How to Train a Hostess: Hostess Training Program (Free Manual Template)

The restaurant host or hostess is the first point of contact for any customer who enters your establishment. Hostess training is often overlooked, but it can improve the guest experience and prepare your staff for more senior positions within the restaurant industry.

Working as a host or hostess is often an entry point into the hospitality sector, but restaurant owners should take care to train hosts appropriately for the job. This position has one of the best vantage points in the restaurant for noticing pressing issues and front-of-house problems.

Hostess training can help boost staff engagement levels by providing workers with the training, support, and feedback they need to do their personal best, reducing turnover in the long run.

In this guide, you’ll learn all there is to know about training hosts and hostesses. We'll cover the best training programs, hostess skills, training types, and even how to hire and apply for hostess jobs.

What’s in This Guide?

• Best Hostess Training Programs

• Job Skills Developed in Training

• Types of Host/Hostess Training

• How to Apply for a Hostess Job Post-Training

• How to Hire and Onboard New Hosts

• Final Thoughts

The Best Hostess Training Programs

To ensure that your staff are competent and kind hosts, you should consider using hostess training programs to upskill your employees. These can be in person at a specialized school but are more likely to be held virtually through online courses.

Host training programs usually last a week or two and teach everything from creating a great guest experience to tricks of the trade. Here’s what these types of programs typically cover:

• Greeting guests

• Interpersonal skills

• Serving food

• Waiting guests

• Food safety

• Dealing with special requests

• Improving the overall guest experience

• Open and friendly communication

• Problem-solving and conflict mediation

• Managing the restaurant reservation system

This list isn’t exhaustive, and there are plenty of other hosting duties that are taught depending on the course. Below, we’ll share some of the best hostess training programs we've come across for you to train great hosts.

Formal Host and Hostess Training Programs

Hostess training is often carried out on the job, which means that you’ll have to assign a senior member of staff to train and onboard new hosts. This is easier and gives you more control over your training process, but can be inefficient and time-consuming. 

Instead, you might want to send your new hires to obtain formal qualifications from in-person schools. Here are some of the best we've found:

1. Premier Food Safety: If you’re seeking a more formal certification, Premier Food Safety offers in-person classes in seven states. Training time varies by state, but courses are usually between $100 and $200, so they are very affordable for restaurants of all sizes.

2. Institute of Culinary Education: With campuses in New York and Los Angeles, the Institute of Culinary Education offers a Restaurant & Culinary Management Arts course that spans 7 months of in-person classes. Participants get top training from industry experts on creating an unbeatable guest experience and what a successful establishment should look like.

Online Host and Hostess Training Courses

Nowadays, many restaurants prefer to train their staff virtually via online courses before supplementing this training with some hands-on experience in their own establishment. Here are some of the best online hostess training classes:

1. The National Restaurant Association: This institution is one of the most reputable hospitality organizations in the US and offers online certification classes in various topics linked to hosting, including food handling, allergens, and food safety. They vary in length and cost around $15-$30 each.

2. EdApp: EdApp is an organization that supplies prospective restaurant hosts with a range of courses covering everything from food safety to handling. Their Art of Bussing course is quick and free and teaches skills like interpersonal communication, interacting with guests, and front-of-house responsibilities.

3. The Waiter’s Academy: Tailored to providing training for high-end establishments, The Waiter’s Academy Fine-Dining Course is an online certification that can prepare any restaurant hostess for success. It covers meeting and greeting guests, how to handle a busy restaurant, and everything needed to become a great host.

Host & Hostess Job Skills Developed from Training

A restaurant hostess has many duties that require varying levels of soft and hard skills. Hostess responsibilities include seating guests, managing restaurant operations, and adding to the general aura of the fine dining experience.

Here are some of the basic and advanced skills a hostess needs to succeed.

Basic Host and Hostess Skills

For entry-level hosts, basic hosting skills are required. For example, a good host or hostess will excel in soft skills in order to put customers at ease and make them feel comfortable while they wait for a table. Here are some basic hostess skills you should look for:

• Communication: The host or hostess is the first person a customer will encounter upon entering the restaurant or even prior to this if they call to make a reservation. As a result, hostesses should be friendly and inviting, giving the customer a warm welcome using strong communication skills.

• Organization: Hosts keep track of the reservation list, give customers potential wait times, and contact them when their tables are ready. They are also responsible for special requests, like customer celebrations or food allergies. All these duties require strong organizational skills and a good memory.

• Attention to Detail: From their vantage point at the front of the house, hosts keep an eye on the floor so they know where to seat customers and balance the workflow for the servers. This requires special attention to detail and keen alertness. 

• Restaurant Technology Skills: Sometimes, hosts may be the point of contact when a customer wants to pay the bill and assist with taking and packing up takeout orders, so they’ll also need to be familiar with the restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system. 

Advanced Host and Hostess Skills

An experienced host or hostess should be able to take on some of the duties of a server or bartender if the restaurant is overcrowded or understaffed. They should also have training in health and food safety and human resources, among other things. Here are some advanced hostess skills that are desirable for the best hosts:

• Food Safety Knowledge: Even though hosts don’t usually handle and prepare food, they should still have training in food safety, particularly if they occasionally cover for servers or back-of-house staff.

• Work Safety Knowledge: Hosts and hostesses should have training in things like health and fire safety in the event of an accident or disaster.

• Sexual Harassment Training: Human resources and workplace skills are desirable for hostesses, specifically training in sexual harassment. This will keep your establishment accountable and non-toxic, making it a great place to be for both your guests and your staff.

