A customer interacts with a remote hostess at a restaurant in Queens. Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Several restaurants in the New York area are working with a company that employs cashiers who videoconference in from the Philippines.

For restaurant owners, using virtual hosts could cut down on rising costs. But others see a model rife for abuse: The remote workers are paid $3 an hour, their management company said. The minimum wage in New York City is $16 an hour.