Waiters and Waitresses
Overview
SaveJob Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees 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.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
Yearly Salary
| High: | $42K |
| Median: | $23K |
| Low: | $17K |
Demand
Core Tasks
- 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.
- Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
- Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
- Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
- Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
- Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
- Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom.
- Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
- Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
- Roll silverware, set up food stations, or set up dining areas to prepare for the next shift or for large parties.
- Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.
- Inform customers of daily specials.
- Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.
- Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
- Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.
- Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.
- Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
- Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.
- Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
- Describe and recommend wines to customers.
- Escort customers to their tables.
- Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
79%
Knowledge 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 Language
73%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Sales and Marketing
66%
Knowledge 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 Production
53%
Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Mathematics
53%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Administration and Management
51%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Education and Training
49%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Psychology
49%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Computers and Electronics
48%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Sociology and Anthropology
47%
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Top 10 Skills
Service Orientation
78%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Listening
70%
Giving 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.
Speaking
70%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
68%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination
63%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring
60%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking
58%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
55%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Persuasion
55%
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension
55%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
78%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
75%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
75%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
75%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Stamina
65%
The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Time Sharing
65%
The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Trunk Strength
65%
The 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.
Problem Sensitivity
63%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
60%
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Deductive Reasoning
60%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Top 10 Work Activities
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
80%
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
78%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Performing General Physical Activities
76%
Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
Handling and Moving Objects
74%
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
73%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
70%
Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
Getting Information
66%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Assisting and Caring for Others
64%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
64%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
62%
Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Detailed Work Activities
- Process customer bills or payments.
- Enforce rules or regulations.
- Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
- Take customer orders.
- Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction.
- Collect dirty dishes or other tableware.
- Clean food service areas.
- Serve food or beverages.
- Cook foods.
- Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment.
- Present food or beverage information or menus to customers.
- Arrange tables or dining areas.
- Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies.
- Schedule dining reservations.
- Assist customers with seating arrangements.
- Prepare foods for cooking or serving.
- Prepare hot or cold beverages.
- Provide customers with general information or assistance.
- Add garnishes to food.
Education
Interests
Social
69%
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Conventional
65%
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
Enterprising
60%
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
Realistic
59%
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
Artistic
28%
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
Investigative
15%
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
Work Values
Relationships
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Achievement
34%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
34%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition
29%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions
29%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.