Restaurant wait staff and hosts and hostesses ensure dining customers have a satisfying experience. Waiters and waitresses, also called servers, take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments. Restaurant hosts and hostesses greet customers and manage reservations and waiting lists. Servers may meet with supervisors to learn details about the menu and discuss food safety concerns. When serving alcohol, servers check customers’ identification to verify their age. In casual-dining restaurants, fast, efficient, courteous service is the priority, while in fine-dining establishments, servers and host staff emphasize personal, attentive treatment at a more leisurely pace. Some servers work in places other than restaurants. They may deliver meals to hotel or hospital rooms or even bring orders to customers in parked cars. Wait staff and hosts and hostesses are on their feet most of the time, and may carry heavy trays and hot plates. Even during fast-paced times, they must ensure that customers receive prompt service. Part-time work is very common, often with morning or evening shifts, including weekends and holidays. Some establishments are only open seasonally. In some restaurants, host staff are required to wear formal attire, and wait staff wear uniforms. Wait staff typically learn through on-the-job training with experienced servers, and in most cases, there are no specific education or experience requirements. Some states require safety training for staff who handle food.
What they do:
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
On the job, you would:
Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Business
customer service
sales and marketing
Arts and Humanities
English language
Manufactured or Agricultural Goods
food production
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
talking to others
Social
looking for ways to help people
understanding people's reactions
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Attention
do two or more things at the same time
pay attention to something without being distracted
Endurance
exercise for a long time without getting out of breath
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Self Control
Cooperation
Stress Tolerance
Social Orientation
You might use software like this on the job:
Web page creation and editing software
Facebook
Instant messaging software
Blink
Point of sale POS software
Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
high school diploma/GED or no high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.