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Social ServiceISCO 5131

Waiter/waitress

A waiter or waitress is a person who serves guests the food and drinks they have ordered, and who takes payment from them.

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Rate 5 of the 28 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

maintain personal hygiene standards

maintain relationship with customers

serve food in table service

serve wines

advise guests on menus for special events

About waiter/waitress

Service starts before the doors open: the waiter prepares the restaurant for service, sets the tables, lays them and cleans surfaces in the dining room. Once guests arrive they present the menu, take the order, serve the food and drinks, top up glasses and clear the table. Waiter service skills include serving wine, which means opening the bottle at the table, pouring a taste and choosing the right glass, and knowing enough about alcoholic beverages to answer a question and suggest something alongside a dish.

Waiters and waitresses work in restaurants, bars and hotels, as part of a hospitality team together with the kitchen and the rest of the floor staff.

The job rests on maintaining relations with customers. Someone starting out works as an assistant on the floor, laying up, clearing and carrying, and learns the sequence of service before taking tables alone. Formal requirements depend on national rules and on the employer.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (28)

alcoholic beverage productsalcoholic beverage productsThe origin and composition of alcoholic beverages and cocktails, the way to match them with food and the way they have to be poured.dietary regimesdietary regimesThe field of food habits and dietary regimes, including those inspired by religious beliefs.food and beverages on the menufood and beverages on the menuThe characteristics of food and drinks items on the menu, including ingredients, taste and preparation time.maintain personal hygiene standardsmaintain personal hygiene standardsPreserve impeccable personal hygiene standards and have a tidy appearance.comply with food safety and hygienecomply with food safety and hygieneRespect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.maintain relationship with customersmaintain relationship with customersBuild 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 servic...serve food in table serviceserve food in table serviceProvide food at the table whilst maintaining high level of customer service and food safety standards.serve winesserve winesProvide 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.advise guests on menus for special eventsadvise guests on menus for special eventsOffer recommendations to guests on meal and drink items available for special events or parties in a professional and friendly manner.assist VIP guestsassist VIP guestsHelp VIP-guests with their personal orders and requests.attend to detail regarding food and beveragesattend to detail regarding food and beveragesPerform great attention to all steps in the creation and the presentation of a qualitative product.identify customer's needsidentify customer's needsUse appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.clean surfacesclean surfacesDisinfect surfaces in accordance with sanitary standards.take food and beverage orders from customerstake food and beverage orders from customersAccept orders from customers and record them into the Point of Sale system. Manage order requests and communicate them to fellow staff members.maintain customer servicemaintain customer serviceKeep 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 requ...measure customer feedbackmeasure customer feedbackEvaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.work in a hospitality teamwork in a hospitality teamFunction 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 ...arrange tablesarrange tablesOrganise and dress tables to accommodate special events.welcome restaurant guestswelcome restaurant guestsGreet guests and take them to their tables and make sure they are properly seated at a convenient table.supervise food qualitysupervise food qualityOversee the quality and safety of food served to visitors and customers according to food standards.assist clients with special needsassist clients with special needsAid clients with special needs following relevant guidelines and special standards. Recognise their needs and accurately respond to them if needed.present menuspresent menusHand out menus to guests while assisting guests with questions using your mastery of the menu.process paymentsprocess paymentsAccept 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 attent...serve beveragesserve beveragesProvide 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.prepare the restaurant for serviceprepare the restaurant for serviceMake the restaurant ready for service, including arranging and setting tables, preparing service areas and ensuring the cleanliness of the dining area.prepare alcoholic beveragesprepare alcoholic beveragesMake and serve alcoholic beverages according to the customer's wants.prepare hot drinksprepare hot drinksMake hot drinks by brewing coffee and tea and adequately preparing other hot beverages.check dining room cleanlinesscheck dining room cleanlinessControl dining areas including their floor and wall surfaces, tables and serving stations and ensure appropriate cleanliness.
Optional (13) — show
sparkling winessparkling winesThe varieties of sparkling wines and their match with food products.local area tourism industrylocal area tourism industryThe characteristics of local sights and events, accommodation, bars and restaurants and leisure activities.laws regulating serving alcoholic drinkslaws regulating serving alcoholic drinksThe content of national and local legislation regulating restrictions to the sale of alcoholic beverages and methods for serving them appropriately.educate customers on tea varietieseducate customers on tea varietiesInstruct customers about origins, characteristics, differences in flavours and blends of tea products.maintain incident reporting recordsmaintain incident reporting recordsKeep a system for recording details of unusual events that occur at the facility, such as job-related injuries.recommend winesrecommend winesOffer recommendations to customers on available wines and advise combinations of wines with specific dishes on the menu.decant winesdecant winesIdentify when wine should be decanted. Decant the bottles in presence of guests in a professional and safe way. Decanting especially benefits red wines. Pour wine from one container into another, typi...prepare service trolleysprepare service trolleysMake service trolleys ready with food and beverages for room and floor service.educate customers on coffee varietieseducate customers on coffee varietiesInstruct customers about origins, characteristics, differences in flavours and blends of coffee products.use food cutting toolsuse food cutting toolsTrim, peel and slice products with knives, paring or food cutting tools or equipment according to guidelines.apply foreign languages in hospitalityapply foreign languages in hospitalityUse the mastery of foreign languages orally or written in the hospitality sector in order to communicate with colleagues, customers or guests.detect drug abusedetect drug abuseIdentify people under excessive use of alcohol and drugs inside a facility, effectively deal with these people and supervise customers own safety while applying relevant regulations.prepare flambeed dishesprepare flambeed dishesMake flambeed dishes in the kitchen or in front of customers while paying attention to safety.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

head waiter/head waitress11 shared essential skillsquick service restaurant crew member8 shared essential skillsbartender7 shared essential skillsdomestic butler7 shared essential skillsrestaurant host/restaurant hostess7 shared essential skillsbarista6 shared essential skillshospitality establishment receptionist6 shared essential skillstravel agent6 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does a waiter/waitress do?

Waiters/waitresses supply guests with food and drinks as requested. Waiters/waitresses usually work in restaurants, bars and hotels. This involves the preparation of tables, serving food or beverages and taking payments.

What skills does a waiter/waitress need?

A waiter/waitress needs 28 essential skills, including alcoholic beverage products, dietary regimes, food and beverages on the menu, maintain personal hygiene standards, comply with food safety and hygiene.

Will AI replace waiter/waitress jobs?

The AI disruption score for waiter/waitress is 39/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: process payments, measure customer feedback, laws regulating serving alcoholic drinks. Most resilient: maintain personal hygiene standards, serve beverages, attend to detail regarding food and beverages.

Quick Facts

SectorSocial Service
ISCO GroupPersonal service workers
Essential Skills28

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