Food and Beverage Server

Overview

• Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers overall description and employment characteristics are provided, including age distribution, part-time opportunities, and tipping as a major component of earnings.

Food and beverage serving and related workers are the front line of customer service in restaurants, coffee shops, and other food service establishments. These workers greet customers, escort them to seats and hand them menus, take food and drink orders, and serve food and beverages. They also answer questions, explain menu items and specials, and keep tables and dining areas clean and set for new diners.

Most work as part of a team, helping coworkers to improve workflow and customer service.

Waiters and waitresses, the largest group of these workers, take customers’ orders, serve food and beverages, prepare itemized checks, and sometimes accept payment. Their duties vary by establishment. In coffee shops serving routine fare such as salads, soups, and sandwiches, servers provide fast, efficient, courteous service. In fine dining restaurants, where meals are more elaborate and served over several courses, waiters and waitresses provide more formal service, emphasize personal, attentive treatment, and a leisurely pace.

They may recommend dishes and identify ingredients or explain how items are prepared, and some may prepare salads, desserts, or other menu items tableside. They also may check identification to ensure minimum age for alcohol and tobacco purchases.

Waiters and waitresses may perform duties of other food and beverage service workers, such as escorting guests, serving at counters, clearing and setting tables, or operating a cash register. In many full-service restaurants, hosts, cashiers, or dining room attendants perform these duties.

Bartenders fill drink orders either directly from patrons at the bar or through waiters and waitresses who placed drink orders for dining room customers. They check identification, prepare mixed drinks, serve beer and wine, and must know a wide range of drink recipes. Beyond mixing and serving drinks, bartenders stock and garnish, maintain bar supplies, and keep the bar area clean.

They may also collect payment, operate the cash register, wash glassware, and may serve food to bar patrons. Bartenders usually handle inventory of liquor, mixes, and bar supplies.

Hosts and hostesses welcome guests and manage reservations or waiting lists, direct patrons to seating, provide menus, and schedule dining reservations. They may assign tables, escort guests, and may act as cashiers in some establishments.

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers assist waiters and bartenders by cleaning tables, removing dishes, stocking supplies, and setting up dining areas. They may bring meals from the kitchen, distribute dishes, replenish linens and silverware, and keep the bar stocked. Bartender helpers wash glasses; dishwashers clean dishes and utensils.

Counter attendants take orders and serve food in cafeterias, coffee shops, and carryout eateries. They handle food on steam tables, carving, ladling, and beverage preparation, take carryout orders, and may prepare short-order items such as sandwiches and salads. Some fast-food workers combine food preparation and serving, cooking and packaging food, making coffee, and filling beverage cups using machines. Other workers may serve food outside restaurants, such as in hotels, hospital rooms, or cars.

Working Conditions

These workers are on their feet most of the time and carry heavy trays and dishes. They work under pressure during busy periods and must be careful to avoid slips, falls, and burns. Part-time work is common, with many in the industry working evenings, weekends, and holidays. A sizable portion of workers are students or young people seeking part-time or seasonal employment.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

There are no specific educational requirements for these jobs. Many employers prefer high school graduates for waiter/waitress, bartender, and host/hostess roles, but completion of high school is not always required for other positions such as fast-food…