Waiters and Waitresses

Career Description: Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

Industry: Food Preparation and Serving Related

Other Job Titles for Waiters and Waitresses:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
• Collect payments from customers.
• Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
• 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.
• Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
• Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
• Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
• Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
• Inform customers of daily specials.
• Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
• Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.
• Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.
• Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
• Perform food preparation duties such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
• Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.
• Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.
• Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.
• Escort customers to their tables.
• Describe and recommend wines to customers.
• Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
• Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines.
• Butcher and clean fowl, fish, poultry, and shellfish to prepare for cooking or serving.
• Cut, slice or grind meat, poultry, and seafood to prepare for cooking.
• Work on assembly lines adding cutlery, napkins, food, and other items to trays in hospitals, cafeterias, airline kitchens, and similar establishments.
• Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads.
• Distribute menus to hospital patients, collect diet sheets, and deliver food trays and snacks to nursing units or directly to patients.

Emerging Tasks

• Assist host/hostess by answering phones, taking reservations and to-go orders, and greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
• Perform cleaning duties, such as sweep and mop floor, vacuum carpet, tidy up server station, take out trash, and check and clean bathroom.
• Prepare for the next shift (e.g., roll silverware, set up food stations) and for large parties (e.g., set up dining areas).
• Provide guests with information about local areas, including giving directions.
• Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, take them to kitchen, and clean them when required.
• Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
• Take and prepare to-go orders.
• Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• answer customer or public inquiries
• assist patrons at entertainment events
• assist patrons to make wine selection
• balance cash register
• calculate monetary exchange
• carve meat or bone fish or fowl
• check ID to ensure minimum age requirement is met
• clean rooms or work areas
• collect payment
• mix drinks or flavors for mixed drinks
• notify kitchen personnel of food orders, shortages, or special orders
• obtain information from individuals
• prepare appetizers, salads, or cold dishes
• prepare beverages
• prepare bill or check in restaurant or related food establishment
• provide customer service
• recognize customer intoxication
• replenish supplies of food, tableware or linen
• serve food or beverages
• set or clear tables in dining areas
• understand government alcoholic beverage service regulations
• understand government health, hotel or food service regulations
• use cash registers
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use cash registers
• use oral or written communication techniques
• schedule restaurant reservations
• use oral or written communication techniques
• plan meal presentations
• plan menus
• prepare appetizers, salads, or cold dishes
• prepare beverages
• prepare specialty foods
• price items on menu
• provide customer service
• purchase food or beverages
• read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
• requisition stock, materials, supplies or equipment
• serve food or beverages
• test food to determine that it is cooked
• understand government health, hotel or food service regulations
• use knives
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use specialized bakery equipment

Overall Experience
No previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a cashier even if he/she has never worked before.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

Education
These occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Some may require a formal training course to obtain a license.

Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, cashiers, and waiters/waitresses.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$7.62
• Average annual wage (2007) - $15,850.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 10.79%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 254,678
• Employment (2006): 2,360,630

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