blog

date

October 25, 2024

blog

reading time

9 min

What is a Restaurant Server?

So What's the Difference Between a Waiter, Waitress, and Server?

Actually, there is NO difference in job description or responsibilities of a waiter, waitress, and server.

The only real difference is the gendering of the term.

Waiter = Male

Waitress = Female

Server = NOT Gendered

In this case, the most INCLUSIVE way to describe this job, and the most politically correct, is SERVER!

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What Are Appropriate Job Expectations for a Restaurant Server?

The primary duty of a server is serving quality products to guests with a pleasant attitude and provide outstanding customer service.

First, to be a good server or to hire a good server, there needs to be clear, firm, and reasonable rules and expectations set in place for job satisfaction and effective and efficient service.

A standard set of rules and expectations can look something like this:

1. Warmly and patiently greeting and interacting with guests with a positive attitude

2. Having thorough knowledge of menu items and the restaurant

3. Quick problem solving skills for times of complaints or conflict

4. Always being alert, efficient, checking on your responsibilities

5. Being able to maintain a clean and sanitized work place.

6. Having a clear line of communication and be a team player

7. Helping out other colleagues when it's not part of your responsibilities

8. Being appropriately dressed and hygienic for the work place

9. Always on time and good time management skills

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Close-up of a checklist with check marks and a pen on a clipboard, representing tasks and responsibilities for restaurant servers.

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Working in the restaurant industry is not the most glamorous of jobs, but the hard work is always paid off with great tips, a collaborative team, and good food, and especially if you manage to pull off memorable dining experiences for your guests.

A good thing to note is that most restaurants don't have educational requirements or require previous experience. What they look for from potential candidates are useful soft skills, a willingness to learn, and perseverance when there is chaos in a fast paced environment.

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Illustration of a female restaurant server carrying a tray, with a pleasant smile and a background featuring utensils and a bill payment icon.

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Daily Job Responsibilities

01. Efficient Table Arrangement

This is one of the most important tasks as it defines and dramatically changes how efficient and smoothly the entire restaurant runs. From the shape of the tables to the number of chairs, from the spacing between the tables, to the length of the bar area, everything matters and WILL make a difference in the daily flow of the restaurant.

This will most likely stay the same from day to day, but when large parties show up, or when renting out the entire restaurant, this is an important factor to keep in mind.

Different types of customers require different restaurant table arrangements.

02. Attending and Greeting Customers

As a server, you are one of the first faces a customer will see and interact with, and it will define how the rest of the evening will be.

Greeting guests with a friendly attitude and exceptional customer service, this first impression will definitely increase customer satisfaction rate and you will find that you will accumulate regular customers all due to your interpersonal skills.

Excellent customer service skills are definitely a must have when working in a restaurant, especially as a server, and this is one of the first must haves when hiring the right server.

03. Present Restaurant Menus

Being a part of the house staff, you should have quite thorough menu knowledge from the training process, especially the training on menu items. Knowing the daily specials is always a must, and using communication skills with the kitchen staff will ensure your are kept up to date with them.

Comprehensive training programs play a integral role when onboarding a new server, and are often set in place by the restaurant to adjust you to your new workspace and to show you your primary responsibilites.

Whether the restaurant is a casual restaurant or a high end restaurant, know the menu by heart is crucial if you want to keep a busy restaurant under control. With this knowledge, you will be able to deal with any customer questions or customer complaints, as well as give recommendations to guests and introduce restaurant specials with seamless service as the ultimate goal.

To equip all your restaurant servers and staff with the right knowledge and skills, providing a restaurant employee handbook is an important aspect to the job training process.

04. Taking Orders

Taking orders seems easy, but only qualified candidates are able to maintain a high level of service with any type of customer and customer interaction.

Servers need to have active listening and effective communication skills to handle the responsibilities of taking orders, especially for a large table. Typical responsibilities when taking orders include building rapport with customers, explaining beverages to guests, suggesting food for customers, and most importantly, correctly remembering and putting in the orders for each seat of the party.

