Server Job Description

Summary

A server takes care of guests from the moment they sit down to the moment they leave. Servers take orders, bring food and drinks, answer questions and make sure the table has what it needs.

Describe your restaurant: full service, casual, bar and grill or counter service. Say what the shifts look like and how tips and pay work.

Duties and responsibilities

• Greet guests, explain the menu and answer questions about ingredients and options.
• Take orders accurately and enter them in the system.
• Serve food and drinks, check back on the table and refill as needed.
• Handle payments accurately and return the right change.
• Share allergy and special request details with the kitchen.
• Set up and clean tables, side stations and your section.
• Work with hosts, bartenders and cooks so tables are served on time.

Skills and qualities

• Friendly, patient and positive with guests.
• Good memory and attention to detail.
• Able to move fast and stay calm during busy periods.
• Comfortable with a point-of-sale system and with handling money.
• A strong team player.
• Able to carry trays and stand for a full shift.

Typical requirements

• Previous server experience, or willingness to be trained.
• A food handler card, and an alcohol service certificate if you serve alcohol, where your state or county requires them.
• Minimum age that meets your state’s rules, especially if alcohol is served.
• Availability for evenings, weekends and holidays if the job needs them.

Requirements differ by state, city and employer. Check the licensing, age, safety and pay rules that apply to your business before you post. This page is a starting point, not legal advice.

Schedule and conditions

Restaurant shifts follow meal service, and weekends are often the busiest. Give the usual days and hours, and whether closing shifts are required.

Explain how tips, tip pooling and the base wage work in your restaurant, and follow the wage rules that apply in your state.

Nice to have

• Experience in a restaurant like yours.
• Bartending or wine knowledge, if the job needs it.
• Experience training new servers.
• A second language, if your guests need it.

Tips for posting this job

• Describe the restaurant and the style of service.
• List the shifts, and say how schedules are posted.
• Explain how tips and pay work, in plain words.
• Say whether you provide uniform pieces, training and a staff meal.
• State the age and certification requirements that apply.

Put your real pay, schedule and location in the posting. Candidates skip posts that leave them out.