Waiter Resume Example | Templates + Writing Tips

You have to make your waiter resume stand out to the hiring managers to land an interview, so make sure you follow the tips and examples that we’ve laid down for you.

The restaurant industry is projected to grow at 3.7% in the next five years so there is lots of opportunity available. The average salary for a waiter is around $30,000, and this amount grows as you become more experienced. The waiter job requires one of the least amounts of qualifications, and about 75% of the people working in this industry have a high school education or less. The hourly pay for beginners is $7.25/hour and can also be supplemented by bonuses. A job search in this field is great if you’re looking for a second job to supplement your income as well.

Big cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles offer higher income than jobs in smaller cities or towns.

Example Waiter Resume

Here is a concise waiter resume sample. You can model yours on the one given, and we’ll guide you through the entire process of describing your ability to provide prompt service.

If you’d like to skip the resume designing part, just use our online resume builder with resume templates.

How to Make a Waiters Resume

The process of typing out your waiter’s resume from scratch can appear daunting at first. But don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the entire process and tell you about the dos and don’ts of making a resume for job seekers. Here are some general rules that you should follow before applying for a job.

• Find out the kind of restaurant you are sending your resume to. Not all places have the same demands, so be clear whether the site specializes in fine dining, casual dining, or fast food.
• Read up on the menu of the place that you’re applying to. Your future employers will expect you to have a vast knowledge of the restaurant’s dishes on its menu. This is very important if you’re applying for kitchen and bar staff.
• It is also a great idea to check the restaurant or hotel’s social media pages before your job interview, following the submission of the resume.

The Layout of the Waiters Resume

Any of the waiter resume examples you find here will show you the basic format.

Your resume should not look cartoony, casual or unprofessional.

Use minimal colors, and restrict yourself to a single shade to make the document look appreciable. With that said, let’s have a look at the structure of the waiter’s resume.

The Structure of the Waiters Resume

The typical resume formats for a waiter comprise of the following points always:

• Your name
• Information about you, including your phone number, email address, and town where you live
• Resume summary/objective
• Job experience
• Skills
• Education

In comparison to the other resume formats, it can be said that the waiter resume sample follows the standard job application syntax. Just like any resume, the purpose of your resume is to make yourself stand out to employers. You should highlight how your attentive service, vast knowledge, customer service skills, interpersonal skills, and ability to take customer orders formally is better than the rest.

The Header of the Waiters Resume

Conventionally, you should use your name as the heading of the waiter’s resume. That way, the employer knows your name first, and you can follow up with your details and the objective of the resume. Use a larger font for your name and follow the rest with a smaller font. Here is an example of the correct and incorrect way to write it:

CORRECT

Dean Smith

Waiter

deansmith@gmail.com

Birmingham, Alabama

INCORRECT

My name is Dean Smith/This is the resume of Luke Smith.

Kingdeano@gmail.com

DOB: 03/01/2001

3147 Lonely Oak Drive Birmingham, Alabama 36638

Is a Photo Required in the Waiter’s Resume?

80% of US companies would say they would not consider an applicant who had a photo in their resume. The waiter waitress resume examples you’ll come across usually don’t have an image so don’t include one .

Choosing your Waiters Resume Title

Each job title you include in the waiter/waitress resume must be adapted according to the restaurant or the hotel you are applying to, as you’ll see in the waiter resume examples. You must tailor the resume because it shows the employer that you are proactive and handle your work professionally.

Depending on the profile that you’re applying to, make sure that you showcase your efficient service and why you’re a perfect fit for the role you’re applying for. The restaurant manager usually has to go through a lot of applications for a particular position, and they will be able to tell if your waiter/waitress resume is generalized or not.

So, if you’re applying for cash handling, room service, beverage service, bar staff, breakfast buffet, or customer accounts, your resume should be tailored to the role and mention these keywords.

Resume Summary for Waiters

A resume summary, or resume objective, is one of the most important parts of your application. The resume summary does exactly what it says. It sums up your waiter/waitress resume experience and tells the employer why you’re applying, what you’ve achieved, and what you seek to accomplish if given the role.

An objective is different as it is for someone with little or no experience, and instead of talking about work experience, it focuses on your passion, attitude, and your ambitions for the job.

Using the waiter resume examples we have provided can add a touch of high professional manner to your waitress resume if executed correctly.

Here is an example of a correct resume summary/objective:

Enthusiastic server with 6 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Proven ability to increase coffee and dessert sales. Ability to promote menu items and upsell 35% of customers served to increase revenue and staff tips. Excellent communication skills with ability to engage customers while serving food and delivering excellent service and a pleasant dining experience.

And here is an incorrect summary of a waiter resume example:

INCORRECT

I want to assist guests and work under you because I’ve worked at XYZ before. Multiple tasks can be performed at the same time. And I am fine with the payment scheme you offer and request you to please look into my application and give me a chance.

