A Waiter and Waitress role includes in depth knowledge of the menu, greeting customers, taking customers’ orders, offering menu suggestions, serving food and drinks to the tables, preparing the customers’ bills, and collecting payment. The Waiter and Waitress also interacts with kitchen staff.
The Waiter / Server takes customers’ orders, is knowledgeable of the menu and makes suggestions to customers, interacts with kitchen staff, prepares bills, and collects payment.
The Waiters key responsibilities:
- Providing excellent service.
- Supervising the work of commis waiters
- In charge of a section, (a group of tables,) the waiter must ensure the smooth running of the service on all of these tables. Under the supervision of the Head waiter or Manager, the waiter takes the customer’s orders and makes recommendations. He must perfectly know the menu and the dishes to be able to answer customers' questions, He follows steps of service and ensures the customers are having an enjoyable time. He serves the dishes and checks back. At the end of the meal, he makes sure of the satisfaction of the customers, prepares the bill and collects the payment.
A Waiter's key skills:
- In-depth knowledge of service rules and techniques
Head Waiter
A Head Waiter manages waiting staff, the overall management of the service and is usually responsible for multiple servers in a particular section of the restaurant. A Head Waiter is sometimes refereed to as a Supervisor.
Chef de Rang
The Chef de Rang is the waiter in charge of a section in a restaurant. The term is commonly used in fine dining, Michelin star establishments and hotels.
A Commis Waiter
The Commis waiter is the first rank in the restaurant business.
A Commis Waiter key duties are:
- The Commis Waiter clears plates between courses, fills water glasses and assists the Chef de Rang.
- He carries out simple tasks under the direction of a Chef de rang: setting up the restaurant, cleaning and clearing of the tables, round-trips between the room and the kitchen.
- He observes, learns and provides support throughout the service.
Skills and qualities of a Commis Waiter:
- The Commis waiter has excellent interpersonal skills, good physical condition and enjoys working in a team. He is attentive, disciplined, quick, efficient, discreet, motivated.
- He wears a uniform and works standing up. His schedules are variable, so he can work in the evening, the weekend or the day. He works in a team, in relation with the customers and in contact with the kitchens, under the responsibility of a Chef de rang.
Table Busser
A Busser is responsible for filling customers’ water glasses, taking away any dirty dishes remaining, bringing bread and butter to the table, and preparing a table for new customers, polishes cutlery, restocks waiter sections and also makes sure that the restaurant is tidy and clean.
Food Runner
The Food Runner is responsible for delivering food to the guests’ tables from the kitchen.
A Waiter and Waitress role includes in depth knowledge of the menu, greeting customers, taking customers’ orders, offering menu suggestions, serving food and drinks to the tables, preparing the customers’ bills, and collecting payment. The Waiter and Waitress also interacts with kitchen staff.