderate, and observed AI use is some. AI tools can help with parts of the job like managing waitlists, planning table rotation, and sharing dining details. Greeting guests, handling complaints, and making people feel welcome still rely on a person.

Likely to change

  • Managing waitlists and table assignments
  • Sharing dining details with staff

Still relies on people

  • Welcoming guests in person
  • Calming complaints and checking satisfaction

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Flight Attendants

    Greeting people, seating them, and handling concerns calmly carry over. Flight attendants earn a Boston median of $61,510 and need a high school diploma.

    Pay difference
    +$26,370 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +10.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bartenders

    Customer service and talking with guests carry over. Bartending offers short-term on-the-job training and a Boston median of $37,760.

    Pay difference
    +$2,620 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.6%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Passenger Attendants

    Guiding and helping the public carries over. Passenger attendants pay a Boston median of $43,350 with short-term training.

    Pay difference
    +$8,210 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +6.6%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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