Restaurant Waitress Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the restaurant waitress job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that individuals seeking the role of a restaurant waitress may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the job.

What Does a Restaurant Waitress Do?

The waitress in a restaurant serves orders placed by the customers, offers food and drinks to the clients, and sees that the guests feel their utmost comfort and satisfaction during the dine-out experience.

According to Workable, waitresses are the professionals you find in restaurants, bars, and other places where food and drinks are served that greet guests as they come in and take their meal orders, as well as make sure the communication between the kitchen and the dining area is clear.

Waitresses very often act as the main point of contact between the customer and the facility and may be key in providing customer service experiences.

In general, the restaurant waitress is under the control of the manager or shift supervisor.

In larger establishments, they may also report to a head server or maître d’.

In reality, the hierarchy could go any way depending on size and type of establishment, but usually waitresses work in close contact with kitchen staff, bartenders, and other servers for proper function and service.

Restaurant waitresses can be found in fine dining restaurants, casual dining restaurants, cafes and bistros, hotels and resorts, catering services, and cruise ships.

They are in demand all over the industries, nearly in every city or town.

A High School diploma or its equivalent is required to be hired as a restaurant waitress.

Although it is not strictly necessary, some employers call for it.

On-the-job training is most important, though, to introduce the new waitress into the way operations run at that particular restaurant, the menu, and the service standards.

While not necessary, certifications can give the waitress an edge in finding employment.

An example is the Food Handler’s Permit or a responsible beverage service certification if the establishment serves alcohol.

The waitress’ key responsibilities include receiving and seating guests, presenting menus, describing specials, and accurately taking orders for food and beverages.

Other duties entails serving food and beverages in a timely manner, processing payments, and handling cash or credit transactions, as well as resolving customer complaints.

In addition to the general responsibilities of a waitress, those that work in restaurants may be required to set up and tear down the tables and perform side work of restocking supplies or cleaning.

They also carry out event setups in banquet-style service and training for new staff.

Waiting at restaurants is a universally important job, though with slight variations, depending on individual country.

For instance, in the United States, much of the waitress’ income relies on the tipping culture.

In other countries, such as Japan, there is no tipping, and immaculate service comes into play.

While the duties remain similar across borders, the standards and expectations of customer service can change.

Employers of restaurant waitresses would normally look for people who can articulate well, pay attention to detail with closeness, and work in a fast-moving environment.

Most desirable in a waitress is a friendly and approachable demeanor backed by the ability to remember customer orders and preferences, and being reliable and possessing a good work ethic.

Waitresses must also follow all national and local laws, particularly those regarding food safety and service of alcohol.

Perhaps, one of the most important regulating agencies in the United States of the restaurant waiting profession is the National Restaurant Association.

It gives guidelines and several certifications involving the handling of food.

Also, the ServSafe program issues a few certifications among food safety and responsible alcohol serving.

Many employers like these certifications or will get them for their employees upon hiring them.

Restaurant Waitress Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The job description of a restaurant waitress usually consists of the following tasks, duties, and responsibilities:

• Greet and welcome customers as they arrive for their meal and take them to a table
• Present menus to guests and describe the daily specials/sales
• Take accurate orders from customers by jotting down every diet requirement or restriction
• Place orders into the point-of-sale system with both speed and accuracy
• Serve food and beverages to customers efficiently and ensure that they are constantly attended to
• Check back with customers to ensure satisfaction with meal and address problems
• Perform second rounds, refills on drinks and other additional services
• Clear tables and prepare for the next set of guests
• Handle customer complaints professionally by involving the manager whenever possible
• Assist in setting up the restaurant for the next shift by cleaning and organizing it
• Work with kitchen staff to ensure that orders are prepared correctly and delivered in a timely manner
• Process guest check using cash, credit card, or gift certificate
• Operate cash register, count change, and process tips
• Thank guests for dining with restaurant and invite them to return
• Complete opening/closing side work, including setup/teardown of dining room
• Answer questions concerning menu items, seasonal specials, and special dishes
• Upsell additional items and wine/food pairing suggestion to enhance guest’s dining experience
• Maintain a clean and safe environment that meets standards for good food handling and hygiene
• Help other colleagues when the service is very busy
• Perform special functions, such as private parties, weddings, or corporate functions with customized services
• Restock the service stations when necessary with supplies, such as napkins, utensils, and condiments
• Assist in training new employees with restaurant procedures and customer service standards
• Team meetings and training: Keep informed of restaurant policies
• Dining room cleanliness: maintain the dining room, tables, floors, and restrooms in a clean and presentable manner.

