Elena Prokopets
Claire Briggs Webber, CPRW
Working as a server (waiter or waitress) can be an excellent way to make some extra money on the side. You can earn some hefty income if you are hired to a high-end venue. Did you know that staff working at Mario Batali’s restaurants are reportedly earning $130,000-$140,000 annually? Servers at Scarpetta, American Cut, or American Cut Midtown restaurant chains in NYC are also said to earn between $75,000-$100,000 per year.
But of course, those six-figure server jobs are competitive. You’ll need to present an outstanding resume to the restaurant manager and pass a series of interviews. In this post, we’ll share some quick writing tips for creating that stellar job application, plus provide a server resume example that you can adapt to your needs.
1. Highlight The Right Skills
It may be tempting to make “people skills” the central focal point of your resume to score some points from the employer. But don’t overdo that. Most employers in the food industry look for candidates who demonstrate strong soft and hard skills at the same time.
Some important skills for servers to highlight in their resumes are as follows:
Hard Skills:
- Soft Sales and up-sells
- POS systems and cash registers
- Basic accounting skills
- Knowledge in food safety and food allergies/intolerance
- Dining room set up
- Business etiquette
- Waiting on tables
- Conflict resolution
Soft Skills:
- Positive attitude
- Good memory
- Energetic
- Courteous
- Service-oriented
- High-stress tolerance
- Attention to details
- Stamina
- Teamwork
2. Write a Catchy Resume Summary
Opt for a short and sweet professional resume summary, over a more corporate resume objective. This one will go on top of your resume, along with your contact information, and should entice the reader to give your application a closer look. Treat a resume summary as an elevator pitch – pack your key skills, personal traits and experience in a two-liner.
Here’s a quick example of a server resume summary:
“Courteous and positive restaurant server with 3 years of experience working in cocktail bars and fine dining restaurants. Top people skills, excellent memory, BA in Hospitality Management, waitress of the year 2017 as voted by customers”.
3. Lean Heavier on the Numbers
Most employers want to see facts. Don’t tell how good you are with people, show them via examples. If you were one of the more popular waiters in the venue, say so. Earned top tips? Was good at upselling? Was asked to train new personnel? Mention all of these things in your resume, along with some figures.
Resume Example For Waiter/Waitress (Word version)
Download resume example (.docx)
Server Resume Example (text version)
1858 Heron Way
Portland, OR 97205
123-456-789
name@email.com
Experienced Fine Dining Server
Professional full-time server with 5+ years of experience in the food industry. Know the basics of business etiquette, have stellar customer service skills (highest tipped waiter at Lux restaurant), attentive to details. Completed 25-hours of training in dining room set up and decoration.
Work History
Senior Server at Hip Fine Dining Restaurant, Portland, OR
(September 2018 – present)
Prepared and decorated the dining room before the opening. Inspected service during the night:
- Managed the front of house team up to 5 people per shift.
- Trained 7 new serving staff members and supervised their performance.
- Maintained a detailed knowledge of the seasonal menus (changed four times per year) and ingredient to make accurate recommendations to customers.
- Was responsible for the entire dining room setup – from tables to floral arrangements.
- Assisted junior staff with conflict resolution to ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
Achievements:
- Was among the top requested waiters for VIP events organized in the venue.
- Named as “employee of the month” 7 times over two years.
Server at Cool Contemporary Casual Joint Portland, OR
(March 2016 – September 2018)
Greeted and attended guests, waited tables, handled POS and cash register.
- Introduced customers to the restaurant concept. Explained the basics of molecular cuisine. Guided the clients through the menu, presented seasonal specials, suggested wine pairings and provided allergy information.
- Up-sold drinks, tasting menus and dessert-specials. Had a 20% higher table check on average compared to other waiters.
- Proactively anticipated guest needs, provided friendly conversations and fulfilled all the requests.
- Prepared checks, collected payments and walked out the guests.
Server/Bartender at Local Brewery, Austin, Texas
(December 2014–March 2016)
Provided friendly table service, handled simple cocktail requests and ensured that every guest had a positive experience.
- Worked in a high-paced environment and served a high volume of guests promptly, while ensuring top order accuracy and high guest satisfaction.
- Constructed a fun and memorable statements describing daily specials that were later taken by other waiters.
- Exceeded the sales goal within 3 months after hiring.
- Voted as the “favorite waiter at the venue” during the annual customer survey.
Education
Austin Community College, Austin, TX
BA in Hospitality Management
GPA: 3.2
Courses & Certifications
- Dining Etiquette Seminar
- Dining Set up and Table Decoration Training Program (25-hours)
- Food Safety Permit
Conclusions
The server resume example above is written in a chronological format. It’s the best option for experienced candidates who want to show their career progression. First-time job seekers may want to use a functional resume format instead. In that case, you can draw attention to your soft skills and education, instead of relevant work experience.
P.S. If you are still feeling stuck with writing, be sure to browse other resume examples we have created! You can always borrow more ideas for your server resume from other niches such as customer service or bartending!