Another way to increase efficiency in ordering and day operations is to allow the guests to order from a device or a QR code. With MenuSifu's E-Menu, you can provide the guests with a clear and drool worthy picture and description of each menu item and they can place the order directly at their table. Guests are able to customize their orders by adjusting ingredients, personalize dishes, and leave notes of any allergies right on the device and it also is a great way to help the environment by going with paperless menus.

Some customers actually prefer minimal interaction with servers and with the E-Menu, your restaurant can provide an even more enjoyable dining experience.

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Display of an all-in-one online ordering system for restaurants, shown on a computer monitor and tablet, highlighting features like client statistics and digital menu.

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06. Table and Utensils Cleaning

Clearing and cleaning the table in an efficient manner is of the utmost importance in the restaurant business because a high turnover rate is vital to the restaurant and to the restaurant owners.

Having a spotless table will not leave an impression on customers, but having a dirty one most certainly will, and as a server, you want to present the best experience for guests.

Keeping a restaurant clean starts with the restaurant tables and is a vital role in positive reviews and smooth daily operations.

07. Serving Foods

Being a server means you are a food runner too. The larger your range of skills, the better, and being able to quickly adapt and be a flexible team player is what will make you a successful server.

You must be able to lift heavy trays, correct tables that are heavy, and bring all the food to customers once the kitchen personnel calls it out. Having hands on experience is the only way to improve and be accustomed to this essential task.

08. Clearing the Leftover Food

Clearing the leftover food is equally as important as bringing the food to customers and if the restaurant you work at has a routine set in place that meets food safety guidelines, you will have a much easier time with restaurant maintenance.

09. Collect Payments From Tables

Collecting payments can be made simple with a variety of MenuSifu's products such as the POS MX, the POS Pay Pad, and the QR Code Scan to Order system. The POS MX is an ultra powerful system that doubles restaurant efficiency and provides payment security and cloud backup, as well as data analysis for restaurant owners and management. The POS Pay Pad is the ultimate device that allows guests to order, scan, and pay anytime and anywhere. With the assistance of the on the go pay pad, restaurant staff are able to efficiently and conveniently take customer orders and process payments wherever and whenever needed with assured product quality. The QR Code Scan to Order system is the most efficient and accurate ordering system where guests order straight from their device of choice. It can help restaurants speed up table turnover and increase order volume by 40%. With Scan to Order, customers can take their time to make choices, reducing pressure and improving overall satisfaction. The system can also provide real-time updates on order status, keeping customers informed and engaged throughout their dining experience.

Interviewing Tips for Restaurant Servers

Finding a job online is the most common way to become a restaurant server.

As a job seeker for restaurant server jobs, knowing the types of restaurants you want to work in is crucial because each type of restaurant has its own set of job duties that will vary.

This is why it is important to read the restaurant server job description and verify that this is the restaurant you want to work in. Once you start your job, knowing the style of team management and your team leadership abilities is beneficial to understand if this is the type of environment you can continue working at.

Interviewing for a restaurant server position often include a description of server responsibilities from the interviewer, followed by questions aimed to learn about your exceptional customer service skills and excellent communication skills, ability to handle a fast paced team environment, and willlingness to take on additional responsibilities.

Common Questions During Interviews:

1. Tell me about yourself?

2. Why do you want to work HERE?

3. What experience do you have in the food service industry?

4. How would you handle a difficult customer?

5. What does a creating a perfect customer experience look like to you?

Salary

The average hourly pay for a restaurant server in NYC is $18.39 but servers usually make much more with upscale restaurants whose customers give larger tips.

As a server, you can make anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000+ a year.

The salary can depend on your location, experience, skill set, the general cost of living in that area, and the local demand and supply of servers.

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Two women engaging in a job interview, with one reviewing a resume and the other speaking, set in a professional and welcoming environment.

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If you want to work in a restaurant but don't want to be a prep cook, a food handler, a shift manager, a head cook, an executive chef, or a chef in stocking, being a restaurant server might be the perfect role for you.

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