You must handle this part of your waiter’s resume in a professional manner, just like everything else. A poor summary calls for an instant rejection because the employer does not believe you have a pleasant personality or are fit to work at their restaurant. Please ensure that your grammar is as professional as possible since it is the only communication you will have with the person hiring.

Work Experience in the Waiters Resume

In the hospitality industry, and in every waiter’s resume example you see, the job experience section is the most important factor for hiring managers to look at. This section deals with the best way to list your past employment, and the job responsibilities you carried out while you were there.

Describe Your Professional Experiences on Your Waiters Resume

If you’re an entry-level waitress or waiter, any internships or training that you were a part of fall under the part of the professional experience of your waiter’s resume. Loads of waitress resume examples will also lead you in the same direction.

Firstly, mention the post you were officially assigned since you might be asked to produce your previous offer letter to cross-check. Once you’ve mentioned that, write the name and the location of the place you worked at.

It is also a good idea to mention exactly what part of the restaurant operations you were looking after. Also briefly mention the skills that you picked up while on the job. And lastly, ensure that you mention the proper tenure of your previous employment.

It is also important that you elaborate on the job responsibilities you carried out. The employer should clearly see how exactly you were an asset to your previous team, and how you worked towards customer satisfaction.

Examples of Professional Experiences for Entry Level Waitress/ Waiter

Examples of Work Experience for Senior Waiters

Check out our waiter resume examples

Education in the Waiters Resume

Your education is important in any standard resume, and the same applies to the various waiter resume examples that you’ll come across. If you went to grad school for hospitality management, then this is where you mention your university education. If you’re a high school graduate only, then write that here as well. Your latest level of education should appear first. So, college comes first followed by your high school details.

Should You Start With Education or Work Experience for a Waiter / Waitress Resume?

Since your work experience is more important than your education in the restaurant industry, we recommend you follow a reverse-chronological order. Put simply, mention your work experience before your education since employers love nothing more than a person who knows the ins and outs of the trade and has hands-on experience.

How to Properly List Your Education in a Waiters Resume

The trend of listing your details in a professional manner continues here as well. If you went to grad school, mention the full name of the university and the city it is located in. Mention your tenure and your batch, and the degree you were given at the end of the course. Again, ensure that you keep the details as to the point as possible. The education is the same for both beginners and senior waiters.

Example of the Education Section of a Waiters Resume

Skills to Put in Your Waiters Resume to Impress Hiring Managers

The skills section in your waiter’s resume is where you put the spotlight on all the things that you’ve learned and know. In other words, this is the part where you bang your drum in the most elaborate way conceivable. Of course, you must maintain a formal tone when tooting your own horn so that the person reading your resume takes you seriously.

We’ll discuss the correct way to lay down all the skills you have down below:

What are the Main Skills Sought for in a Waiters Resume?

While you will be tempted to list each and every skill you possess, bear in mind that you should try to keep it to the point as possible. So, you must go through the job ads thoroughly and find out exactly what skills they are looking for. Here are the hard skills that you need to display in a waiter waitress resume:

• Basic mathematics skills (calculation)
• Cash register and POS
• Restaurant table setting
• Extensive knowledge of food handling
• Thorough knowledge of alcoholic beverages and menu items.
• Taking food and beverage orders in a professional manner and ensuring delivery in a timely manner.
• Serve food following food safety protocols.
• Ensuring the server station has proper silverware, or chinaware according to the dish.

Similarly, here are the common soft skills that you’ll find in our waiter’s resume examples:

• Optimal time management.
• Conflict resolution amongst different parties
• Great interpersonal skills to keep engaged customers
• A pleasant personality that extends to coworkers and seniors
• Ability to work as a team player
• Being attentive to customer queries
• Ability to work in rotating shifts
• Warmly greeting patrons and making them feel at ease.

What Skills for a Junior in a Waiter / Waitress Resume

As a fresher, you must showcase your willingness to learn on the job. Also, you need to tell the employer what skills you already have. This can include things you learned in grad school or something you were told by someone already in the field that you follow in your work. Make sure you talk about your personality and that you can provide hospitality to the patrons above all.

So, highlight your communication skills and how you can perfectly greet customers and guide them to their sets. Knowledge of proper etiquette will also help you gain bonus points in the employer’s eyes since the restaurant industry is very particular about adhering to protocol.

What Skills for a Qualified Senior Waiter

As a veteran in the restaurant industry, you will be expected to bring your experience to the job and possibly lead a team of juniors. So, make sure you highlight your leadership skills in particular and also mention any difficult situations in your previous jobs that you helped overcome.

Also, mention the skills that you used or learned in the situation, like when taking food orders. You should not copy the skills from a waiter’s resume example because you might be asked to elaborate on the instance if you’re called for an interview. Always be honest on your waiter/waitress resume since it shows your integrity as a person.

