Profession waiter / waitress

Waiters or waitresses take orders, serve food and beverages to customers, prepare checks and handle payments in dining establishments, e.g. restaurants, hotels and clubs.

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Personality Type

• Social / Enterprising

Tasks waiter/waitress

• Set tables, e.g. with clean linen, cutlery, crockery and glasses.
• Welcome and seat customers and hand menus to them.
• Inform customers about daily specials, answer questions about menu and make recommendations upon request.
• Take food and beverage orders from customers.
• Memorise, write down or enter customers' orders into computers, and pass orders to kitchen and bar staff.
• Serve food and beverages to customers.
• Prepare or serve speciality dishes at tables as required.
• Check with customers that they are contented and handle any problems.
• Prepare bills, present them to customers and handle money or credit card payments.
• Prepare the restaurant for special events (e.g. weddings), by getting tables, chairs, glasses, etc. ready.
• Clear and clean tables or counters, e.g. by carrying plates, glasses and cutlery to the kitchen for washing up.

Related professions food server

• Bartender
• Counter attendant cafeteria, lunchroom
• Counter attendant snack counter
• First line supervisor food servicing workers
• Food server (not in restaurants)
• Food server restaurant

Knowledge

• Alcoholic beverage products

  The origin and composition of alcoholic beverages and cocktails, the way to match them with food and the way they have to be poured.

• Dietary regimes

  The field of food habits and dietary regimes, including those inspired by religious beliefs.

• Food and beverages on the menu

  The characteristics of food and drinks items on the menu, including ingredients, taste and preparation time.

Skills

• Prepare the restaurant for service

  Make the restaurant ready for service, including arranging and setting tables, preparing service areas and ensuring the cleanliness of the dining area.

• Comply with food safety and hygiene

  Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.

• Prepare hot drinks

  Make hot drinks by brewing coffee and tea and adequately preparing other hot beverages.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Identify customer's needs

  Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.

• Maintain personal hygiene standards

  Preserve impeccable personal hygiene standards and have a tidy appearance.

• Check dining room cleanliness

  Control dining areas including their floor and wall surfaces, tables and serving stations and ensure appropriate cleanliness.

• Supervise food quality

  Oversee the quality and safety of food served to visitors and customers according to food standards.

• Assist VIP guests

  Help VIP-guests with their personal orders and requests.

• Attend to detail regarding food and beverages

  Perform great attention to all steps in the creation and the presentation of a qualitative product.

• Work in a hospitality team

  Function confidently within a group in hospitality services, in which each has his own responsibility in reaching a common goal which is a good interaction with the customers, guests or collaborators and their contentment.

• Serve food in table service

  Provide food at the table whilst maintaining high level of customer service and food safety standards.

• Welcome restaurant guests

  Greet guests and take them to their tables and make sure they are properly seated at a convenient table.

• Assist clients with special needs

  Aid clients with special needs following relevant guidelines and special standards. Recognise their needs and accurately respond to them if needed.

• Take payments for bills

  Accept payments from customers by cash money or credit cards.

• Assist customers

  Provide support and advice to customers in making purchasing decisions by finding out their needs, selecting suitable service and products for them and politely answering questions about products and services.

• Advise guests on menus for special events

  Offer recommendations to guests on meal and drink items available for special events or parties in a professional and friendly manner.

• Arrange tables

  Organise and dress tables to accommodate special events.

• Clean surfaces

  Disinfect surfaces in accordance with sanitary standards.

• Take food and beverage orders from customers

  Accept orders from customers and record them into the Point of Sale system. Manage order requests and communicate them to fellow staff members.

• Serve beverages

  Provide a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, mineral waters, wine and bottled beer over a counter or using a tray.

• Present menus

  Hand out menus to guests while assisting guests with questions using your mastery of the menu.

• Maintain customer service

  Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.

• Process payments

  Accept payments such as cash, credit cards and debit cards. Handle reimbursement in case of returns or administer vouchers and marketing instruments such as bonus cards or membership cards. Pay attention to safety and the protection of personal data.

• Prepare alcoholic beverages

  Make and serve alcoholic beverages according to the customer's wants.

• Measure customer feedback

  Evaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.

• Serve wines

  Provide wine using proper techniques in front of the customers. Open the bottle correctly, decant the wine if needed, serve and keep the wine in the proper temperature and container.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB