Who is the restaurant hostess and what is his responsibility?

Today, many students, as well as those who are looking for temporary part-time jobs, pay special attention to the profession of hostesses. In addition, this position is suitable for those interested in the restaurant or hotel business.

Who is a hostess and what functions does it perform? What are the requirements for an employee? What personal characteristics, as well as knowledge, should he have? You will find answers to these, as well as some other questions in our material.

Hostess is a representative of the hotel, restaurant and entertainment business. The work of this person is to meet the guests of a particular institution. The hostess working in the restaurant escorts customers to the table, and those employees who work at the hotel - to the room. In addition, they are engaged in solving various problems and issues that may arise with the client during his stay in the institution. The employee’s workplace is located at the reception desk.

Generally speaking, this post arose in the 19th century. The need for its appearance was that the waiters who previously served as hostesses were overloaded and could not cope with their direct tasks, which are prescribed in their job description.

The profession of hostesses is perceived by many girls as quite easy money, therefore this position is quite popular among young people. However, at the same time, during employment, it should be borne in mind that such professional activities (like any other) are characterized not only by virtues, but also by a large number of shortcomings. In this regard, before getting a job, it is important to familiarize yourself with all the positive and negative characteristics of the hostess profession.

Let's start with its advantages.

• Easy recruitment process. In order to get such a job, you do not need to have any special knowledge, skills or abilities. It is enough to be a disciplined and responsible person, as well as meet all the requirements that an institution puts forward to the appearance of such employees.
• Education is optional. Obviously, universities and institutions of higher education do not train specialists in this profession. In addition, you do not need to take any additional courses or trainings. You will be taught everything you need at the place of your work or in the internship process.
• Communication with a lot of people. In the course of your professional activity, you will be able to get acquainted with a large number of people (and not only with colleagues and employees of a restaurant or cafe, but also with customers).
• The opportunity to get acquainted with the business processes of the restaurant. If you are interested in the restaurant business, then working as a hostess can be the first step on your career path. Even such a starting position will give you the opportunity to get acquainted with the basic processes that occur in the restaurant.
• Additional payment in the form of a tip. Quite often, customers of catering establishments (especially premium restaurants) tip the hostesses who served them.

Despite the presence of a large number of positive characteristics of the profession, do not forget about the possible negative.

• Strict appearance requirements. The possibility of employment for a hostess position directly depends on your appearance. So, employers can make demands on your overall appearance, your figure, hair color, and other details.
• Low pay. The profession of hostesses is low-skilled, and therefore low-paid. However, at the same time, it is worth remembering about possible tips that can positively affect the overall material reward for your work. But you should not completely rely on tips, as they are not a constant type of income.
• Additional responsibilities. Depending on the particular catering establishment, as well as on the policies pursued by the management, the hostess's responsibilities may include a variety of actions and tasks. So, the main part of the work is to meet visitors and accompany them to the table, as well as to accompany the guests. However, at the same time, cases are widespread where restaurant managers ask employees to do other work, for example, to help waiters in taking orders or to assist in the cleaning process.
• Temporary nature of work. Few hostesses take their work so seriously as to build their future careers on it. In addition, there are no growth prospects.
• High stress. In the process of their professional activity, the hostess communicates with people, and this automatically indicates a high level of stress of this work.

For any profession and specialty there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled by a person holding a particular position. However, several unusual types of requirements may be put forward for a hostess position: for example, it is important for many employers how a person dresses. At the same time, in order to get the desired job, in no case should you violate these rules.

Primary requirements:

• neat and aesthetically pleasing appearance;
• sports figure;
• age from 18 to 30 years;
• competent speech and posed voice, good diction;
• a beautiful smile and so on.

In order to successfully fulfill the duties of a hostess should have such personal qualities and character traits as:

• resourcefulness (you should be able to solve any problem);
• stress resistance;
• sociability and the ability to find a common language with any person;
• friendliness;
• optimism;
• politeness;
• tact and much more.

Despite the fact that the hostess should not have the appropriate education, he still must have a certain amount of knowledge, namely:

• service and maintenance standards;
• basic knowledge of human psychology;
• the basics of business processes (depending on the specific area - hotel, restaurant or entertainment business);
• business communication rules;
• know the action plan in case the hostess is working, for example, at a conference or exhibition;
• knowledge of foreign languages, etc.

The responsibilities of the hostess include the following tasks:

• meeting with guests;
• accompaniment to the desired table (room);
• assistance in any questions the guests may have (for example, indicate where the restroom is located).

In general, the hostess is committed to creating the perfect atmosphere for visitors. So, he should talk with customers, find out their comments on a particular occasion, and thank for the positive feedback. Thus, the hostess is the “face” of the institution and does a large amount of the most diverse work necessary to create a pleasant atmosphere for the client.

The job description of the hostess includes the following items:

• control over the work of waiters;
• cleanliness control in the room;
• restaurant reservations;
• resolving conflicts with guests;
• communication with guests and more.

The hostess earns quite a bit. So, depending on the region of residence, as well as on the level of the institution in which he works, the hostess can receive from 15,000 to 30,000 rubles. At the same time, tips can double such a salary.

In order to get a job in this position, you need to correctly compose a resume. You can use our examples for this.