Waiters and Waitresses
Complete Waiters and Waitresses career guide. Discover required skills, average salary, day-to-day responsibilities, interview tips, and resume templates.
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Salary Data
Median ~$37k — know your worth
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What Does a Waiters and Waitresses Do?
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- 1Collect payments from customers.
- 2Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- 3Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
- 4Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- 5Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
- 6Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
- 7Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
- 8Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
Required Skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Blink
- Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation
- Compris software
- Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
- The General Store
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Waiters and Waitresses Salary
Entry
$28k
Mid-level
$37k
Senior
$47k
Waiters and Waitresses FAQs
What skills do I need to become a Waiters and Waitresses?
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Key skills for Waiters and Waitresses include Active Listening, Speaking. Strong foundational knowledge in your field plus continuous learning is essential.
How much does a Waiters and Waitresses make?
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Waiters and Waitresses salaries vary based on experience, location, and employer. Visit our salary guide section for detailed compensation data.
What does a Waiters and Waitresses do day-to-day?
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Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
How long does it take to become a Waiters and Waitresses?
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The path to becoming a Waiters and Waitresses varies. Many enter the field with a bachelor's degree (4 years) plus 1-3 years of entry-level experience, though bootcamps and self-study routes are increasingly common.
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