How To Become A Cook And Waitress/Waiter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cook and waitress/waiter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cook and waitress/waiter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.11 an hour? That's $27,271 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 197,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCook And Waitress/WaiterUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $27,271

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.79%

Asian 8.70%

Black or African American 11.60%

Hispanic or Latino 18.59%

Unknown 5.59%

White 54.73%

Gender

female 25.21%

male 74.79%

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 cook and waitress/waiter

Explore cook and waitress/waiter education requirements

Most common cook and waitress/waiter degrees

High School Diploma

42.5 %

Bachelor's

25.3 %

Associate

18.4 %

Start to develop specific cook and waitress/waiter skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Handling	58.44%
Customer Service	14.12%
Waiter	5.23%
Food Orders	2.71%
Food Service	1.79%

Complete relevant cook and waitress/waiter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cook and waitresses/waiter 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 cook and waitress/waiter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cook and waitress/waiter resumes.

Research cook and waitress/waiter duties and responsibilities

Enter orders into a POS system to be send to the kitchen.
Assist in cashier duties using POS system to make all monetary transactions of food items.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Service of drinks, cocktails and food in a busy, members only VIP environment.

Prepare your cook and waitress/waiter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cook and waitress/waiter 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 cook and waitress/waiter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cook and waitress/waiter resume templates

Build a professional cook and waitress/waiter 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 cook and waitress/waiter resume.

Apply for cook and waitress/waiter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cook and waitress/waiter 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 cook and waitresses/waiter rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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2 stars

1 star

Cook and waitress/waiter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

A total time you spend knowing and communicate and get attachment to the clients

Cons

Leaving work when it's time to leave

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019