# Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop

US SOC code 35-9031. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/35-9031

Also called: Host, Hostess, Greeter, Dining room host, Restaurant host.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **432,690** US restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop hosts and hostesses, with median pay of **$31,200** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml) of **45,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: AI-assisted reservation platforms, 2020 to 2024.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9031&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **32.9%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1830
- Latest US employment: 432,690 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $31,200 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +3.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 45,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [1] |
| 1970 | 90,000 (estimate) | $3,800 (estimate) | Est., FRED (employment) [2]; Est., US Department of Labor (pay) [5] |
| 1990 | 190,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., FRED [2] |
| 2000 | 310,000 (estimate) | $14,100 (estimate) | Est., O\*NET 30.3 (employment) [3]; Est., US Department of Labor (pay) [5] |
| 2003 | 294,300 | $15,380 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 316,400 | $15,630 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 328,930 | $15,840 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 340,390 | $16,170 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 342,960 | $16,790 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 349,990 | $17,510 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 334,310 | $18,110 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 329,020 | $18,450 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 329,070 | $18,560 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 341,400 | $18,580 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 360,970 | $18,640 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 372,670 | $18,720 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 391,150 | $19,180 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 404,360 | $19,980 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 414,540 | $20,930 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 416,950 | $22,160 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 423,380 | $23,090 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 316,700 | $23,880 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 324,690 | $24,600 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 400,420 | $27,720 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 425,020 | $29,220 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 427,150 | $30,380 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 432,690 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (79)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA -- Occupation and Industry Codes and Documentation (1950 Census occupational classification for food service workers)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [FRED -- All Employees, Food Services and Drinking Places (CES7072200001); National Restaurant Association historical employment trajectory](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES7072200001), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. [O\*NET 30.3 -- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (35-9031.00): occupation introduction under 2000 SOC](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/35-9031.00), O\*NET / BLS
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [US Department of Labor -- History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938-2009](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history), US Department of Labor / Wage and Hour Division
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Restaurant-ing through history -- Maitre d's (history of the headwaiter and dining room host, 2020)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2020/10/18/maitre-ds/), Restaurant-ing through history
8. [Boston University Hospitality Review -- From Patrons to Chefs: A History of Women in Restaurants (tea room hostess role, 2015)](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2015/08/21/from-patrons-to-chefs-a-history-of-women-in-restaurants/), Boston University
9. [America's Restaurant History -- Ever Changing Workforce (Restaurant Engine, restaurant workforce evolution)](https://restaurantengine.com/americas-restaurant-history-ever-changing-workforce/), Restaurant Engine
10. [FRED -- All Employees, Food Services and Drinking Places (CES7072200001)](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES7072200001), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [OpenTable -- Wikipedia (founding July 2, 1998; growth to 55,000 restaurants)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenTable), Wikipedia
12. [Harvard Business School Digital Innovation -- OpenTable: Restaurant Reservations Made Easy (platform history and network effects)](https://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/platform-digit/submission/opentable-restaurant-reservations-made-easy/), Harvard Business School
13. [BistroChat -- USA Restaurant Reservation Systems Market Data (digital waitlist and reservation platform history)](https://www.bistrochat.com/foodforthought/en/posts/usa-restaurant-reservation-systems-market-data.html), BistroChat
14. [SevenRooms -- AI Features for Restaurant Operations (AI Notes, AI Feedback Summaries, 2025)](https://sevenrooms.com/platform/artificial-intelligence/), SevenRooms
15. [Yelp -- Introducing Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist (October 2025, $149-$399/month)](https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-host-yelp-receptionist-launch/), Yelp
16. [Hostie AI -- AI Solutions That Make Restaurant Hosts More Effective (2025, 84% call automation rate)](https://hostie.ai/articles/ai-solutions-restaurant-host-hostess-teams), Hostie AI
17. [Restaurant Technology News -- How Voice AI Is Changing the Way Restaurants Handle Phone Reservations (December 2025)](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2025/12/how-voice-ai-is-changing-the-way-restaurants-handle-phone-reservations/), Restaurant Technology News
18. [Slang AI -- The Voice AI Reservation Tool for Restaurants (2022 launch)](https://www.slang.ai/), Slang AI

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 35-9031 Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop (2025: 444.2 thousand; 2035: 459.5 thousand; +3.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=35-9031&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 35-9031.00, human-rated β 0.329)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Boston University Hospitality Review -- From Patrons to Chefs: A History of Women in Restaurants (1851 lady attendants reference)](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2015/08/21/from-patrons-to-chefs-a-history-of-women-in-restaurants/), Boston University
22. [Restaurant-ing through history -- Maitre d's (2020): L.D. Houston and the displacement of Black headwaiters from premium dining rooms](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2020/10/18/maitre-ds/), Restaurant-ing through history
23. [OpenTable -- Wikipedia (founding July 2, 1998; history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenTable), Wikipedia
24. [Wikipedia -- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States (8 million jobs lost, 2.5M below pre-COVID by end of 2020)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_on_the_restaurant_industry_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
25. [Yelp -- Introducing Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist (October 2025)](https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-host-yelp-receptionist-launch/), Yelp

### Predecessors & successors

26. [Restaurant-ing through history -- Maitre d's (headwaiter history, predominantly Black professionals in premium hotel dining)](https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2020/10/18/maitre-ds/), Restaurant-ing through history
27. [Boston University Hospitality Review -- From Patrons to Chefs: A History of Women in Restaurants](https://www.bu.edu/bhr/2015/08/21/from-patrons-to-chefs-a-history-of-women-in-restaurants/), Boston University

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 -- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (35-9031.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/35-9031.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Yelp -- Introducing Yelp Host and Yelp Receptionist (October 2025)](https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-host-yelp-receptionist-launch/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Restaurant Technology News -- How Voice AI Is Changing the Way Restaurants Handle Phone Reservations (December 2025)](https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2025/12/how-voice-ai-is-changing-the-way-restaurants-handle-phone-reservations/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [SevenRooms -- AI Features for Restaurant Operations (2025)](https://sevenrooms.com/platform/artificial-intelligence/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Hostie AI -- AI Solutions That Make Restaurant Hosts More Effective (2025)](https://hostie.ai/articles/ai-solutions-restaurant-host-hostess-teams), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Toast POS -- How to Run an Efficient Restaurant Host Stand in 2025](https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/how-to-run-a-restaurant-host-stand), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2023 -- GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Slang AI -- The Voice AI Reservation Tool for Restaurants](https://www.slang.ai/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.