The Complete Guide to Becoming A Host and Hostess, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
The real pay, real daily grind, and real career path of the person who runs the front door of every restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop in America.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Learn what hospitality hosts actually do, what they earn, and whether you have what it takes to handle the front door before you apply.
About this book
You have seen the host stand at every restaurant and coffee shop you've ever walked into. You have seen the person with the tablet and the smile, juggling a line of hungry customers, a ringing phone, and a server asking if their table is ready. But you have probably never been told what that job actually costs and pays. This guide is for you if you are trying to decide whether to make that person you. It is not a training manual for your first week. It is a career decision tool grounded in real numbers and real schedules.
Reader Reviews
Jason Martin
★★★★★I am a junior in high school looking for my first real job, and this book actually made me feel prepared instead of just nervous. I had no idea that hosts have a table rotation system or that I could ask for a test shift. The salary numbers in chapter 4 were lower than I assumed, but it's better to know that now. I highlighted the entire chapter on landing my first job. It's direct, a little repetitive in places, but it gave me a plan I never had before.
Jennifer Adams
★★★★★I am 32 and considering a career change from retail to something new, and I picked this up to see if hospitality was it. I appreciated that it didn't tell me to follow my passion, it just told me the real schedule and the real pay. The chapter on whether this is right for you made me realize I hate closing shifts too much to make this a long-term thing. It's a useful reality check, though I wish the chapter on career growth had more examples of people who actually moved up.
Mark Clark
★★★★★This is a solid primer for someone who has literally never stepped behind a host stand. I've been a server for two years and bought it for my younger brother who is 19 and looking to start. The hourly breakdown in chapter 6 is accurate, from the side work to the rush. It was a bit basic for me, but that's not the point. The FAQ chapter alone is worth it, especially the bit about what happens when the restaurant is overbooked. It will save you a lot of panic on your first Friday night.