How To Become An Informal Waiter/Waitress: What It Is and Career Path

What is an informal waiter/waitress and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Informal waiter/waitresses work in, as the name suggests, in informal settings. That can include coffee shops, cafes, and other dining establishments where food service is informal.

Some of the functions that they perform in this capacity include writing orders on checks or memorizing them, relaying order to kitchen and serving courses, observing guests to respond to additional requests and to determine when meal has been finished, bringing bill to the customers, and cleaning up during closing hours. There are no formal qualifications required for the position, but a high school diploma or a GED may suffice. Moreover, essential skills that employers look for in an individual include communication, interpersonal, customer service, and manners. Moreover, a lot of students in the progress of completing their education choose to work in this capacity. Prior work experience in customer service may be required.

The average hourly salary for the position is $9.77, which amounts to $20,316 annually. The career is expected to grow in the coming years and create new opportunities across the United States.

ScoreInformal Waiter/WaitressUS Average

Salary

1.9

Avg. Salary $24,354

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 8.67%

Black or African American 11.77%

Hispanic or Latino 18.75%

Unknown 5.63%

White 54.38%

Gender

female 76.75%

male 23.25%

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 an informal waiter/waitress

Explore informal waiter/waitress education requirements

Most common informal waiter/waitress degrees

High School Diploma

39.6 %

Associate

28.6 %

Bachelor's

19.8 %

Start to develop specific informal waiter/waitress skills

Skills	Percentages
Beverage Orders	48.15%
Waiter	17.83%
Customer Service	12.40%
Food Service	8.63%
Fine Dining	2.66%

Complete relevant informal waiter/waitress training and internships

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

Research informal waiter/waitress duties and responsibilities

Train in bartending duties, knowledgeable of preparation of alcoholic beverages.
Request and record customer orders, and totale orders using the POS system.
Help bartending when staff are short.
Fix POS computers, printers, and credit card systems above and beyond job responsibilities.

Prepare your informal waiter/waitress resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable informal waiter/waitress resume templates

Build a professional informal waiter/waitress 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 informal waiter/waitress resume.

Apply for informal waiter/waitress jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an informal waiter/waitress 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 informal waiter/waitresses rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Informal waiter/waitress 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.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019