Waiter/Waitress Resume Template Example

Your waiter/waitress resume should demonstrate your ability to multitask, deliver efficient service in a fast-paced environment, elevate guest satisfaction ratings, and collaborate with a team of servers. This guide provides expert tips to help you create a success-driven resume highlighting the most compelling aspects of your server experience in the hospitality industry.

How To Write a Waiter/Waitress Resume

A resume template can help you write an effective waiter/waitress resume to win interviews.

Your waiter/waitress resume should include these key sections:

  • Contact information
  • Profile
  • Key skills
  • Professional experience
  • Education and certifications

Contact information

Provide your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Ensure your contact information is current so potential employers can contact you for an interview.

Example

Your Name

(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn

Profile

In about two to three sentences, summarize your professional background, relevant skills, and experience as a waiter/waitress. A strong, compelling introduction will gain the attention of hospitality managers and recruiters. Highlight your strengths and integrate keywords from the job description to show you’re a good match for the position.

Example

Well-rounded waiter with more than six years of experience in the hospitality industry, including roles at Hilton Garden Restaurant and Hard Rock Cafe. Track record for elevating customer service and satisfaction ratings by 25% within six months, multi-tasking capabilities, physical stamina, and strong communication and leadership skills.

Key skills

Highlight at least 10 key skills for your waiter/waitress career — five hard skills and five soft ones. Choose hard skills, such as payment processing and product sales and promotion, and soft skills, including conflict resolution and task prioritization. Strategically select which skills to include by aligning your capabilities with the job description to increase your chances of winning an interview. Some examples are highlighted in this table.

Common hard and soft skills for waiter/waitress

Hard Skills Soft Skills
Menu and order memorization Conflict resolution
New hire training Cross-collaboration
Payment processing Customer satisfaction
Point-of-Sale (POS) systems Multitasking
Product sales and promotions Task prioritization

Resume writer’s tip: Use descriptive action verbs

Take a strategic approach with your words on your waiter/waitress. In the professional experience section of your resume, use action verbs to communicate your job duties and accomplishments. Instead of listing off responsibilities, start each sentence with a dynamic action verb, and avoid repetitive or first-person language such as, “I was responsible for…” Here are some action verb ideas to energize your resume.

  • Carry
  • Coordinate
  • Create
  • Engage
  • Enhance
  • Ensure
  • Explain
  • Greet
  • Improve
  • Increase
  • Memorize
  • Order
  • Prepare
  • Prevent
  • Promote
  • Provide
  • Recite
  • Recommend
  • Reduce
  • Relay
  • Retrieve
  • Sell
  • Serve
  • Solve
  • Streamline
  • Take
  • Train
  • Upsell
  • Welcome

Professional experience

This section should list your previous positions as a waiter/waitress, including job duties, employer names, and dates of employment. Highlight specific achievements and accomplishments, quantifying your results whenever possible.

Example

Head Server, Hilton Garden Restaurant, New York, NY

October 2020 – present 

  • Efficiently and courteously take orders and serve food and beverages to an average of 50 customers per shift
  • Support servers and kitchen staff by completing side work such as cleaning, restocking, and food running
  • Deliver first-class customer service, contributing to a 25% improvement in client satisfaction star ratings from online reviews
  • Successfully cross-sell to increase appetizer and dessert sales by 30%
  • Train new wait staff and mentor team members to improve communication, collaboration, and retention, reducing staff turnover by 32%

Server, Hard Rock Cafe, New York, NY

June 2018 – October 2020

  • Take and serve food and drink orders in a high-pressure environment, delivering congenial customer service and a memorable experience as a tourist attraction restaurant
  • Awarded Most Valuable Server for two consecutive years based on customer reviews and waitstaff votes
  • Effectively implemented POS system to input orders and process payments
  • Perform side work, contributing to colleagues’ success by assisting during guest rushes
  • Efficiently prioritized tasks to expedite service, ensuring guests wait no longer than five minutes before receiving beverages and an offer to take orders

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Use numbers and metrics to show the results you achieved in previous roles. Provide context to your work history and give hospitality managers a better understanding of your scope and impact. You can demonstrate your value and potential as a waiter/waitress by detailing how you improve efficiency, elevate guest satisfaction ratings, and improve restaurant sales.

Do
  • “Trained new wait staff and improved wait staff retention by 32%.”
Don't
  • “In charge of staff training.”

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

Align your waiter/waitress resume with the job description to improve your chances of securing an interview. Incorporate keywords and highlight accomplishments that prove you can exceed the company’s expectations. This will require tailoring every resume you send to a recruiter for the specific job application. Even minor tweaks can make a big impact.

What if you don’t have experience?

Creating a waiter/waitress resume can be challenging if you don’t have real-world experience yet. However, you still have valuable skills and knowledge from your education and training. Also, consider volunteer experiences and highlight certifications you’ve earned. For example, if you were asked to wait tables at a charity golf outing because of your courteous nature, note this in your experience section. Or, if you earned a ServSafe Food Handler certification, include this to show your commitment to advancing your career.

Education and certifications

List any relevant education and certifications you’ve received to display you’re a well-qualified waiter/waitress. Include the title of the degree or certificate earned, the institution’s name, and the completion date. Also, list continuing education courses or professional development programs.

Example

Education 

Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Culinary Arts, September 2017 – May 2018
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

Certifications 

  • ServSafe Food Handler, National Restaurant Association, 2018

Waiter/Waitress Resume Template Text Example

Your Name

(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation zip code
LinkedIn

Profile

Well-rounded waiter with more than six years of experience in the hospitality industry, including roles at Hilton Garden Restaurant and Hard Rock Cafe. Track record for elevating customer service and satisfaction ratings by 25% within six months, multi-tasking capabilities, physical stamina, and strong communication and leadership skills.

Key Skills

  • Conflict resolution
  • Customer service
  • Efficiency improvement
  • Menu and order memorization
  • Multitasking
  • Task prioritization
  • Time management
  • Verbal communication

Professional Experience

Head Server, Hilton Garden Restaurant, New York, NY
October 2020 – present 

  • Efficiently and courteously take orders and serve food and beverages to an average of 50 customers per shift
  • Support servers and kitchen staff by completing side work such as cleaning, restocking, and food running
  • Deliver first-class customer service, contributing to a 25% improvement in client satisfaction star ratings from online reviews
  • Successfully cross-sell to increase appetizer and dessert sales by 30%
  • Train new wait staff and mentor team members to improve communication, collaboration, and retention, reducing staff turnover by 32%

Server, Hard Rock Cafe, New York, NY
June 2018 – October 2020

  • Take and serve food and drink orders in a high-pressure environment, delivering congenial customer service and a memorable experience as a tourist attraction restaurant
  • Awarded Most Valuable Server for two consecutive years based on customer reviews and wait staff votes
  • Effectively implement POS system to input orders and process payments
  • Perform side work, contributing to colleagues’ success by assisting during guest rushes
  • Efficiently prioritize tasks to expedite service, ensuring guests wait no longer than five minutes before receiving beverages and an offer to take orders

Education

Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Culinary Arts, September 2017 – May 2018
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

Certifications 

  • ServSafe Food Handler, National Restaurant Association, 2018

Languages

  • Fluent in Spanish
Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

A resume should be a forward-looking value proposition that showcases your most relevant accomplishments for a target role — not a rear view summary of your previous roles and responsibilities.

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