Required Years of Experience
1 year
Job Details
About Chai Pani
Chai Pani is an Indian Street Food restaurant that began as a humble 50-seat restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009. We’ve since grown to a much larger space in Asheville and opened Chai Panis in Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC, along with four locations of our fast-casual concept, Botiwalla.
Chai Pani is the recipient of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant (2022) and has received six other nominations. We've also received a Zagat Award and been featured in Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, Southern Living, USA Today, and were one of Oprah's Favorite Things.
“Chai Pani” is slang in India for going out for a cup of tea, a tasty bite, a snack, or “a little something.” For us, it means groundbreaking, fun, affordable, and delicious Indian street food—paired with a passion for making people happy and building connections through good food and compassionate hospitality.
If this sounds like a journey you want to take with us—providing extraordinary hospitality and changing the perception of Indian cuisine in America—we are currently accepting applications.
Position Summary
As the first face guests see and the last goodbye they receive, the Host sets the tone for the entire experience. You’ll greet everyone with genuine warmth, manage the flow of service with precision and calm, and create a sense of ease and excitement from the moment guests walk through the door. It’s a make-or-break position. You’ll be the compass of our dining room and a key part of our guests’ first impression.
Pay: $10.00/hour base + tips (most team members average $25–$30/hour total)
What This Role Offers
- The chance to work with a James Beard Award–winning restaurant group and Chef
- Flexibility, camaraderie, and a culture where your voice matters
- Growth, mentorship, and a community that values excellence and care
- A masterclass in hospitality systems, guest communication, and service flow
- What You Offer
- A genuine love of hospitality and being of service to others
- Warmth and empathy
- A mind for systems and puzzles
- A clear, friendly, and confident communication style
- A team-first attitude and a drive to go above and beyond for guests and coworkers alike
- A growth mindset and a commitment to upholding a culture of excellence, love, and care
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, disability, dependent care FSA, and supplemental life insurance (for full-time team members)
- Company-paid life insurance (for full- and part-time team members)
- Tip-share program
- Flexible work schedules
- Paid sick days
- Free shift meals
- Employee discount on merch, Spicewalla products, and all Chai Pani Restaurant Group locations in Asheville, Charlotte, and Atlanta
- Cash advance program
- Opportunity to apply for an annual staff trip to India after one year of employment
Our Mission
Giving back is at the heart of Chai Pani's mission. We make a difference when and where we can—from supporting educational programs in Mumbai to feeding the homeless with dignity, and within our own walls by offering competitive pay, flexible schedules, and benefits that support work-life harmony.
Join our team and help us build something truly special in Washington, DC.
Compensation Details
Compensation: Hourly ($10.00) plus tips
Benefits & Perks: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Dining Discounts
Required Skills
Customer Service Orientation
Problem Solving Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Attention to Detail
Adaptability
Time Management
Conflict Resolution
Positive Attitude
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Chai Pani is coming to one of D.C.’s most vibrant neighborhoods in the Union Market district, and we’re building a passionate team to bring it to life!
From Bombay to Asheville and Atlanta, Chai Pani has extended our love of food, hospitality, and storytelling to the south’s most essential culinary cities. In 2021, The New York Times included Chai Pani in their prestigious list of America’s Favorite Restaurants. And in 2022, 13 years after we opened our doors and ran out of food midday, Chai Pani Asheville was named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation.
Chai Pani literally means “tea and water.” It's slang in India for going out for a cup of tea, a tasty bite, a snack, or “a little something.” In Downtown Asheville and Downtown Decatur (Atlanta), it means groundbreaking, fun, affordable, and “mindblasting” Indian street food that’s changing the perception of Indian cuisine in America. It means innovative, fun, affordable and delicious Indian cuisine. We'd go so far as to say it's “mindblasting.”
Some of the best food of any country is its street food, and Chai Pani features chaat – crunchy, spicy, sweet, tangy, brightly flavored Indian street snacks. And because there's nothing more comforting and delicious in any culture than a home cooked meal, Chai Pani also brings you thalis – traditional family meals highlighting India's amazing culinary diversity.
In 2009, Chef Meherwan Irani (who grew up in Ahmednagar, in the midwestern state of Maharashtra in India) opened Chai Pani with his wife and business partner, Molly. It was the bottom of the great recession, but they had a crystal clear vision of what Chai Pani could be: They’d serve street food and home-cooked meals — the most underrepresented Indian foods in Western culture — by way of the unparalleled hospitality modeled to Meherwan as a child in his parents’ bed & breakfast. Chai Pani has since been recognized as sparking a revolution in Indian cuisine in America.