• Management Skills: The best hostesses will display adept people management skills. This will help you promote from within, as your hostess could easily be promoted to restaurant manager with the right training and experience.

Pursuing these advanced skills can demonstrate that a host or hostess is committed to restaurant work and may be ready to move into a server or management position.

Types of Host and Hostess Training

Training hostesses can occur in three different ways. For one, you could send them to culinary school, where they can get hands-on experience before they start a position with you. Secondly, you could direct them to online hosting courses for easily accessible virtual training. Lastly, you can give them on-the-job training by simply hiring a qualified person and developing them as they work.

On-The-Job Host and Hostess Training 

As with servers, most training for hosts and hostesses takes place on the job. New employees are usually issued a training manual that will guide them through the restaurant’s philosophy, style of hospitality, and various procedures essential to the job.

Once they go through the manual, most hosts and hostesses will spend some time shadowing a more experienced employee to get some practical experience. 

The advantage to this sort of training is that new hosts and hostesses have a chance to observe how things work at their particular restaurant and get some hands-on dining room practice, all while getting paid. The disadvantage is that many of the specifics apply to one particular restaurant and may not be transferable to future jobs.

Formal Host and Hostess Training Programs 

There aren’t many formal training programs for restaurant hosts and hostesses. Most hostesses can learn on the job, and the particulars of the job usually vary from restaurant to restaurant. However it is possible to receive formal training for certain certifications in restaurant-specific topics.

There are many specialized schools and colleges around the US that offer culinary training in things like food safety, food handling, and catering etiquette. These institutions can offer huge benefits if you have the time and money to attend, as participants will receive formal training from industry experts. The downside, however, is that it’s inflexible in terms of scheduling, but it does allow trainees the opportunity to ask questions. 

Online Host and Hostess Training 

Online programs provide similar information as in-person training programs, but they can be done on the employee’s own time at their own pace. 

The disadvantage of these online programs is that it’s not usually hands-on and there aren’t as many opportunities to ask questions. Practical experience is certainly required if you want to become a good host, so you’ll need to combine this training with an actual restaurant position.

How to Apply for a Host or Hostess Job After Training

Many restaurants are in need of high-quality hosts and hostesses. They usually place ads on restaurant industry websites, job boards, and local publications, or they try to find candidates through their network of personal contacts. 

If you’re looking for a hostess job, you should make sure to update your resume frequently with newly acquired skills and certifications. These things can show potential employers that the applicant is serious about working in the restaurant industry or, if they have more work experience, worthy of a promotion.

You can scroll through job boards online to find out who’s hiring, but it’s also worth going into the restaurants themselves and asking the staff there. That way, you can give off a great first impression and demonstrate your people skills before they’ve even seen your hostess resume.

Tips for Hiring & Onboarding Hostesses

Hostess training is often somewhat neglected in favor of waiting staff training. As a business owner, you should always look to invest time into a solid training and onboarding process for your new hosts and hostesses. Here are some tips you can follow to create a successful hostess onboarding program:

1. Meet Your Candidates in Person: Many places now hire over the phone or via video interview. You need to be sure that your host can deal with people kindly and politely, so you should always meet them in person to evaluate their personality more thoroughly.

2. Help Them Learn the Restaurant: Take the time to show your new hostess around the place and really help them get to grips with everything you do. Sometimes, it’s worth giving your hostess side work (such as to manage seating or serve food) to get them used to the daily requirements of your business.

3. Role-Play Hypothetical Issues: Role-playing lets your new hires experience potential problems in a more comfortable environment. This proactive approach helps them learn what the solutions are before the issues arise and also enables you to see what resolutions your new hostess offers.

4. Give Them Hands-On Experience: By pairing your new hire with an experienced host, you can help them build their skills and resolve any queries they may have. Having your new hostess shadow another employee is a great way to give them practical hosting experience.

5. Provide Constant Feedback: Regular feedback is vital for your employees to learn and grow in their job roles. Offer continuous sessions where you review their performance and give them insights into how they could improve. Don’t forget to also highlight what they’re doing well!

These five tips will massively boost your onboarding process for new hosts and hostesses. If done well, you’ll have trained a great host who you may one day be able to promote through the ranks of your business.

Final Thoughts on Hostess Training

Hostesses are the first people to greet customers, so it’s important that they receive the best possible training. As a restaurant owner, you should know what skills a host should possess and how to optimize your hiring and onboarding process for new employees. As a prospective hostess, ensure you continue seeking out additional training to keep your skills sharp and do the best possible job.

Here at Toast, we offer a comprehensive suite of restaurant solutions that can integrate seamlessly with your trained staff to improve flexibility, guest experience, and employee happiness. From our user-friendly POS system to high-tech Toast integrations and hardware, our solutions can help you run your establishment. Get a demo to learn more. 

FAQs

What are the responsibilities of a hostess?

A hostess is the face of the restaurant. Their main responsibilities include greeting customers at the door, managing reservations and restaurant layout, and solving any problems customers may have. They may also be required to fill in for servers and waiting staff.

How long is hostess training?

Depending on whether you choose on-the-job training, formal education, or online courses, hostess training can take anywhere between one week and seven months. Quick courses online and on-the-job training are the most common and are typically completed within two weeks.

Is hostess a stressful job?

Everyone reacts differently in different situations. What might be stressful for one person may be easily managed by another. In general, hosting is not a stressful job, but there will naturally be a few stressful moments every now and then, especially during busy times.

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