Waitress Resume Example
Rhoda Jones
Address: 1738 Howell Mill RD, Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: (404) 591-8865
Email: [email protected]
Current job: Waitress at Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Objective
Use my 6 years of experience as a waitress to serve and ensure customers are enjoying their meals. I received the “best waitress of the year” award in two of the last restaurants where I have been serving clients, and I aim to expand my collection.
I am applying for this job, because I have heard so many good things about working at Chez Magnifique, and I am also a frequent customer.
Skills
- Ability to work effectively under time pressure and for long and extended hours
- Ability to multitask
- Diligence and dedication to work
- A good memory and an eye for details
- Vast knowledge of different wines and spirits
- Ability to understand different kinds of people
- A keen observer
- Great sensitivity to the needs of others
- A friendly, cheerful, and polite attitude
- Experience in preparing salads, appetizers, and coffee
- Experience in mixing drinks
- A strong passion to ensure customer satisfaction
Duties and Responsibilities
Waitress, 2020-present
Mary Mac’s Tea Room, Atlanta, GA
Responsibilities
- Escort customers to their tables and ensures they are settled comfortably; offers coffee and other drinks
- Present the menu to customers, answers queries about it, and makes suggestions if necessary
- Inform patrons the restaurant’s daily specials
- Explain the preparation and cooking methods as well as ingredients of various menu items
- Take orders from customers for food and beverages, writes down or memorize the orders; and enters information into the computer for transmittal to the kitchen
- Serve food and beverages promptly
- Ensure that customers are enjoying their meals or that they do not have any problem with their food
- Check their identification to make sure that they meet the minimum age requirement for consuming alcoholic beverages
- Collect the customers’ payments and prepares bills with itemized costs and appropriate taxes
- Prepare and tidies up the tables or counters; makes sure there are enough salt, sugar, pepper, cream, other condiments, and napkins in every table or counter.
- Performs other duties like brewing coffee and preparation of salads and appetizers
- Decorate dishes before serving
- Ensure that there are adequate supplies of food, tableware, linens, and beverages
- Offer wine selections, put this in the proper wine glass, and pour the wine for customers
- Stay alert for customer’s requests and be prompt to address them
- Perform other tasks assigned by supervisor or manager from time to time.
Service Crew Front/Counter, 2018-2020
McDonald’s, Atlanta, GA
Responsibilities
- Took food and beverage orders and served them to customers
- Attended to customers’ needs
- Accepted payments and manned the cash register
- Maintained cleanliness in the counters, some parts of the kitchen, and tables
- Manned the drive-thru
- Helped in keeping the stock room clean and organized
- Accepted calls for delivery and other inquiries
- Assisted in decorating the store during special occasions like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.
- Organized parties for customers
- Tasks assigned by supervisor
Store Assistant, 2017-2018
Turkey Hill Minit, Columbus, OH
Responsibilities
- Assisted in running the grocery store
- Operated the cash register and received payments
- Received deliveries and administered shelving of stocks
- Ensured that shop exits are free from obstacles; maintained the sanitation of the shop and displays
- Looked after the shop when the manager is away
- Provided prompt service and ensured customer satisfaction
- Ran errands and other tasks assigned by the store manager
Education
Forrest Hill Academy, 2013-2017
High School Diploma, 3.1 GPA
Courses
- Dining Etiquette Seminar
- Seminar on Sanitation and Safety for Waiters
- Food Safety Permit
Restaurant Waiter Resume Sample
Name: Giancarlo Callahan
Address: Hilliard, OH 43026
Phone: (353) 454-7045
Email: [email protected]
Current job: Restaurant Waiter at Bill Miller Bar-B-Q
Objective
My resume objective is to become a waiter at a restaurant. I am an energetic individual with a passion for great food, attention to detail, and customer service. I am a reliable and hardworking person who is always able to help others and work well in a team. My resume objective is to become a waiter at a restaurant. I am an energetic individual with a passion for great food, attention to detail, and customer service.
