"Host" (restaurant)

Question

What is the word/term for a restaurant host (the person who greets and seats customers as they come in)?

I've found "anfitrión", which refers to the host of a home or party, and "saludador"—a greeter at a public place. Can either of these be used to refer to a restaurant host?

Answer 1

I work in restaurant. My friends (Mexican) have never heard of anfitrión to mean host/hostess of a restaurant and they told me that there isn't really a word for it. There is also no word for booth only table. They just use "limpiador/a" for busser and "mesero/a" for waiter. They have never heard of camarera to mean anything but like someone in a hotel or something, like a maid I think they said.

What is actually used is what we need to hear. Thanks. Now we need to know if there are regional usages. - 0074b507, Mar 14, 2010

Answer 2

I think anfitrión is the word that was used in our video lessons in that context.

Not everyone agrees, however

In the link, one person says that the "host" in Mexican restaurants, almost always a woman, is referred to with the English "hostess". Alternately, if the host is the head waiter, he might be called "el capitán de meseros". Does this sound right? - Soninmyeyes, Mar 14, 2010

Gender bias always strikes me as realistic. anfitriona=hostess, but it may be regional. - 0074b507, Mar 14, 2010