Job Description for a Food Service Waitress

Waitresses do more than just bring food to a restaurant customer's table. A good waitress is organized and efficient, possessing an outgoing and friendly disposition. While the minimum wage for food service waitresses is lower than the average minimum wage--generally between $2 and $4 an hour--the job can be lucrative because of gratuities. Satisfied customers customarily leave cash behind for the waitresses who served them well. While most customers calculate the tip amount according to the cost of their meals, they sometimes reward exceptional service by exceeded the standard percentage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated an average income between $7.32 and $10.35 an hour in 2008, with high earners making as much as $14 an hour.

Customer Service

Food is only one reason people patronize restaurants. The environment of the restaurant itself is a critical part of the dining experience, and the waitress plays a central role in determining whether that environment is pleasant or unpleasant. Restaurant managers expect their waitresses to be friendly, professional and attentive to their customers' needs.

Quality Assurance

Waitresses must know the ingredients of the restaurant's dishes. She is an important resource for customers who have food allergies, steering them away from some items and directing them to appropriate ones.

Before bringing food to the table, a waitress should check to make sure the kitchen has prepared what the customer asked for. Checking her order ticket against the dishes, she verifies that nothing has been added or left out. She ascertains that items which should be hot are hot, and that cold items are cold.

If the restaurant serves alcohol, the waitress must verify that the customer is of legal age before serving it.

Sales

"Up-selling" is an important function of the food service waitress. Suggesting appetizers, side dishes, drinks and desserts the customer might not have thought to order can lead to higher sales, which increases the restaurant's profit and may significantly increase the amount of the waitress's tips, as customers usually calculate the tip amount as a percentage of their checks. Listening to what the customer wants and putting her knowledge of the menu to use, a waitress can enhance the customer's dining experience through up-selling.

Cleaning

At most restaurants, waitresses are assigned to stations--sections of the restaurant where all the tables are theirs. It's the waitress's job to make sure her section is clean--that the tables and chairs are wiped and the floors swept or vacuumed. Most restaurants have bussers--people who clear away dishes when the customer is finished with them--but if there aren't bussers, or those available are busy, the waitress must bus tables herself.

Side Work

Most restaurants require waitresses to perform duties that keep the entire restaurant running smoothly. Side work varies according to the restaurant's needs, but duties may include wrapping silverware in napkins so that it can be easily transported to tables; washing windows; cleaning the lobby; cleaning waitress service stations; and wiping down menus.