How To Become A Food And Beverage Attendant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a food and beverage attendant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The primary role of the food and beverage attendant is to assist patrons of restaurants and cafeterias. They are the first point of contact on entering a restaurant. Consequently, they welcome customers, make reservations, and direct them to their table. Also, they hand out menus and explain menu items and specials. Food and beverage attendants take orders from customers, reset tables, and refill beverages. They process payments and respond appropriately to guest concerns. Also, they conduct daily inventory checks and restock when necessary.

Restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, and resorts are the places where their services are employed. In case you want to apply, you must possess customer service skills, teamwork, attention to detail, and the ability to stand for long hours. With a high school diploma and training at a culinary school, getting the job should be easier. Expect to make an average of $29,607 annually. Generally, the salary ranges from $26,440 to $33,047.

ScoreFood And Beverage AttendantUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $25,569

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.12%

Black or African American 11.18%

Hispanic or Latino 22.22%

Unknown 5.60%

White 51.07%

Gender

female 66.08%

male 33.92%

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 food and beverage attendant

Explore food and beverage attendant education requirements

Most common food and beverage attendant degrees

Bachelor's

40.7 %

High School Diploma

27.6 %

Associate

17.6 %

Start to develop specific food and beverage attendant skills

Skills	Percentages
Cleanliness	20.62%
Food Handling	12.09%
Culinary	9.61%
Guest Service	5.61%
Math	5.10%

Complete relevant food and beverage attendant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New food and beverage attendants 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 food and beverage attendant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real food and beverage attendant resumes.

Research food and beverage attendant duties and responsibilities

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Operate POS terminals to input customer orders, swipe credit cards and enter amounts receive.
Place plates, spoons, and bowls on the bar.
Keep the buffet stock with food, plates, and spoons.

Prepare your food and beverage attendant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable food and beverage attendant resume templates

Build a professional food and beverage attendant 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 food and beverage attendant resume.

Apply for food and beverage attendant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a food and beverage attendant 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 food and beverage attendants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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2 stars

1 star

Food and beverage attendant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

Most waiter and waitress jobs are entry level, and workers learn through short-term on-the-job training. No formal education or previous work experience is required to enter the occupation. Most states require workers who serve alcoholic beverages to be at least 18 years of age, but some states require servers to be older. Waiters and waitresses who serve alcohol must be familiar with state and local laws concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Cons

Nothing because this job cocktail service is nice and I'm comfortable to serve our costumer.. And I want this job because vases on my Japanese work experience