Waiter/Waitress
Waiters and waitresses, often referred to as servers, play a crucial role in the hospitality and restaurant industry by providing attentive service to customers. Their primary responsibilities include greeting patrons, taking food and beverage orders, serving meals, and ensuring a pleasant dining experience. This occupation requires strong social skills, energy, and the ability to work well under pressure, as waitstaff often manage busy dining environments and meet the diverse needs of customers.
Typically, waiters and waitresses do not require formal educational credentials, and entry into the field often involves short-term on-the-job training. They may work in a variety of settings, from small diners to upscale restaurants, and their work hours can include evenings, weekends, and holidays. The job can be physically demanding, requiring stamina to stand and carry items throughout their shifts. Additionally, waitstaff may be responsible for handling payments and sharing tips with other restaurant employees.
Overall, working as a waiter or waitress offers a dynamic and sometimes challenging environment that emphasizes customer interaction and service, making it a vital component of the dining experience.
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Subject Terms
Waiter/Waitress
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Hospitality & Tourism
Interests: Restaurant business, Hospitality industry, Food service, Culinary arts
Earnings (Yearly Median): $31,940 per year $15.36 per hour
Employment & Outlook: -3% (Decline)
Entry-Level Education No formal educational credential
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job Training Short-term on-the-job training
Overview
Sphere of Work. Waiters and waitresses, also commonly known as servers, are members of the service industry who attend to customers, serve food and beverages, and process payments. Waiters and waitresses are responsible for providing patrons with a pleasant dining experience and accommodating their needs and requests. They prepare and clean tables before, during, and after service, take customer orders, and perform additional tasks as required by their work establishments.
Work Environment. Waiters and waitresses work in various locations, from small diners and coffee shops to hotel and cruise ship dining rooms to large restaurants and fine dining establishments. They usually work indoors (or outdoors on a patio or deck) in clean, pleasant environments; however, some establishments can be noisy, hot, and crowded. Full-time, part-time, and seasonal employment opportunities are available. Servers may be required to work split shifts or evenings, weekends, and holidays. They usually wear a uniform and are supervised by managers, owners, or head waitstaff. They frequently bend, reach, lift, and carry food. Restaurants can be busy during rush periods and highly stressful for the waitstaff.
Occupation Interest. Individuals looking to become waiters or waitresses must be energetic, physically fit, and possess endurance. The job can be physically demanding, and waiters and waitresses should be accustomed to standing, walking, and carrying heavy objects. In addition, they must have impeccable social skills and an outgoing personality, as excellent customer service can lead to higher earnings and repeat customers. Servers must also work well under pressure and handle demanding customers with patience and respect.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. Waiters and waitresses spend most of their time serving and attending to customers. They greet restaurant patrons, distribute food and beverage menus, memorize and communicate menu item details and daily or weekly specials, and offer suggestions about food and beverages. Servers must ensure compliance with laws about alcohol consumption and help prevent allergic reactions. They take customer orders, bring orders to the kitchen or bar for preparation, and deliver food items and drinks to customers. Waiters and waitresses are often responsible for preparing fountain and alcoholic drinks and appetizers, salads, and simple sandwiches. After a meal, waiters and waitresses must correctly total item prices, including tax, and present the final bill to customers. They may handle payment or deliver payment to a cashier and return change to the customers. After customers leave, waiters and waitresses prepare for the following patrons by cleaning and tidying surfaces and delivering fresh water and new settings to the table. They also usually refill and organize condiments, including salt and pepper, ketchup, sugar, and cream.
In fine dining establishments, waiters and waitresses often fulfill a more informative role, suggesting appropriate wine pairings and describing the composition and preparation of menu items. They may assemble salads, prepare meats, and flambé desserts at the tableside.
Wait staff may also be assigned to prepare food for pickup or delivery. This involves packaging the food and beverages as well as any needed cutlery, condiments, napkins, and other items; handling transactions if payment was not made online; and possibly delivering the order curbside. Such duties are increasingly common due to the proliferation of meal delivery services and post-COVID-19 customer preferences.
In many restaurants, owners or managers provide their waitstaff with one or two meals (depending on the shift length) before or after their shift. At the end of a shift, waiters and waitresses commonly tally and divide their tips among restaurant employees who have contributed to the service, including bartenders and bus staff.
Dining Car Waiters and Waitresses (311.477-022). Dining Car Waiters and Waitresses serve food and beverages to passengers in a railroad dining car.
Formal Waiters and Waitresses (311.477-026). Formal Waiters and Waitresses serve meals to patrons according to established rules of etiquette, working in formal settings.
Informal Waiters and Waitresses (311.477-030). Informal Waiters and Waitresses serve food to patrons at counters and tables of coffee shops, lunchrooms, and other dining establishments where service is informal.
Buffet Waiters/Waitresses (311.674-018). Buffet Waiters/Waitresses assist patrons in serving themselves at buffet and smorgasbord tables.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Waiters and waitresses work in a small or large dining establishment's dining room or outdoor section. They take food from the kitchen, which can be hot and noisy, to the dining room, which is typically calm, quiet, and clean. They risk slipping, falling, colliding with doors or other people, and receiving cuts and burns.
Human Environment. Waiters and waitresses spend most of their day working with other wait staff, restaurant managers and owners, bartenders, chefs, line cooks, hosts, hostesses, bus staff, and restaurant patrons.
Technological Environment. Waiters and waitresses use several tools and devices to aid them in their daily activities. They handle order slips, serving trays, tableware and cutlery, pens and pencils, and bills and receipts. In many restaurants, waiters and waitresses must learn to use electronic ordering machines, food preparation machines, cash registers, and computers.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students looking to become waiters and waitresses should study courses related to travel and tourism, food and nutrition, communications, economics, English, and basic mathematics. In specialty restaurants, it is often helpful for waiters and waitresses to be familiar with a foreign language. Students should practice memorizing scripts and texts and reciting them with friends or family members. They should also begin to recognize different food preparation methods and develop an educated palate. They can visit local restaurants, diners, or coffee shops to see how those businesses operate and to observe the wait staff in action.
Postsecondary. An undergraduate degree is not necessary for people looking to become waiters or waitresses; however, formal training in hospitality and food service can strengthen a candidate’s credentials and increase their opportunities for employment and promotion. Many vocational education programs teach students the fundamentals of working in and managing a restaurant or other food establishment. They learn about the selection, purchasing, storage, preparation, and serving of food items. They also train in nutrition, travel and tourism, home economics, safety, sanitation, and food preparation equipment.
Related Occupations
− Bartender
− Dishwasher
− Food and Beverage Service Worker
− Food Service Manager
Bibliography
"Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses." US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 3 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
"Waiters and Waitresses." Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/waiters-and-waitresses.htm. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.