Work Experience
Restaurant Waiter, 2018 – present Yogurtland
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Respond to customer needs
- Greet customers and take orders
- Deliver food and drinks to tables
- Carry dishes
- Clear tables for new guests
- Assist with organization of the restaurant, including set up of tables and dish washing
Restaurant Waiter, 2014 – 2018
Cousins Subs
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Actively listens, takes notes and repeats all customer requests
- Achieves service levels by following all company policies and procedures
- Assists in the proper set up of all tables, booth seats, and bar seats with linens, silverware, glassware, napkin/sugar packets, condiments, coasters etc.
- Ensures a professional dining experience by providing courteous and prompt service
- Alerts management of any customer
Restaurant Waiter, 2012 – 2014
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Serve food and beverages to customers
- Take customer orders and relay them to the kitchen staff
- Serve food and beverages at the table
- Greet customers with a smile
- Answer any questions about menu items, pricing, or specials
- Greet each customer as they arrive and make them feel welcomed
- Answer customers questions about the restaurant and menu
- Take food and drink orders from the kitchen staff
Skills
- Able to work a variety of shifts, including days, evenings, and weekends
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to communicate in English
- Excellent customer service skills
How to write a good waitress resume
1. Find Out The Type Of Restaurant You Are Applying For
The restaurant industry includes fast-foods, casual and fine dining. These types of restaurants all need waitress services in different capacities.
Before writing your resume, find out the type of restaurant where you aim to get a job, then highlight the most relevant skills and qualifications in your resume.
Fast-food is generally self-service. However, some fast-food restaurants need servants, stationed on the floor to take orders for the line to move faster. They also take the time to assist diners and bus out empty tables.
Casual and fine dining restaurants offer a more formal, posh setting. Waiters are required to strictly adhere to restaurant guidelines. For example, utensils, plates, and napkins have specific ways to be set up on the table.
Waiters who work in casual and fine dining restaurant are typically expected to be more refined and conscientious in their functions. Fine dining restaurants prefer candidates who have completed some college or are presently enrolled in a related course such as Restaurant Management.
Fast-food restaurants are much more liberal in their selection of candidates. Most will consider your application if you are at least 18 years of age.
2. Learn As Much As You Can About The Menu And Service
To sell a product, you must learn as much as you can about it. If a customer asks you about the “Beef Bourguignon”, it would be impressive to share the type of red wine used, the cut of beef that was braised, and the amount of time it took to prepare the dish.
Here are some tips to learn more about the menu and the service:
- Visit the website and check out the menu.
- Search for product or menu reviews.
- Talk to a former employee or someone who has eaten at the restaurant.
- Visit the restaurant’s social media pages.
- Visit the restaurant; order an item and observe how service is carried out.
3. Carefully Review The Job Specifications
Companies have a clear idea of the kind of employee they want working for them. Restaurants are no different.
A typical restaurant job post would include details on the following:
- Age range
- Minimum educational attainment
- Minimum years of work experience
- Height
- Physical fitness – someone who can handle a frenetic work pace
- Specialized skills – can operate a POS machine, design marketing materials, bilingual, knowledge in wine and mixing drinks, knowledge in cooking
- Certifications – food safety, food handling, First-Aid
Review your skills and abilities. Assess your level of qualification. You don’t have to tick every box on the job post.
Usually, the priorities are listed in order. If you have some of these qualifications, highlight them in your resume.
How to write a good objective for a waitress resume
If you want to prove to the restaurant owner that you can sell, the best proof that you can do so is in the resume objective. Think of your objective statement as your sales pitch.
“What would make the restaurant owner want to hire me?”
