What are the things every Waiter should know?

To improve their serving skills, Waiters should know how to satisfy customers. Every customer’s concerns should be listened to and acknowledged without discrimination.

What skills do Waiters need?

The waiter should be able to take the customer orders, safely handle food and offer exceptional customer service. Waiters should have skills such as handling point-of-sale systems, food safety, knowledge of local regulations regarding alcohol and excellent communication skills.

What makes a good Waiter job description?

A Waiter interview should help you assess the candidate’s skills and qualifications. Some of the questions to ask include: What do you know about the waiter role? Have you ever dealt with a difficult customer and how did you avoid conflict? How would you help a restaurant to succeed? Wrap up the Interview by giving the interviewee more information about the job, so they may understand their responsibilities and the time commitment to determine if the position is right for them.

Waiter Job Description [Updated 2025]

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A Waiter, or Server, is an employee who serves customers in a cafe or restaurant. Their duties include welcoming customers, answering questions related to the menu, delivering orders and processing payments.

Waiter duties and responsibilities

A Waiter’s main responsibility is to ensure that customers have an enjoyable dining experience. A Waiter should have excellent customer service skills, they should greet customers in a polite and friendly manner, provide them with menus and suggest seasonal specials. They also are to the point of contact for bills and return of any funds. Depending on the restaurant, Waiters also perform several front-of-the-house duties such as cleaning the tables after customers.

Some of the main duties and responsibilities of a Waiter include:

Greeting customers as they settle down at the cafe or restaurant tables and introducing them to the menus
Taking the customers’ orders and delivering them to the kitchen staff for preparation
Confirming that the food items match the orders and delivering them at the tables
Inquiring if the customers are satisfied, giving bills and processing payments
Operating the drink fountain and coffee station
Attending regular meetings with restaurant and kitchen managers to find out about menu changes and menu specials

Hire your next Waiter today

Post a job

Hire your next Waiter today

Post a job

Waiter Job Description Examples:

Example 1

Experience the excitement of working at one of UK sports’ most prestigious venues! We’re delighted to be welcoming fans back, so we are looking for experienced Fine Dining waitersto join our teams at our London-based stadiums. Whether you’re working at the iconic Wembley or are part of the team that delivers great service at one of our Premier League Stadiums, you’ll be immersed in the atmosphere of working at an amazing venue. As a Fine Dining Waiter, you will have experience in high end hospitality, with excellent customer service skills. You will have the opportunity to experience work in our most private suits and private restaurants with some celebrity chefs. What’s in it for me?

Excellent pay rates at £13.00 per hour (inclusive of holiday pay).
Experience working at legendary London stadiums and once in a lifetime events.
Safe work environment with industry leading COVID-safe practices. Our London-based venues include:
Emirates Stadium – home of Arsenal football club.
London Stadium – the home of West Ham United.
Wembley Stadium – the world-renown music and sporting venue and of course, the home of football Fine Dining Waiter opportunities are available at all London stadiums. This role is offered on a variable worker agreement basis. While most events are held on weekends and/or evenings, this gives the person in this role an opportunity to earn a little extra cash on top of other commitments during the week hours. By joining Delaware North as part of our match and event day team you will also be offered work across all our London venues so there are plenty of work opportunities. If you're looking at being part of the action as we re-open, apply today! Job Types: Full-time, £13.00 per hour

Example 2

MUST BE 18+

Bunk is a cocktail bar and restaurant that is looking for a flexible part-time bartender that is good at working in teams and finds serving drinks enjoyable. Past experience is preferred but is not essential, as we are keen on training new people up if they show dedication and a positive attitude.

Also looking for those that are interested in gaining extra responsibilities, please ask directly if interested.

Responsibilities

Interact with customers with a high level of customer service, take orders, serve food and drinks
Mix ingredients for cocktails to specifications provided
Restock and replenish bar inventory and supplies
Keep the bar area clean in accordance with the company’s guidelines
Stay guest focused and help to clear and clean tables
Develop an efficient work pace that keeps the customers at the bar and in the dining room satisfied at all times
Positive attitude and excellent communication skills

Basic Bar Prep

The bar staff arrives early to organise the venue and bar to create prep and organise the floor and behind the bar or stock room. This includes washing, cutting fruit and preparing garnishes to streamline use.

Meal Presentation

The kitchen staff organises customers’ baskets before the waitstaff or sometimes can be helped to prep or clean some kitchen utensils. All staff including bar staff are expected to bring the final product to the customer. They have a working knowledge of the day’s meals and menus and understand what each dish or sides we serve.

Stock Kitchen and Storeroom

The bar staff works with management and the rest of the team to receive, stack, and properly store drinks in the bar and occasionally food in kitchens. They transfer alcohol and supplies to the bar as needed, understand the importance of stock rotation and shelf life.

Cleaning Duties

The bar staff is responsible for ensuring all areas of the kitchen, bar prep and alcohol storage areas are clean and properly sanitised. This includes washing utensils, glasses, bar equipment, shelving, floors, sanitising countertops and cutting boards and maintaining all areas to health code standards.