You can also list your experience with fine dining restaurants if you’ve worked there before since it gives you a better chance of being chosen. Serving food and taking food orders properly are essential skill sets in waitress jobs.

Display your ability to:

• Work during peak dining hours
• If you’ve done food blogging before
• Experience handling beverage orders
• Serve food on time
• Remember the correct food items and menu items
• Offer professional service
• Handling job duties well in the restaurant industry

Write the Ideal Resume Hook for a Waiters Resume

In addition to the resume summary, the resume hook is a one-liner that tells the person reading exactly what you’re all about. This depends on the amount of experience that you’ve had in the field. This can be tricky for many since there is a lot of pressure put on a single sentence. To your benefit, you can use our waiter resume examples dealing with the tagline for any stage of the applicant to help you out.

Example of a Tagline for a Junior Waiter

For the junior level, rely on power words such as enthusiastic, friendly, engaging, or hard working. Here is an example:

Enthusiastic and hard-working fresher willing to level up their career.

Sample Tagline for a Senior Level Waiter

For the senior level, the spotlight is on your work experience and the kind of qualities you’ve had to display in the past. Some power words you can consider using are resourceful, experienced, knowledgeable, or insightful. But, since you’ve already had experience beforehand, you can use an award you received as your tagline as well. Here’s an example:

XYZ Restaurant Server of the Year

Skilled waiter with X years of experience working at high-end restaurants

You need to show that you can handle your job duties well. Do this with a well-thought-out resume format, where you can tell about your waitress duties. Learn about the job description and job duties first before you respond to the job ad.

Additional Headings for your Waiters Resume

Be careful when adding extra headings to your waiter’s resume. Just because you’ve seen it in a particular waiter resume example doesn’t mean that you should go ahead and include it in your final copy. Only include additional headings if they add to your value as a potential employee and make you more suitable for the field. Here are some of the extra headers you can consider, including:

Computer Skills and Certifications in a Waiters Resume

You don’t need to know coding to get a waiter job, but if you know how to use spreadsheet software, create a presentation, type out a word document or know how to use a cash register, make sure to include that.

Interests in a Waiters Resume

Only include about 3-4 interests, if at all, in your resume. If you choose to talk about your interests, keep them to a couple of words at best since this isn’t the most important part of your resume. But, showing your hiring manager that you can do more than just work is a plus on your tab.

Languages in a Waiters Resume

Knowing a different language can boost your chances of being chosen, especially if you’re employed in a foreign job. If you’ve given a fluency test for the language, name the exam you appeared for and the score you got on the same.

Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Waiters Resume

If you’ve followed all the directions we’ve discussed in this waiters resume example, you’re going to get the job! These are the main points to be taken away from the article:

• Be concise and crisp about the details you’re providing
• Follow an appropriate structure
• Divide the entire resume into subheadings
• Use a formal tone to convey professionalism.

Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Waiters Resume

Writing a persuasive cover letter goes a long way in creating a personal connection with the employer. This way, you can separate yourself from the rest of the applicants since this is your chance to be unique. Follow the format given below to maximize your chances of creating a good first impression:

Your contact information

This covers your name, phone number, address, and email ID.

The hiring manager’s information

This covers the hiring manager’s name, position, phone number, and address.

Opening paragraph

Quickly introduce yourself by stating only your name, the post you’re applying for, and your most notable achievements yet.

Body

Keep the body concise, talk about your experience, why you chose their establishment, and what you can bring to the role if you get it. You can also briefly explain why you’re the best fit for the job ahead of the other candidates.

Closing paragraph

Sum up everything you’ve mentioned in the letter, thank the hiring manager for their time and the opportunity. Put a call to action at the end of this paragraph. You can check out our waiter resume examples for more information on this part.

Salutations

Simply end the letter with "sincerely" or “warm regards.”

Frequently Asked Questions for A Waiters Resume

What should a waiter put on their resume?

Broadly speaking, your waiter’s resume should showcase your personal data, work experience, education, skills, and interests that make your copy stand out from the rest of the applications. A restaurant manager will look at whether you can offer excellent customer service, and assist customers properly.

What should I put on my resume for restaurant experience?

You should name the restaurant you worked at, your tenure of employment, and the responsibilities and skills you used or learned. Read the job ad and use a resume builder to write your waitress resume.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a waiter?

Some of the duties and responsibilities of a waiter are:

• Serve food to customers in a timely manner
• Handling food and beverage orders successfully
• Ability to stock service areas at all times
• Talk to seated customers and enquire about food items
• Knowing the menu items by heart
• Adhering to the restaurant protocol.

What skills do waiters need?

Having great interpersonal skills is one of the most important things a waiter needs. You also need proper knowledge of food handling. They need to know the menu items, and remember food orders correctly. Serving food on time and properly is important in waitress jobs. It’s something any future employer would want as well. Check out the skills section of this post to learn about the skills demanded in detail.