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What does a dining room server do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a dining room server do

A dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously. They are also responsible for coordinating with cashiers and kitchen staff, cleaning and preparing tables for new customers, and assisting staff as needed. In some establishments, a dining room server may also participate in preparing drinks or ingredients, monitoring supply inventories, and collecting payments.

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Dining room server responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real dining room server resumes:

  • Schedule all reservations and plan seating arrangements with management prior to dinner service.
  • Contribute wine and food pairing knowledge to allow for guarantee customer satisfaction during dining experience.
  • Clean and polish glass shelves and doors of service bars and equipment.
  • Used a POS to charge members and their guests for monthly billing.
  • Assist in overseeing the day-to-day operations and performance of the VIP service team.
  • Coordinate VIP services including; greet and check in VIP's as they arrive at the hotel.
  • Have extensive knowledge of fine seafood and steak menu, as well as the restaurants wine list and specialty cocktail menu.
  • Maintain cleanliness of residents rooms and dining area
  • Maintain proper condition and cleanliness of dining areas and servicing equipment.
  • Maintain out-going personality in face-pace environment, make reservations, anticipate the guests needs
  • Perform busing, serving, expediting and bartending.
  • Serve customers by the 'Marriott Standard'Kept area stock and clean.
  • Increase sales by learning different upselling strategies to use while serving customers.
  • Contribute to restaurant's sales goals by making recommendations and upselling to customers.
  • Preform waitress and responsible for bartending some evenings

Dining room server skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Dining Room Servers are proficient in Fine Dining, Food Service, and Cleanliness. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Dining Room Servers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Fine Dining, 13%

    Demonstrated and further developed fine dining etiquette and protocol while adapting to an unpredictable and fast-paced work environment.

  • Food Service, 12%

    Provided resident food service in a timely matter

  • Cleanliness, 10%

    Maintained cleanliness of residents rooms and dining area

  • Wine, 7%

    Contributed wine and food pairing knowledge to allow for guaranteed customer satisfaction during dining experience.

  • Beverage Orders, 7%

    Processed food and beverage orders through a point-of-sale system.

  • Food Handling, 5%

    Covered assigned work station throughout entire meal, following all established food handling, service standards, and sanitation procedures.

Most dining room servers use their skills in "fine dining," "food service," and "cleanliness" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential dining room server responsibilities here:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a dining room server to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen to customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared as requested." Additionally, a dining room server resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "assured exceptional customer service and communication to provide better aesthetic experience for the guest. "

Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling dining room server duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." According to a dining room server resume, here's how dining room servers can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "greet guests in a timely manner, suggestive sell and menu knowledge was extremely important as well as cocktail knowledge. "

Physical strength. dining room servers are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to dining room server responsibilities, because "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." A dining room server resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "assisted in providing the elderly a pleasant dining experience * tended to residents' dietary and physical needs additional experience"

Most common dining room server skills

The three companies that hire the most dining room servers are:

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Compare different dining room servers

Dining room server vs. Waitstaff

The waitstaff takes responsibility for tasks like recommending dishes based on the tastes and preferences of guests, accepting payments, and taking orders. Waitstaff delivers food to tables, ensures outstanding guest experience, and accepts payments. They work with diligence to get outstanding service quality and work with the other staff. It is part of their job to show customers their seats and provide menu options. They attend to tables for food service and guarantee cleanliness standard compliance.

We looked at the average dining room server salary and compared it with the wages of a waitstaff. Generally speaking, waitstaffs are paid $4,436 lower than dining room servers per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both dining room server and waitstaff positions are skilled in fine dining, food service, and cleanliness.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dining room server responsibilities require skills like "senior care," "meal service," "basic math," and "bars." Meanwhile a typical waitstaff has skills in areas such as "good communication," "room service," "groceries," and "reset tables." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Waitstaffs earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $26,991. On the other hand, dining room servers are paid more in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $29,758.On average, waitstaffs reach similar levels of education than dining room servers. Waitstaffs are 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Dining room server vs. Bus boy

The job of busboys is to assist other staff members at a restaurant by doing varied tasks. These include greeting customers, cleaning and resetting tables, and removing dishes after customers leave. Other tasks include cleaning furniture, fixtures, and kitchen equipment, and tidying up any spills and mopping the floors. Busboys are also responsible for ensuring the availability of clean dining materials such as flatware and glasses. The requirements needed for this role may include a high school diploma, previous work experience, and excellent communication and customer service skills.

On average, bus boys earn a $5,108 lower salary than dining room servers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Dining room servers and bus boys both require similar skills like "food service," "food orders," and "customer service" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real dining room server resumes. While dining room server responsibilities can utilize skills like "fine dining," "cleanliness," "wine," and "beverage orders," bus boys use skills like "clean linen," "ice water," "safety standards," and "clean environment."

Bus boys may earn a lower salary than dining room servers, but bus boys earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $26,928. On the other hand, dining room servers receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,758.In general, bus boys achieve similar levels of education than dining room servers. They're 0.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dining room server vs. Busser

Busser, also known as dining room attendants or bartender helpers, is an entry-level position in the restaurant and dining industry. The bussers help in preparing the dining areas before guests arrive and decorating tables with a set of candles, napkins, linens, flowers, or other ornaments, especially if with a special theme for the day, usually when it's a national celebration or holidays. Also, they assist in cleaning the tables, clearing plates, used utensils, drinkware, and other dishes to the kitchen to be washed, refilling diners' glasses with water, and make the tables ready for the next set of service.

On average, bussers earn lower salaries than dining room servers, with a $5,429 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on dining room servers and bussers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "fine dining," "food service," and "cleanliness.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a dining room server is likely to be skilled in "beverage orders," "senior care," "meal service," and "culinary," while a typical busser is skilled in "work ethic," "tip," "bus tubs," and "sanitation policies."

Bussers earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $25,199. Dining room servers earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $29,758.When it comes to education, bussers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to dining room servers. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Dining room server vs. Cafeteria worker

A cafeteria worker is responsible for taking and processing customer orders, ensuring the correct foods are served, providing them the satisfaction of their dining experience. Cafeteria workers maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities, manage the adequacy of inventory stock supplies, coordinate with suppliers for deliveries, process payments, and help out the customers with their inquiries and concerns. A cafeteria worker should also assist the management in developing marketing techniques to boost revenues and increase profitability.

Cafeteria workers average a lower salary than the annual salary of dining room servers. The difference is about $5,075 per year.While their salaries may vary, dining room servers and cafeteria workers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "food handling," "food preparation," and "food orders. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A dining room server uses "fine dining," "food service," "cleanliness," and "wine." Cafeteria workers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "kitchen equipment," "nutritious meals," "spoons," and "slicers. "cafeteria workers enjoy the best pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $29,244. For comparison, dining room servers earn the highest salary in the hospitality industry.cafeteria workers reach similar levels of education compared to dining room servers, in general. The difference is that they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of dining room server

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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