What does a bar waiter/waitress do?
Bar waiter/waitress responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real bar waiter/waitress resumes:
- Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
- Extend exceptional customer service to bar customers while maintaining hotel standards and Colorado state laws associate with bartending.
- Handle cash money and POS machine.
- Learned and used the cash register point of sale (POS) computer system/handle money.
- Work in the kitchen as a grill cook, utilizing deep fryers and ovens as well.
- Table service, bartending periodically, expediting & running food, at a very fast pace due to the volume.
- Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
- Fill in as dishwasher during vacations and as needed.
- Decorate tables and VIP sections.
- Service of drinks, cocktails and food in a busy, members only VIP environment.
- Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Bar waiter/waitress skills and personality traits
We calculated that 50% of Bar Waiter/Waitresses are proficient in Food Handling, Customer Service, and Drink Orders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Bar Waiter/Waitresses that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Food Handling, 50%
Worked closely with management to ensure proper food handling/labeling.
- Customer Service, 12%
Provided quality customer service while managing numerous tasks simultaneously in a fast paced team environment.
- Drink Orders, 10%
Take food and drink orders, make cocktails, serve customers
- Exceptional Dining, 3%
Delivered an exceptional dining experience with friendly, fast service.
- Waiter, 2%
Worked in a variety of Hotels and on Nile cruises as a Bar Back and Bar Waiter.
- Food Orders, 2%
Entered food orders into computerized registers and submitted cash and credit card orders.
"food handling," "customer service," and "drink orders" are among the most common skills that bar waiter/waitresses use at work. You can find even more bar waiter/waitress responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a bar waiter/waitress to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "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." Additionally, a bar waiter/waitress resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "position required multitasking, learning quickly and excellent customer service and communication skills. "
Customer-service skills. Many bar waiter/waitress duties rely on customer-service skills. "waiters and waitresses are frontline workers for their restaurant," so a bar waiter/waitress will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways bar waiter/waitress responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "greeted guests as they entered and seated them, took food and drink orders bused tables. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for bar waiter/waitresses to perform their duties. For an example of how bar waiter/waitress responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "waiters and waitresses must record customers’ orders accurately." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a bar waiter/waitress: "provide a fine dining experience with detailed service and professional behavior in a fast paced and demanding environment".
Physical strength. bar waiter/waitress responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "waiters and waitresses need to be able to lift and carry trays of food or other items." This resume example shows what bar waiter/waitresses do with physical strength on a typical day: "strengthen customer service skills education on upcoming alcoholic beverages"
The three companies that hire the most bar waiter/waitresss are:
- Pride International48 bar waiter/waitresses jobs
- Compass Group USA28 bar waiter/waitresses jobs
- Red Robin26 bar waiter/waitresses jobs
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Compare different bar waiter/waitresses
Bar waiter/waitress vs. Food runner
Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen. Furthermore, Food Runners need to ensure that all deliveries are accurate according to what is ordered by a customer. It is essential to stay presentable and helpful at all times as the main priority is customer satisfaction.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a bar waiter/waitress are more likely to require skills like "waiter," "non-alcoholic beverages," "upselling," and "micros." On the other hand, a job as a food runner requires skills like "cleanliness," "wine," "culinary," and "excellent guest." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Food runners really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $26,747. Comparatively, bar waiter/waitresses tend to make the most money in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $29,075.food runners tend to reach similar levels of education than bar waiter/waitresses. In fact, food runners are 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Bar waiter/waitress vs. 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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, bar waiter/waitress responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "waiter," "non-alcoholic beverages," and "serving drinks." Meanwhile, a server has duties that require skills in areas such as "wine," "cleanliness," "cash handling," and "english language." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Servers earn a higher average salary than bar waiter/waitresses. But servers earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $28,027. Additionally, bar waiter/waitresses earn the highest salaries in the hospitality with average pay of $29,075 annually.In general, servers achieve similar levels of education than bar waiter/waitresses. They're 0.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bar waiter/waitress vs. Server/barista
A server/barista is someone who makes and serves beverages and foods, such as coffee, tea, and sandwiches or baked goods. He/She or she should be able to explain menu items to customers to ensure customer satisfaction. Other responsibilities include knowing food and beverage quality controls and updating displays to attract customers. The core skills that a server/barista should possess include excellent listening and communication skills and the ability to cope up with a physically demanding work environment. A candidate with a high school diploma or equivalent could qualify for the position.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, bar waiter/waitresses are more likely to have skills like "food handling," "exceptional dining," "waiter," and "non-alcoholic beverages." But a server/barista is more likely to have skills like "cleanliness," "wine," "multitasking," and "presentation standards."
When it comes to education, server/baristas tend to earn similar degree levels compared to bar waiter/waitresses. In fact, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Bar waiter/waitress vs. Customer service and serving
Even though a few skill sets overlap between bar waiter/waitresses and customer service and servings, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a bar waiter/waitress might have more use for skills like "food handling," "exceptional dining," "waiter," and "non-alcoholic beverages." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of customer service and servings require skills like "strong customer service," "alcoholic beverages," "quality customer service," and "professional attitude. "
Customer service and servings reach similar levels of education compared to bar waiter/waitresses, in general. The difference is that they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of bar waiter/waitress
Updated January 8, 2025
