How to hire a food server, kitchen

How to hire a food server, kitchen, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food server, kitchen hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a food server, kitchen job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new food server, kitchen
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the food server, kitchen you need to hire. Certain food server, kitchen roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A food server, kitchen's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, food servers, kitchen from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of food servers, kitchen.

   Type of Food Server, Kitchen	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Server, Kitchen	Food and beverage serving and related workers perform a variety of customer service, food preparation, and cleaning duties in restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating and drinking establishments.	$9-16
   Restaurant Server	Also called food servers, restaurant servers perform food preparation, cleaning duties, and customer service in casual dining eateries and restaurants. The food servers stock supplies, handle credit cards and the cash register, and clean restaurant counters and tables... Show more	$7-17
   Kitchen Helper	Kitchen helpers perform various kitchen tasks in restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. Their duties and responsibilities include assisting cooks in the preparation of meal ingredients, helping other staff with unloading food items from delivery trucks, and washing and drying the utensils, dishes, and cookware... Show more	$9-15

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Dishes
   • Cleanliness
   • Customer Service
   • POS
   • Cash Handling
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Fine Dining
   • Culinary
   • Food Orders
   • Meal Orders
   • Meal Service
   • Customer Complaints
   • Dinner Service

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
   • Take orders, maintain cleanliness, place phone orders, expedite kitchen, make change, know menu and ingredients.
   • Take guest orders and input them into POS system.
   • Start as a server in the kitchen to serve student meals and work POS on the computer.
   • Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
   • Welcome customers and make recommendations for selective requirements for celebration/venue/special occasions/food allergies and sensitivities.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your food server, kitchen job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A food server, kitchen can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, food servers, kitchen' average salary in kansas is 38% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level food servers, kitchen 46% less than senior-level food servers, kitchen.
   • Certifications. A food server, kitchen with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a food server, kitchen's salary.

   Average food server, kitchen salary

   $12.66hourly

   $26,323 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level food server, kitchen salary

   $19,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a food server, kitchen job description

   A job description for a food server, kitchen role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a food server, kitchen job description:

   Food server, kitchen job description example

   In every community, there are people who need nourishing meals, and every college campus has unserved food in its dining halls and people who need this food. Students on campus volunteer to pick up the unserved food from the dining halls, pre-package and store the food, and redistribute the food to students, faculty, staff, post-doc students, and the community through Auburn Family Meals or through other community programs. Auburn University has a mission of Outreach - engaging the community to improve the quality of life for our citizens. Auburn University Outreach encourages students to take an active role in fulfilling our mission by volunteering and getting involved with local organizations through our AuburnServes Network. The university offers innovative ways for students to engage in a variety of service learning and experiential education activities locally, regionally, and even internationally. These opportunities support learning by application and reflection in course-based service, field experience, directed study, and other engagement experiences. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : The VISTA will leverage volunteers and resources to serve food insecure communities in the Lee County area. They will also connect clients, students, faculty, and staff to existing resources in the Lee County area. The member will manage social media, the website, and create marketing materials for the program. They will create a virtual Volunteer Fair and research other innovative ways to promote all programs. The member will evaluate the Circle K student organization and implement recommendations for improvement.
   
   Program Benefits : Living Allowance , Childcare assistance if eligible , Health Coverage* , Training , Relocation Allowance , Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend .
   Terms :
   
   Car recommended .
   
   Service Areas :
   
   Health , Hunger , Education , Community Outreach .
   
   Skills :
   
   Team Work , Social Services , Writing/Editing , Community Organization , Leadership , Fund raising/Grant Writing , Public Health , General Skills , Computers/Technology , Education , Medicine .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find food servers, kitchen for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any food servers, kitchen they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level food servers, kitchen with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your food server, kitchen job on Zippia to find and recruit food server, kitchen candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with food server, kitchen candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new food server, kitchen

   Once you have selected a candidate for the food server, kitchen position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new food server, kitchen. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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