What does a Food And Beverage Attendant do?
Going to a restaurant to meet a smiling face is one of the world's greatest delights. When visiting a restaurant, the first smiling face that greets you is often that of a food and beverage attendant. Naturally, the role of a food and beverage attendant involves more than just smiling. They seat customers comfortably, address any complaints, and take customer orders. Their primary role is simply to keep restaurant customers satisfied.
Food and beverage attendant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real food and beverage attendant resumes:
- Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
- Operate POS terminals to input customer orders, swipe credit cards and enter amounts receive.
- Place plates, spoons, and bowls on the bar.
- Keep the buffet stock with food, plates, and spoons.
- Act as main bartender during schedule bartending shifts.
- Wait tables, checking customer preferences and upselling specials.
- Light bartending, and sufficiently stocking for the next shift.
- Keep all bars clean and maintain an upbeat and positive attitude.
- Enter orders into POS system; inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.
- Maintain cleaning standards, run the cash register and provide miscellaneous tasks assign.
- Prepare and serve fresh make juices, smoothies, and other healthy food options.
- Prepare cocktails, beer, wine, espressos and other orders at the hotel bars.
- Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots and pans, using dishwashers or by hand.
- Succeed in suggestive selling of food and libations through promotion of new items and upselling of products.
- Ensure the customer have a pleasant culinary experience and take actions to correct any problems, if necessary.
Food and beverage attendant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Food And Beverage Attendants are proficient in Cleanliness, Food Handling, and Culinary. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Food And Beverage Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cleanliness, 21%
Maintain cleanliness and order of assigned beverage station, including beverage equipment.
- Food Handling, 12%
Received in depth training for proper food handling techniques including proper freezer placement, appropriate food temperature and equipment cleaning process.
- Culinary, 10%
Ensured the customer had a pleasant culinary experience and took actions to correct any problems, if necessary.
- Guest Service, 6%
Handled food and beverage orders while providing excellent guest service in a fast-paced, high-energy environment.
- Math, 5%
Job achievements: I gained knowledge about basic mixed drinks and used a great amount of math skills to calculate cost.
- Wine, 5%
Prepared cocktails, beer, wine, espressos and other orders at the hotel bars.
Common skills that a food and beverage attendant uses to do their job include "cleanliness," "food handling," and "culinary." You can find details on the most important food and beverage attendant responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a food and beverage attendant to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "waiters and waitresses must record customers’ orders accurately." Additionally, a food and beverage attendant resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "cashier, server, food prep, restock, detail cleaning, greeter, answer phone calls for room services"
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform food and beverage attendant duties is communication skills. Food and beverage attendants responsibilities require that "waiters and waitresses must listen to customers, ask questions as needed, and relay information to the kitchen staff so that orders are prepared to the customers’ satisfaction." Food and beverage attendants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "keep communication with the kitchen staff regarding specials, food allergies, diets, menu modifications or complaints. "
Customer-service skills. food and beverage attendants are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to food and beverage attendant responsibilities, because "waiters and waitresses are frontline workers for their restaurant." A food and beverage attendant resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "greeted customers, took food and drink orders, prepared food, served food and beverages. "
Physical stamina. For certain food and beverage attendant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a food and beverage attendant rely on this skill, as "waiters and waitresses spend most of their work hours standing or walking and carrying trays, dishes, and drinks." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what food and beverage attendants do: "fast-paced, busy, high volume and maintain physical stamina. "
Physical strength. Another common skill required for food and beverage attendant responsibilities is "physical strength." This skill comes up in the duties of food and beverage attendants all the time, as "waiters and waitresses need to be able to lift and carry trays of food or other items." An excerpt from a real food and beverage attendant resume shows how this skill is central to what a food and beverage attendant does: "strengthened skills-multitasking, customer relations, time management, working events and promotions. "
The three companies that hire the most food and beverage attendants are:
- GGreat Wolf Resorts129 food and beverage attendants jobs
- TTarget45 food and beverage attendants jobs
- DDrury Hotels39 food and beverage attendants jobs
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Compare different food and beverage attendants
Food and beverage attendant vs. Caterer/server
The waitstaff takes responsibility for tasks like recommending dishes based on the tastes and preferences of guests, accepting payments, and taking orders. Waitstaff delivers food to tables, ensures outstanding guest experience, and accepts payments. They work with diligence to get outstanding service quality and work with the other staff. It is part of their job to show customers their seats and provide menu options. They attend to tables for food service and guarantee cleanliness standard compliance.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a food and beverage attendant are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "culinary," "math," and "cash handling." On the other hand, a job as a caterer/server requires skills like "food service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "sanitation policies." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Caterer/servers really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $35,953. Comparatively, food and beverage attendants tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $28,103.The education levels that caterer/servers earn slightly differ from food and beverage attendants. In particular, caterer/servers are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a food and beverage attendant. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food and beverage attendant vs. Waitstaff
Also called food servers, restaurant servers perform food preparation, cleaning duties, and customer service in casual dining eateries and restaurants. The food servers stock supplies, handle credit cards and the cash register, and clean restaurant counters and tables. They provide assistance to restaurant patrons to take orders, deliver food, and answer customer questions. The skills they need include trustworthiness, organization, customer relations, and communication skills.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, food and beverage attendant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "guest service," "math," "cash handling," and "basic math." Meanwhile, a waitstaff has duties that require skills in areas such as "food service," "meal orders," "food preparation," and "good communication." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Waitstaffs earn a lower average salary than food and beverage attendants. But waitstaffs earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $26,991. Additionally, food and beverage attendants earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $28,103 annually.In general, waitstaffs achieve similar levels of education than food and beverage attendants. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food and beverage attendant vs. Restaurant server
A server is a restaurant employee assigned to the main dining area of the restaurant to primarily attend to the customer's needs. Servers assist guests to their tables, wait for the guests to be ready with their orders, and take the guests' orders. They should be knowledgeable about the restaurant's offerings since they should be able to answer any questions asked by the guests regarding the menu. They communicate the guests' orders to the kitchen crew and serve the orders once they are ready. Once the guests are finished eating, servers provide their bills upon their request and clean up the table when they leave. Servers should have excellent customer service skills and hospitality management skills.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, food and beverage attendants are more likely to have skills like "guest service," "beverage cart," "team work," and "food products." But a restaurant server is more likely to have skills like "kids," "exceptional dining," "food service," and "food preparation."
Restaurant servers earn the best pay in the agriculture industry, where they command an average salary of $26,207. Food and beverage attendants earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $28,103.Most restaurant servers achieve a similar degree level compared to food and beverage attendants. For example, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food and beverage attendant vs. Server
Types of food and beverage attendant
Updated January 8, 2025
