Hostess and server jobs that are related to the hospitality and tourism fields. They don’t have the same way of guiding others through the hotels and resorts that acquire guests during the tourism season.
Their jobs differ in methods. Both are carried out and are punctuated by a difference in the stand in society.
Key Takeaways
- A hostess greets and seat customers while a server takes orders and serves food.
- A hostess may answer phone calls and manage reservations, while a server may handle payments and clean tables.
- A hostess only handles food, while a server does.
Hostess vs Server
Hostesses greet customers, manage seating arrangements, take reservations, answer phone, and handle customer inquiries. A server is responsible for taking orders, serving food and drinks, and handling payment. They must have good communication skills, be knowledgeable about the menu.
Hostess is the ones who are referred to as the face of a resort or hotel as they are the ones who guests see first upon entering.
They interact with the guests and help them with most of their needs without hesitation, as that is what they are paid for. Their presence in the area is always inevitable as they run around helping the guests.
Servers are the ones who bring the meals to the guests as per their requirements and help the guests in some form in many ways.
Their interaction with the guests is always limited to just bringing out the meals and giving small suggestions. At times they are treated badly by the guests for trivial faults in the dishes.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Hostess | Server |
|---|---|---|
| Gender-Neutral | No | Yes |
| Offers Meals | No | Yes |
| It can Be Used as an Object | No | Yes |
| Plural Form | Hostesses | Servers |
| Wage Type | Monthly | Usually, daily |
What is Hostess?
The word itself shows their hospitality nature. Their dominance is in the tourism and entertainment area. In general, they are the ones who give overall care to all the services that happen around in a resort or hotel.
They have to oversee everything from the bookings and reservations to minute details such as the table and chair arrangements.
The smooth functioning of a unit depends upon the hostess and their ability to manage all the responsibilities and handle the guests. Unless they are not rushing around the dining area, the most common place to see a hostess is at the front desk or reception area.
When a guest calls the front desk, it is common for the hostess to answer the call and help the guest out. They are in charge of prior bookings in the case of restaurants and have to keep a mental tab on all the reservations made on a particular day.
Hostesses greet the guests upon arrival and help them with their room numbers and facilities at the resort. Even though they are the all-in-all at a restaurant, they can’t be seen carrying around the orders or even taking orders.
In many other cases, a hostess conducts a function and is always ready to help her guests. They invite the people over to their houses or residences, provide them with meals, and help them in their overall stay.
Hostesses couldn’t be seen free at any time owing to the highly busy timetables that keep them on their toes at all times. They are paid high by their employers as their job includes many responsibilities that must be carried out with care.
Their wages don’t depend on the number of guests visiting the restaurant or resort but are fixed monthly.
What is Server?
At times, servers are also called waiters or waitresses. The term server tends to be gender-neutral, unlike its synonym waiter/waitress.
They are the ones who bring out the meals as ordered by the guests at a restaurant or even at a resort dining area. Servers are the ones who carry out the serving for guests. Therefore, it is a self-describing noun.
Besides taking orders and taking in the meals, servers are most effective in giving guests suggestions. The most preferred meals in a hotel or dine-in are known to the servers. This helps them in giving the guests the right meal choice.
Servers are responsible for clearing out the tables and cleaning them after guests leave, and this is a significant responsibility as a clean dining area is what most people want.
Their major involvement with the food choices and small talk with the guests gives them a huge advantage. The more polite and the more effective their services are, the greater would be the tips that the guests leave them.
This is an added income to their small wages that barely cover their daily spending. Servers prove useful if the guest needs clarity on the dishes mentioned on the menu.
They also are responsible for carrying out the correct order to the right table without messing it up. The wages of a server vary from one resort or hotel to another.
It is common for servers to have daily wages throughout the world. These daily wages depend on the number of guests the unit sees in a day; therefore, it could be less or more per day.
The term server is sometimes referred to as an object. This is in terms of a spoon or spatula used to take up liquid meals. The server also refers to a platter used to serve meals.
Main Differences Between Hostess and Server
- Servers are paid tips as an additional income over their regular salary, whereas hostesses are not paid such tips.
- The salary of a hostess does not depend on the number of guests and establishment receives in a day, while that of a server does depend on it.
- The term hostess is not gender-neutral, while the term server is gender-neutral.
- Hostesses don’t bring meals up to the guests, which is the server’s sole responsibility. They are mainly recognized for this job of theirs.
- While the payment of hostesses is every month, that of servers is a daily wage.
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-172X.2005.00507.x
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1541931213571219
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
This post provides a clear and detailed comparison between hostesses and servers, but the use of gendered language in reference to the roles isn’t accurate as many hostesses and servers are male. The gender-neutral improvements are needed in the text.
This post is very informative, I appreciate this deep analysis of the differences between a hostess and a server.
I had often wondered about the differences, and this post has given me the answers I needed. It is very useful information, particularly for those in or entering the hospitality industry.
I find it surprising that hostesses are paid monthly, whereas servers receive daily wages. More information on the reasons for this pay structure difference would be useful.
The post is full of interesting insights, but it’s important to remember that the roles of hostess and server can vary greatly depending on the establishment. The descriptions provided here capture the general differences, but it’s important to note that specific responsibilities might differ in practice.
It’s interesting to learn more about the roles of hostesses and servers. It’s important to understand the level of responsibility and the different duties between the two positions.