Wondering what you can put on a waitress resume objective? Here are some suggestions:
- Have you read the job ad? If you are sure that you have the required skills, indicate them in the objective statement. For example, if the job specifically requires someone who has at least 1-year experience working in a fine dining restaurant, start with that and include the name of the restaurant:
“From July 2018 to June 2019, I worked at Chez Magnifique. 6 months as fine dining crew before I was assigned as a Cashier for 3 months then as a bartender for another 3 months. “
- Use the information you gathered from your research. In the previous section, we suggested that you visit the restaurant to learn more about its food and service. Let’s assume you tried the “Beef Bourguignon”, you can include your experience in the resume objective:
“The Beef Bourguignon was very tender, succulent, and well-seasoned. I would recommend that a customer pair it with a glass of Shiraz.”
This statement will convince the restaurant owner that you have initiative and can sell the menu items.
- Let your personality shine! When writing the resume objective for a waitress job position, try to be more conversant. Imagine yourself talking directly to the HR Manager or the owner himself.
How would you discuss your skills and abilities? Another way to look at the objective statement is that it is your voice on the resume. Write similar to the way you would converse during the job interview.
How to put responsibilities on a waitress resume
Using eye-tracking technology, online job platform The Ladders was able to determine that recruiters spend only 6 seconds scanning a resume. Based on the heat map created by the technology, it was revealed that most of the 6 seconds were used on the work experience section. This is why it is important to give the Duties and Responsibilities section serious thought.
Even though the responsibilities are generally the same from one restaurant to the next, do your best to differentiate the tasks you managed per the previous employer.
Here’s an example of a generic Waiter and Waitress Duties and Responsibilities section that you should avoid using:
Example of a poorly written resume
- Greeted customers.
- Brought customers to their table.
- Provided menus.
- Took down orders.
- Served food orders.
- Cleaned tables.
The responsibilities are short and to the point. However, there is nothing to pique the interest of the recruiter. Nothing that says, “I am the best candidate for the job.”
The first thing you have to do is to review the job post. Find out what the restaurant requires of its waiters and waitresses.
Let’s look at the following job post:
For Immediate Hiring: Waiters and Waitresses
- At least 1-year work experience in a casual dining restaurant
- Bilingual; can converse in the Hispanic language
- Familiar with popular Mexican cuisine
- Knowledgeable in pairing beer and spirits with Mexican cuisine
- Physically fit; can work long hours
With this information, you can rewrite the previous duties section in this manner:
Example of a good duties and responsibilities resume section for Waitress and Waiter
- Rosarita’s is a Mexican restaurant that uses the concept of a 60’s diner to present its menu.
- Greeted customers in both English and Spanish; conversed in Spanish with members of the Hispanic community.
- Attended to questions from diners regarding the menu; offered my suggestions on the house specialties and monthly promotions.
- Engaged with diners who prefer beer and spirits with their main course; gave suggestions on which drinks are best paired with their choice of meat.
- Regularly suggested appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts to diners.
- Ensured that tables were complete in utensils and that glasses were regularly filled with water.
- Frequently followed up diners’ food orders to make sure items were served within the prescribed waiting period.
- Assisted other waiters and waitresses should the need arise and if my customers have been fully attended to.
The differences between the two job descriptions are like night and day. By using the appropriate verbs, the revised job description encourages imagery; the recruiter can visualize how the candidate worked with his previous employer.
If you worked for two restaurants, do the same thing. Try to differentiate your job descriptions. Identify tasks that are relevant to the job post but put in details that will differentiate them from your previous employment.
How to put skills on a waitress resume
Waiting on tables is not purely service. You will have to put on a salesman’s hat and try to increase the sales of the restaurant. If you have been wondering what are the best skills to put on a waiter or waitress resume, here are some suggestions:
Education
In most restaurants, they will consider your application even if you have not finished high school. As long as you are of legal age or 18 years old, you can work in a restaurant.
Casual and fine dining restaurants may have higher standards for education. This is because they prefer candidates with a background in the fundamentals of restaurant management.
Can you find work in a casual or fine dining restaurant even if you only have a high school diploma? Of course! Sometimes the restaurant will be open to the idea of sponsoring your college education or Associate Degree if they see you have tremendous potential as a Waitress or Waiter.
