Being a customer or a guest at a restaurant makes one want to feel as pampered as possible. However, if we flip the coin, there are humans like us who are making this homey environment possible. It is important to look into their lives and efforts, as well.
Every time someone leaves a restaurant, they leave a tip for their server alongside paying their bill. A restaurant, like every other business, is formed by the efforts of various people working in different departments. The most acknowledged ones are the servers, hosts/hostesses, chefs, and owners.
Out of these people, the customers only interact with two; the servers and the hosts. The tip by those customers is left for the servers but the question that, then, arises is: do the hosts earn from those tips? There is no simple yes or no answer to this question because it depends on the environment of the restaurant itself.
Usually, the tips are left with the servers and it is upon them to decide whether they want to share them with the host or not. A lot of hosts are paid minimum wage and, in those circumstances, the servers share a percentage of their tips with the hosts. These percentages may vary anywhere from 1% to 20%, depending on the tips and the amount of work the hosts help the servers with.
Since the responsibilities and the amount of work a host does varies from restaurant to restaurant, their share of the tips also varies.
Jobs of a Host
The job of the host is to welcome the guests, create appropriate seating arrangements for them and assign them servers. They are, basically, in a managerial position and are responsible for the system of the restaurant to work like a well-oiled machine.
However, in the event of the workload being too much for the servers alone, the hosts also give a hand around the restaurant, such as carrying chairs to various tables, serving food and drinks when there is a shortage of servers, and other such works, which ensure a desirable environment at the restaurant. Depending on how frequently and how much the hosts lend a hand with their servers, they receive a share of their tips, as well.
Watch this video if you are a host and are looking to become better at your job:
Do all servers share their tips?
Not all servers share their tips with their hosts and there can be multiple reasons for that. One of the reasons could be that the hosts are being paid generously for the work they are doing, so they do not need the extra compensation in the form of tips.
Additionally, in some restaurants, all servers give a previously agreed-upon percentage of their tips to their hosts, while in other instances, it may, entirely, be dependent on the server. They may choose to share their tips out of goodwill, but if they choose not to, they would not be held accountable for it. Ideally, a person at any restaurant can assume that their host is being compensated for the work they are doing, in one way or another.
Even though it is a very important question to ask oneself if the hosts are being compensated for the work they are doing, in order to not be a part of the exploitative process, it is clear that the workforce usually has each other’s backs and are not letting each other be exploited, at the hands of the system.