Restaurant Waitress Job Description for Resume

If you are making a new resume or CV as someone who has worked previously or presently working in the role of restaurant waitress, then you can make a compelling Professional Experience section for your resume by applying the sample restaurant waitress job description provided above.

You can highlight the duties and responsibilities you have carried out or currently performing as a restaurant waitress in your Professional Experience by utilizing the ones presented in the above job description template.

This will show that you have been successful performing the duties and responsibilities of a restaurant waitress, which can greatly enhance your chances of getting hired for the new position that you are seeking, especially if it requires someone with some restaurant waitress work experience.

Restaurant Waitress Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

To be effective in your job as a waitress in a restaurant, you need to have certain skills, knowledge, and abilities.

These are also usually required by employers/recruiters and they include:

• Customer service skills: Being warm and friendly
• Approachable: Able to establish a rapport with customers
• Attention to detail: To ensure accuracy in ordering and in customer needs
• Communication skills: To communicate clearly with both customers and kitchen staff and avoid errors
• Multitasking ability: Waitresses usually take care of a number of tables all together. This means they must be methodical and efficient in all their tasks
• Physical stamina: Physically, the job is demanding as one might have to stand for long periods and walk around most of the time
• Problem-solving skills: Waitresses should handle customer complaints accordingly and find solutions quickly
• Time management: Timely serving of food may allow customers to enjoy it at its best
• Teamwork: Waitresses generally work in a team, so being a good team player helps
• Knowledge of food and beverage: Knowing the menu, ingredients, and methods of preparation helps in responding to customers and making recommendations
• Basic mathematics skills: Payments should be handled accurately with correct change being returned.

Restaurant Waitress Employment

According to the May, 2023 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, there were 2,237,850 waiters and waitresses in employment in the United States.

However, the survey data on Zippia shows that there are presently 1,609,224 employed waitresses in the U.S. with 80.1% of them women and 19.9% men.

Restaurant Waitress Employment by Industry

The BLS data shows the industries that employ the largest number of waiters and waitresses in the United States to include:

Restaurant Waitress: Industries with Highest Employments. Data from U.S. BLS

Restaurant Waitress Employment by State

As reported by Zippia, the States that employ the highest number of waitresses in the U.S. include Texas and Florida, with 4,206 and 3,890 employments respectively.

Restaurant Waitress Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics gives the average annual salary for waiters and waitresses in the United States in 2023 as $36,530.  

However, the Zippia data shows that waitresses presently earn a yearly salary of $24,770 on the average.  

Restaurant Waitress Salary by State

The BLS data shows the States that pay the highest salaries to waiters and waitresses in the U.S. to include Vermont and Washington, with average yearly salaries of $60,200 and $57,960 respectively.

Restaurant Waitress Job Satisfaction

Recently, a study conducted by Ohio State University mapped worrying levels of job satisfaction for restaurant employees, including waitresses.

According to the findings, almost half the population sampled showed low levels of job satisfaction.

On the other hand, 25% had average satisfaction while another quarter showed high satisfaction levels in their jobs.

This study involved 798 non-managerial workers from a casual restaurant chain in over 50 locations.

Key findings of the survey include:

• Restaurant employees are least satisfied with pay and opportunities for advancement but are satisfied with job security and serving customers.

• Overall, females, older employees, and newer employees are most satisfied.

• Employee empowerment may be related to morale.

Conclusion

This post gives a detailed explanation of the restaurant waitress job description and helps both the waitress-to-be and the employer with lots of valuable information.

They can learn the main duties and responsibilities of a restaurant waitress, the skills and qualifications required to be hired for the role, and the employment outlook and salary expectation.