Bar Setup and Breakdown

If they are the first to arrive, the bar staff turns on the lights and sets up stations and washers, starts bar prep work and prepares the bar and customer areas for service. When they’re the last to leave, the bar staff puts garnishes and utensils away, cleans and mops the floors, and turns off all electrical items for a shutdown.

Bar Staff Skills and Qualifications

Quick and efficient workers with experience in bar work or waiting, no formal education or training is usually required to be bar staff, though the following skills are usually preferred:

Dependability– a business is only as successful as the bar and kitchen staff it employs; all staff is expected to be reliable, on time for work, and consistent with the work they do. Staff should be able to work evening shifts and generally weekends.
Physical stamina– the bar staff work on their feet for the duration of their shifts, around scheduled breaks, in bars that may be uncomfortably warm; they more around the venue constantly, work at an efficient rate for a duration of time and may carry heavy loads for short distances
Customer service– working in all areas of the bar and often the waiting table, including bars, seating areas, buffet tables, and dining rooms, staff inevitably interact with customers, willingly listening to and assisting customers with their requests. Bar staff are the first point of contact and should make customers feel welcome but also ensure a safe and friendly environment is clear for everyone.
Familiar with bar equipment– the bar staff work with sharp and potentially dangerous equipment on a daily basis—whether the knives, ice crushers/machines, or high-temperature fryers, they work safely and effectively with all bar equipment
Team player –the bar staff takes direction from the supervisors and facility managers and is willing to assist other team members to get their jobs done

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent, Zero hours contract
Contract length: 0-24 months
Part-time hours: 20 per week

Salary: £8.00-£10.42 per hour

Benefits:

Discounted or free food

Schedule:

10 hour shift
12 hour shift
8 hour shift
Monday to Friday
Night shift
Weekend availability

Ability to commute/relocate:

Leicester: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

Hospitality: 1 year (preferred)
customer Service: 1 year (preferred)
Bartending: 1 year (preferred)

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: Cocktail

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What does a Waiter do?

Depending on the restaurant, a Waiter awaits customers at the door and escorts them to their seats. They give the customers the menu, introduce them to the seasonal specials and answer any questions about the menu. The Waiter passes on the customer’s selections to the kitchen staff, then delivers the orders once it is prepared. Often, Waiters also process payments from customers in cash or credit.

Most Waiters work in shifts depending on the restaurant’s operating and rush hours.

Waiter skills and qualifications

At times Waiters may be required to wait for customers and welcome them into the restaurant from outside. They therefore need to have good stamina, physical strength and determination to work for an entire shift. They often need to work quickly under fast-paced demands and remain well-mannered and polite. A waiter needs to have perseverance, patience and communication. A successful Waiter candidate will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications, they include:

Great communication skills both verbal and written
Attention to details and the ability to work fast under pressure
Honesty and ability to handle transactions in a trustworthy manner
being over the age of 18 and having familiarity with local alcohol restrictions and laws
Great stamina, physical strength and endurance
Excellent customer service skills

Waiter experience requirements

Waiters should have experience working with cash registers and credit card payment processors. They should also show previous experience working as a server in a restaurant, cafe or hotel. Those who worked in the kitchen or in other roles such as cleaners may also be considered. However, they should also have experience working in a customer-oriented business.

Waiter education and training requirements

Typically, there are no education requirements for Waiters. Students with a diploma from a higher education institution may qualify, but graduates with previous working experience in the kitchen are preferred. They should also be licensed and have certifications from local health departments and alcoholic beverage commission institutes.

Waiter salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Waiter is £9.23 per hour. However, this can vary depending on factors like experience, education, location and company.

Job description samples for similar positions

If this is not the position you were looking to advertise, here are similar job description templates that may prove helpful to you:

Waiter job description FAQs

A Waiter interview should help you assess the candidate’s skills and qualifications. Some of the questions to ask include:

What do you know about the waiter role?
Have you ever dealt with a difficult customer and how did you avoid conflict?
How would you help a restaurant to succeed?

Wrap up the Interview by giving the interviewee more information about the job, so they may understand their responsibilities and the time commitment to determine if the position is right for them.

Two chefs, one wearing a red headband, review a laptop and take notes at a wooden table in a kitchen setting.

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Job Description Examples

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Waiter Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Waiter duties and responsibilities

Waiter Job Description Examples:

Example 1

Example 2

Find your next great Waiter on Indeed

What does a Waiter do?

Waiter skills and qualifications

Waiter experience requirements

Waiter education and training requirements

Waiter salary expectations

Job description samples for similar positions

Waiter job description FAQs

Hire your next Waiter today

Job Description Examples

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Waiter Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Waiter duties and responsibilities

Waiter Job Description Examples:

Example 1

Example 2

Find your next great Waiter on Indeed

What does a Waiter do?

Waiter skills and qualifications

Waiter experience requirements

Waiter education and training requirements

Waiter salary expectations

Job description samples for similar positions

Waiter job description FAQs

Hire your next Waiter today

Job Description Examples

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