Waiters and Waitresses fill important roles as restaurant staff members. Workers in server positions are usually the staff members with the responsibility of interacting with their workforce team as well as with the customers. An ideal server should provide excellent customer service in addition to serving food, communicating with kitchen staff, and providing other general waiter/waitress duties.
The best way to bring qualified servers to your restaurant team is to advertise your open position with a detailed Waiter/Waitress Job Description. An effective job description should include a job and company overview, information about the work environment and compensation, and should list the waiter/waitress responsibilities and skills needed to perform the role.
This resource will explain how you can create an effective Job Description to satisfy your business’s hospitality staffing needs. We have also included a Waiter/Waitress Job Description Template for you to reference when developing your Job Description. Creating a well-written Job Description can make the hiring process easier and help you to find the best candidates for your business.
What to Include in the Waiter Job Description
A well-detailed waiter/waitress Job Description should inform potential applicants on what they can expect from the position, what they can expect from the company, and what skills and qualifications they should possess for them to be considered. By including the elements listed below, a potential applicant should know everything necessary to feel confident applying for the position advertised.
Job Overview
The Job Overview section should be a position summary that provides general information to your reader on the overall purpose, importance, and function of the position being offered. The more specific details of the position are to be included in the sections that follow.
Responsibilities
This subsection of your server job description is where you will provide the specific day-to-day waiter/waitress duties and responsibilities for your place of business. To provide this information effectively, it is best practice to list the job responsibilities and duties here in bullet point formatting.
Skills and Qualifications
The skills and qualifications necessary for this position can be included in a bullet point list in this subsection. If there are any server skills or qualifications that are required and not just desired in an ideal candidate, you should make that distinction here as well. See the Waitress Job Description Template for an example of how this distinction may be made.
Work Environment
This subsection should include information on what kind of work environment the job will be held in. This can include information about the workforce team size, whether the servers will be serving indoor or outdoor seating, the type of establishment they will be serving at, and how many guests they can expect to serve. Another thing to consider here is whether their work environment will be one stationary location like a restaurant, or whether you are hiring servers for events where the work environment may change. It is best to be transparent with your readers so that they can gain an accurate idea of what to expect from the position.
Compensation and Benefits
An effective Job Description should let your reader know what to expect from the position, which includes what compensation and benefits they should expect to receive if they get the job. You can list this information in bullet points under this subsection. Relevant details to include here would be whether this is a part-time or full-time position, what starting salary waiters can expect, and what benefits or perks come with the job. Providing a clear compensation and benefits section can limit the possibility of any confusion for readers and may help entice them to consider applying for the position.
Company Overview
To help your potential applicants better understand the role you are offering, it is helpful to include information about the company they would be working for. The company overview section should describe the type of company and its businesses. Information here may include a brief history of the company, the company’s business model, and the morals and principles that the company stands by. This subsection should make the reader feel excited at the opportunity of working for your company and joining your team.
Waitress Job Description Template
To help you develop a detailed and effective Waiter/Waitress Job Description, we have included a Waitress Job Description Template. You can use it as a reference when creating your job description for your business. Feel free to make changes to the template to ensure that the details are relevant to your company and the position you are trying to fill.
Waitress Job Overview
We are looking to welcome a new waiter or waitress to our team. In addition to traditional waitress duties, our servers are responsible for delivering positive dining experiences to our guests by providing them with helpful and attentive customer service. Qualified candidates will need to be confident and accommodating when answering guests’ questions and making product suggestions from our menu. Our servers prioritize customer satisfaction and making guests feel welcome. If you have a passion for food and positive people skills, see what your future can hold as a member of our restaurant team.
Waitress Responsibilities:
- Delivering genuine hospitality and providing exceptional customer service and a positive dining experience for guests.
- Delivering food and beverages to the correct tables in a timely fashion
- Helping restaurant guests with menu recommendations and additional information
- Greeting, seating, and escorting guests.
- Upselling additional menu products to guests when appropriate
- Checking IDs to prevent minors from ordering alcoholic beverages.
- Taking food and beverage orders using software, order slips, a server notepad, or memorization.
- Correctly communicating order details to the kitchen staff.
- Delivering checks to guests and collecting bill payments from tables.
- Cleaning and maintaining the appearance of tables and tableware following proper sanitation guidelines for cleaning tables.
Waitress Skills:
- Engaging people skills, and excellent communication skills
- Must be able to multitask for food and beverage orders and deliveries.
- Must be flexible and able to work shifts. Must be able to work a varying schedule that includes evenings, weekends, and most holidays.
- Must be 18 years of age or older to serve alcohol (based on state regulations).
- Must be willing to work in a team-service environment, must have excellent teamwork skills.
- Must be willing to stand on your feet for long periods of time.
- Must be willing to work in a sometimes hot and noisy environment.
- Must be able to remain calm and collected when working under pressure.
- Must be able to handle money transactions responsibly.
- Previous experience as a food server is preferred, but not required.
Compensation and Benefits
- Part-time or full-time hours at a highly competitive rate of pay.
- Benefits for qualified full-time team members include medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, and supplemental life insurance.
- Free employee meal per shift worked (limited menu), and team member discounts (full menu).
- Flexible schedules to help you accommodate for other life commitments (school, childcare, family care, etc.)
- Weekly pay
- Paid Sick Leave (1 hour per every 30 hours worked, begin accruing upon hire)
- Paid Family and Medical Leave (Up to 2 weeks after 1 year of service)
- Ongoing training to build critical skills for current and future roles.
- 401(k) savings plan (Company match after 1 year of service)
- Team advancement opportunities and management career advancement opportunities (many of our managers are promoted from hourly positions)
Recruiting for a Waiter or Waitress?
Job Descriptions provide a fantastic opportunity for employers to advertise and fill their open positions. By including the information listed in this guide and using our Job Description Template as a reference, you can find qualified wait staff for your business.
If you would like to skip the hassle of employee onboarding for your business, Adia can help. Adia is a staffing company that connects businesses to workers looking for jobs. To learn about how our on-demand hospitality staffing services can help you with your hiring needs, you can view the Adia site for more information.
FAQs
How would you describe your waitress skills? ›
Waiter or waitress skills & proficiencies:
Verbal Communication. Excellent Customer Service. Resolve Conflict. Teamwork.
A Server's responsibility is attending to diners before, during, and after their meals by helping them place, receive, and pay for their orders. They also ensure the timely delivery of food and beverages by checking on their tables periodically throughout the service time.
How do you put waitresses on a resume? ›How To: Use numbers to describe the number of customers you served, the size of your team, or the scale of the work you did. Example: Before: “Served food and drinks to customers in popular establishment.” After: “Served 100+ customers daily in 20-table restaurant.”