Skilled Restaurant Server Job Description

A restaurant server job description involves work in a restaurant where a host seats guests who order food from a menu. The restaurant server providesfood and beverages for restaurant customers and usually works evenings and weekends.

Position Description

A restaurant server typically takes customers’ food, drink and cocktail orders and delivers the proper orders to the correct customers in a timely manner and must check back with customers throughout the meal to find out if there is anything else customers’ need to make their meals better.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Restaurant Server

• Welcomes customers to the restaurant and distributes menus.
• Takes food and drink orders from customers and serves each course at the proper time.
• Responds to questions about the items on the menu including food ingredients, food preparation techniques and degree of spiciness.
• Communicates any customer complaints to the chef and strives to provide the customer with an acceptable dish.
• Answers customer questions about food ingredients that are associated with customer allergies and verifies ingredients in each dish with the chef to make sure all food items served are safe for the allergic customer to consume.
• Takes alcoholic beverage orders and inspects customers’ identification to avoid serving alcohol to any underage customers.
• Offers special desserts, sings and helps customers celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.
• Ensures that the volume of music being played in the restaurant is pleasant to customers’ ears.
• Adjusts the temperature of the restaurant to keep customers comfortable.
• Refills salt and pepper shakers and condiment containers and keeps other supplies in stock reporting to management when certain supplies are getting low.
• Adds up customer bills, processes credit card payments, collects cash from customers, makes change and provides a receipt.
• Sets tables before customers are seated and helps clean tables off when customers have finished their meals.
• Removes empty dishes from tables during the meal, offers dessert menus and serves desserts as well as after-dinner coffees and liqueurs.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Works effectively in a team environment.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Exhibits excellent customer service skills.
• Demonstrates strong organizational and time management skills.
• Has the ability to be an effective multi-tasker.
• Possesses excellent memorization skills.
• Shows tremendous knowledge of proper sanitation practices as well as strong knowledge of food safety regulations and procedures.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma.
• Training program required by employer.
• Experience as a restaurant server at another establishment.

Work Environment

• Spends a great deal of time standing and walking around.
• Carries heavy trays of food and beverages to and from a customer’s table.
• Works shift hours that often last late into the evenings and extends to weekends and holidays.
• Wears the required uniform along with rubber soled shoes designed to prevent slip and fall accidents in the restaurant.

Salary

• The salary of a restaurant server can range from $25,000 to $50,000 a year or $10 to $15 an hour; however, the salary can be noticeably improved with tips that are based on customer satisfaction.