Waiters and Waitresses

Summary

Waiters and waitresses take food and beverage orders from customers.

Quick Facts: Waiters and Waitresses
2010 Median Pay	$18,330 per year $8.81 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Less than high school
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	2,260,300
Job Outlook, 2010-20	9% (Slower than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	195,900

What Waiters and Waitresses Do

Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.

Work Environment

Waiters and waitresses work in restaurants, bars, hotels, and other food service and drinking places. During busy dining hours, they are under pressure to serve customers quickly and efficiently. The majority work part time, including early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays.

How to Become a Waiter or Waitress

Most waiter and waitress jobs are at the entry level, and workers learn through short-term on-the-job training. No formal education or previous work experience is required to enter the occupation.

Pay

The median hourly wage (including tips) of waiters and waitresses was $8.81 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of waiters and waitresses is expected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities are expected to be very good because of the large size of the occupation and the many workers who leave their jobs each year. Those seeking employment at upscale restaurants will face strong competition.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of waiters and waitresses with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about waiters and waitresses by contacting these additional resources.

What Waiters and Waitresses Do About this section

Waiters and waitresses may make wine recommendations.

Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.

Duties

Waiters and waitresses typically do the following:

• Greet customers, present menus, and explain daily specials to customers
• Answer questions related to menu items and make recommendations
• Take food and beverage orders from customers
• Relay food and beverage orders to the kitchen staff
• Prepare drinks and food garnishes
• Carry trays of food or drinks from the kitchen to the dining tables
• Remove dirty dishes and glasses and clean tables after customers finish meals
• Prepare itemized checks and hand them to customers and sometimes take payment
• Clean and set up dining areas, refill condiments, roll silverware, and stock service areas

Waiters and waitresses, also called servers, are responsible for ensuring that customers have a satisfying dining experience. The specific duties of servers vary considerably with the establishment in which they work.

In casual-dining restaurants that offer routine, straightforward fare, such as salads, soups, and sandwiches, servers are expected to provide fast, efficient, and courteous service. In fine-dining restaurants, where more complicated meals are prepared and are often served over several courses, waiters and waitresses provide more formal service. They emphasize personal, attentive treatment at a more leisurely pace.

Waiters and waitresses may meet with managers and chefs before each shift to discuss the menu and any new items or specials, review ingredients for potential food allergies, or talk about any food safety concerns. They also discuss coordination between the kitchen and the dining room and review any customer service issues from the previous day or shift.

In addition, waiters and waitresses usually check the identification of patrons to ensure that they meet the minimum age requirement for the purchase of alcohol.

Work Environment About this section

Waitresses bring meals from the kitchen to the dining room.

Waiters and waitresses held about 2.3 million jobs in 2010. Approximately three-fourths of them worked in full-service restaurants.

Waiters and waitresses are on their feet most of the time and often carry heavy trays of food, dishes, and glassware. During busy dining periods, they are under pressure to serve customers quickly and efficiently. Although the work is relatively safe, rushed servers can suffer injuries from slips.

Work Schedules

The majority of waiters and waitress work part time, and many work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays. This is especially true for those who work in full-service restaurants, which employ 76 percent of all waiters and waitresses.

Those who work in resorts are normally employed by the resort for only a few months each year.

How to Become a Waiter or Waitress About this section

Some restaurants offer in-house training for new hires.

Most waiter and waitress jobs are at the entry level, and workers learn through short-term on-the-job training. No formal education or previous work experience is required to enter the occupation.

Most states require workers who serve alcoholic beverages to be at least 18 years of age, but some states require servers to be older. Waiters and waitresses who serve alcohol need to be familiar with state and local laws concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Training

Although most employers prefer to hire high school graduates, many entrants to these jobs are in their late teens or early twenties and have less than a high school education. Waiter and waitress jobs are a major source of part-time employment for high school and college students, multiple jobholders, and those seeking supplemental incomes.

All new employees receive some training from their employer. For example, workers learn procedures for handling food safely and sanitation practices.

Some full-service restaurants also provide new dining room employees with some form of classroom training that alternates with periods of on-the-job work experience. These training programs communicate the operating philosophy of the restaurant, help new servers establish a personal rapport with other staff, teach formal serving techniques, and instill a desire to work as a team. They also provide an opportunity to discuss customer service situations and the proper ways to handle unpleasant circumstances or unruly patrons.

Some waiters and waitresses can acquire more skills by attending relevant classes offered by public or private vocational schools, restaurant associations, or large restaurant chains. Although some of these schools help their graduates find jobs, employers are more likely to hire and promote employees on the basis of their people skills and personal qualities than on the basis of their education.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Waiters and waitresses must listen carefully to customers’ specific requests, ask any questions, and correctly relay the information they get from the customers to the kitchen staff, so that orders are prepared to the customers’ satisfaction.

Customer and personal-service skills. Waiters and waitresses spend most of their work time serving customers. They should be friendly and polite and be able to develop a natural rapport with customers.

Good memory. Waiters and waitresses must keep customers’ orders straight. They also should be able to recall the faces, names, and food and drink preferences of frequent customers.

People skills. Waiters and waitresses must be courteous, tactful, and attentive as they deal with customers in all circumstances. For example, they must show that they understand customers’ complaints and that they are able to resolve any issues that arise.

Physical stamina. Waiters and waitresses must be able to spend hours on their feet carrying heavy trays, dishes, and glassware.

Team oriented. Because busy dining hours can be hectic and fast paced, workers must be able to work well as a team to ensure that customers feel welcome and receive prompt service.

Well-groomed and neat appearance. Because waiters and waitresses are the front line of customer service in food service and drinking establishments, a neat appearance is often important.

Pay About this section

The median hourly wage (including tips) of waiters and waitresses was $8.81 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.54, and the top 10 percent earned more than $14.41.

Many waiters and waitresses get their earnings from a combination of hourly wages and customer tips. Earnings vary greatly with the type of establishment and region. For example, tips are generally much higher in upscale restaurants in major metropolitan areas and resorts.

Many entry-level or inexperienced workers earn the federal minimum wage. However, many others earn more per hour because they work in states that set minimum wages higher than the federal minimum.

Also, various exceptions to the minimum wage apply under specific circumstances to disabled workers, full-time students, youths under age 20 in their first 90 days of employment, tipped employees, and student learners. Tipped employees are those who customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages.

The majority of waiters and waitress work part time, and many work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays. This is especially true for those who work in full-service restaurants, which employ 76 percent of all waiters and waitresses.

Those who work in resorts are normally employed by the resort for only a few months each year.

Many employers provide free meals and furnish uniforms, but some may deduct from wages the cost, or fair value, of any meals or lodging provided. Waiters and waitresses who work full time often receive typical benefits, but part-time workers usually do not.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of waiters and waitresses is expected to grow 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. Employment is expected to increase as the population expands and people continue to eat at restaurants.

However, employment will grow more slowly than in the past as people change their dining habits. The increasing popularity of takeout food and the growing number and variety of places that offer self-service or carryout options will slow the employment growth of waiters and waitresses.

In addition, technology-driven payment systems should moderate employment growth of waiters and waitresses in limited-service eating places.

Job Prospects

Job opportunities for waiters and waitresses are expected to be very good, primarily because of the large number of workers who leave the occupation.

Candidates with previous work experience and excellent customer service skills will have the best job opportunities in fine-dining and upscale restaurants. Still, they will likely face strong competition at these establishments, as potential earnings from tips are greatest and the number of job applicants far exceeds the number of job openings.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information on careers as a waiter or waitress, visit

National Restaurant Association