How To Become A Waitstaff: What It Is and Career Path

What is a waitstaff and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Waitstaff includes waitresses, waiters, or servers that work in establishments to serve food. The primary responsibilities of wait staff include welcoming guests and showing them to their seats. The wait staff also presents the menu options available and recommends dishes to guests. For this role, you will take orders based on the preferences of the guest. Waitstaff also delivers food to the tables of guests and takes payments after their meal. You are responsible for ensuring that the guests get the most outstanding service possible.

Usually, a high school diploma or GED is sufficient for this role. However, some companies may require you to have some level of training and some experience while others offer on-the-job training. Waiters and waitresses are expected to have excellent people skills and be great at customer service. Being detailed and organized are also great skills to have in this role. Working knowledge of how to use the cash register and manage to order information systems may also be necessary. Annually, wait staff earns a median salary of $22,890.

ScoreWaitstaffUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $25,104

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.2

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.74%

Asian 8.45%

Black or African American 10.27%

Hispanic or Latino 18.76%

Unknown 5.40%

White 56.38%

Gender

female 72.74%

male 27.26%

Age - 25

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 25

Stress Level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a waitstaff

Explore waitstaff education requirements

Most common waitstaff degrees

Bachelor's

39.7 %

High School Diploma

29.1 %

Associate

19.5 %

Start to develop specific waitstaff skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Service	22.75%
Beverage Orders	19.10%
Culinary	18.57%
Team Work	16.24%
Meal Orders	7.94%

Complete relevant waitstaff training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New waitstaffs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a waitstaff based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real waitstaff resumes.

Research waitstaff duties and responsibilities

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Assist with stocking of pantry when groceries arrive.
Cater private events and perform light bartending duties.
Increase total restaurant sales by upselling specials and top-shelf liquors.

Prepare your waitstaff resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your waitstaff resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a waitstaff resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Waitstaff Resume templates

Build a professional Waitstaff resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Waitstaff resume.

Apply for waitstaff jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a waitstaff job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do waitstaffs rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Waitstaff reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021

Cons

What I don’t like at times about being a hostess is sometimes running into those mean and rude customers at times.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I like food, I believe that food is a comfort and food brings people together, and I like being apart of this.

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019