Certifications
Unless specifically required by the restaurant, you do not have to be certified to become a waitress or a waiter.
There are restaurants, particularly those in the casual and fine dining market, that want candidates with certifications in food handling and food safety. This is because they have a career path/succession plan in place and tend to move people laterally within the restaurant.
Interpersonal Skills
As a Waiter or Waitress, you will interact with different people daily. Not all customers are alike. You have some truly delightful ones and you have those who just want to be difficult. Regardless of the type of customer, you must remain professional and respectful during your dealings.
If the customer is becoming agitated or rude, you can simply refer the matter to the Restaurant Manager on duty. You will also be interacting with management and staff. In a restaurant, employees can come from all walks of life. Not everyone will share your viewpoints or appreciate your suggestions.
Similar to the customer, you should always remain professional in the manner in which you deal with the co-employees.
Salesmanship
As the first point-of-contact, the customer will look to the servant for answers to questions such as:
“What is the specialty of the house?”
“Can you recommend something good?”
“What’s the best seller?”
“Any drink that goes well with the main course?”
“Do you have healthier options on your menu?”
These questions present opportunities for you to upsell or push for other products on the menu. You have to know the menu products by heart so that you would sound natural when selling them.
Physical Fitness
Becoming a waitress or a waiter will require you to be on your feet for several hours a day. You will be constantly moving; taking down orders, bringing them to the kitchen, and bringing out food for the customers.
The trays can be quite heavy. Through it all, you have to remain composed and focused.
The work hours can be long especially if the crowd continues to pour inside the restaurant or if you have a party reservation. Therefore, it is important to be physically fit. Some people call in sick the following day after a busy dinner crowd. Restaurants prefer candidates who are not sickly.
How to write an Entry Level Waiter or Waitress Resume
There are many restaurant businesses and they are always hiring servants. In most cases, this job is on a contractual basis.
Although experience is important in many jobs, it is not a top priority. This is because all new hires will be given training by the restaurant. Keep in mind that even experienced waiters still have to learn the restaurant’s menu, service system, and guidelines.
So how do you make your entry-level Waitress and Waiter resume stand out?
- Utilize the resume objective
Share your story to the recruiter. Why do you want to become a waiter? Are you paying your way through college? Do you want to support your parents and siblings?
Even recruiters love a good story. - Highlight your relevant soft skills
Pick out 3 personality attributes that best describe you and explain why these qualities make you the ideal candidate for the job. - If you did volunteer work
Cooking and serving food in a shelter or work as a waiter in a charity event, you can cite these instances as work experience. - Indicate work experience
If you worked in customer service at a fashion store, you can consider this as relevant work experience.
When preparing your resume, it must be customized according to the needs of the job. Do not submit the same one to another restaurant. Your resume should speak to the restaurant owner and compel him to hire you for the job.
Working as a Waitress / Waiter
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), there were more than 2.6 Million waiter and waitress jobs available in 2016. The BLS expects demand for this job to remain stable over the next decade with job growth estimated at 7% per annum.
The average pay for a waiter and a waitress is $20,820 per year or $10.01 per hour. Of course, this does not include tips and other monetary benefits.
Although the pay is not high, becoming a waiter or waitress is a common starting point for people who want to land their first job.
Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pratt, and Mariah Carey are just a few famous people who worked as waiters or waitresses before they struck it rich. Waiting on tables is not easy. You are on your feet for several hours. You will be juggling tasks such as order-taking, serving, addressing complaints, and assisting customers.
However, there is more to becoming a good waitress and waiters than just serving food.
Owners and managers rely on waitresses and waiters to boost up the sales of the restaurant. Waiters and waitresses are often referred to as “front line salespeople”.
They are trained to do the following sales-related tasks:
- Upsell to increase the average check per table.
- Promote new menu items.
- Push menu items that have good profit margins.
- Move menu items that have high inventory levels.
- Promote party packages; assist in bookings and reservations.
