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Waiters and Waitresses Occupation Detailed Description

Waiters and Waitresses career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Waiters and Waitresses

The main tasks and work activities of Waiters and Waitresses are to enforce rules or regulations, process customer bills or payments, take customer orders, communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel. In general, for the Waiters and Waitresses, active Listening, service Orientation, speaking, social Perceptiveness and other 3 skills are required.
Waiters and Waitresses Job Description
EducationThese occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related ExperienceSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Waiters and Waitresses jobs. 57.00% of Waiters and Waitresses have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 7.08% of Waiters and Waitresses have Bachelor's Degree and Above.
Less than a High School Diploma
28.37%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
57.00%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
5.22%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
2.33%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
7.08%

Tasks and Work Activities of Waiters and Waitresses

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersHandling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Assisting and Caring for OthersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming 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.
  • Enforce rules or regulations.
  • Process customer bills or payments.
  • Take customer orders.
  • Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
  • Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction.
  • Serve food or beverages.
  • Cook foods.
  • Present food or beverage information or menus to customers.
  • Clean food service areas.
  • Prepare hot or cold beverages.
  • Arrange tables or dining areas.
  • Prepare foods for cooking or serving.
  • Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies.
  • Add garnishes to food.
  • Assist customers with seating arrangements.
  • Collect dirty dishes or other tableware.
  • Schedule dining reservations.
  • Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment.
  • Provide customers with general information or assistance.

Skills and Abilities for Waiters and Waitresses

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • StaminaThe ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Paging controllerse.g. Alphanumeric paging equipment
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Carving knives
  • Cash registerse.g. Cash registers
  • Magnetic stripe readers and encoderse.g. Credit card processing machines
  • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizerse.g. Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Point of sale POS receipt printerse.g. Point of sale POS printers
  • Point of sale POS terminale.g. Point of sale POS terminals
  • Point of sale POS terminale.g. Point of service workstations
  • Bar code reader equipmente.g. Portable bar code scanners
  • Touch screen monitorse.g. Touch screen monitors
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Sales and MarketingKnowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Food ProductionKnowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.