How to hire a restaurant server

How to hire a restaurant server, step by step

Here's a step-by-step restaurant server hiring guide:

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

What does a restaurant server do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a restaurant server, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A restaurant server's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, restaurant servers 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.

   Here's a comparison of restaurant server salaries for various roles:

   Type of Restaurant Server	Description	Hourly rate
   Restaurant Server	Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.	$7-17
   Waitress	Waitresses are responsible for ensuring that guests are given proper attention during their visit to the restaurant. They guide guests to their table, provide menu boards, answer any questions the guests may have, take the guests' order, and communicate the order to the kitchen... Show more	$8-16
   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... Show more	$9-15

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Exceptional Dining
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Cleanliness
   • POS
   • Food Service
   • Beverage Orders
   • Exceptional Guest
   • Cash Handling
   • Food Preparation
   • Food Orders
   • Fine Dining
   • Alcoholic Beverages
   • Customer Service

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate adequate culinary and Italian wine knowledge through suggestive selling.
   • Input orders in micros and issue guest check for each order.
   • Prepare the groceries for the customer in their request baggage handing.3.
   • Maintain clean, sanitize FOH area and ensure health & safety and hygiene procedures and standards are meet.
   • Work with operations manager in ordering and setting up all FOH systems need in opening a new restaurant.
   • Provide thorough knowledge of the restaurant's menu to make recommendations or answer questions, and enter POS charges.

   More restaurant server duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the restaurant server job description is a good way to get more applicants. A restaurant server salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a restaurant server in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level restaurant server. Additionally, a restaurant server with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average restaurant server salary

   $11.81hourly

   $24,558 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level restaurant server salary

   $15,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average restaurant server salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$34,261	$16
   2	California	$32,666	$16
   3	Washington	$30,725	$15
   4	Massachusetts	$30,697	$15
   5	Oregon	$28,595	$14
   6	New York	$26,932	$13
   7	Arizona	$26,782	$13
   8	New Jersey	$26,583	$13
   9	Colorado	$26,117	$13
   10	Missouri	$25,775	$12
   11	Virginia	$25,380	$12
   12	Texas	$24,906	$12
   13	Georgia	$22,684	$11
   14	Maine	$22,487	$11
   15	Florida	$22,257	$11
   16	Pennsylvania	$22,218	$11
   17	Illinois	$22,166	$11
   18	Indiana	$22,133	$11
   19	Tennessee	$21,723	$10
   20	Nevada	$21,375	$10

   Average restaurant server salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$45,469	$21.86
   2	University of California	$42,939	$20.64	4
   3	Northampton Country Club	$41,717	$20.06
   4	Lake Naomi Club	$39,998	$19.23	2
   5	Bay Head Yacht Club	$39,736	$19.10	1
   6	Cornell University	$39,039	$18.77
   7	Kohler Co.	$36,335	$17.47	12
   8	Springfield Golf & Country Club	$34,037	$16.36
   9	Four Seasons	$32,622	$15.68	33
   10	Tallgrass Technologies	$32,325	$15.54
   11	University	$32,158	$15.46	4
   12	Bethesda Country Club	$31,597	$15.19
   13	Hyde Park Golf & Country Club	$31,133	$14.97
   14	Erickson Senior Living	$30,794	$14.80	21
   15	West	$29,669	$14.26
   16	Kirby	$29,646	$14.25
   17	Cajun Industries	$29,046	$13.96
   18	Earth Fare	$29,020	$13.95	3
   19	Texas Roadhouse	$28,811	$13.85	1,156
   20	Sentry	$28,770	$13.83	3

4. Writing a restaurant server job description

   A good restaurant server job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a restaurant server job description:

   Restaurant server job description example

   Currently looking for both full-time and part-time Restaurant Servers!
   $600 sign-on bonus plus free parking! Restaurant Server is responsible for preparing and serving food and beverages to guests in a friendly, courteous, and professional manner. Adheres to all health regulations and local liquor laws. Delivers exceptional guest service and promptness to guests dining in the restaurant. Follows CSM and brand standards of quality to ensure guest satisfaction.
   
   • Anticipates and responds to guests in a friendly, positive and timely manner.
   • Provides the highest quality service and establishes appropriate rapport with all guests.
   • Understands and follows CSM guest service recovery program, and suggests ideas and responds to feedback to maximize guest satisfaction scores.
   • Listens attentively, takes orders accurately, and uses proper serving techniques.
   • Knowledgeable about specials and promotions and actively up-sells menu items to maximize revenue potential.
   • Adheres to all health regulations and local liquor laws.
   • Follows all CSM cash handling/POS procedures.
   • Completes all required side work including but not limited to: cleaning restaurant, server stations, coffee stations, trays and coolers; vacuuming, trash removal, and stocking of supplies.
   • Follows CSM procedures when handling cash and processing financial transactions.
   • Responsible for proper use of all equipment and adheres to cost controls to reduce expenses and waste.
   • Dispenses/delivers food and beverages and maintains a clean and safe work area in accordance with CSM, local, state, and federal regulations.
   • Follows all CSM procedures for guest/associate incidents.
   • Knowledgeable of hotel emergency procedures.
   • Produces required volume of work by planning, organizing and prioritizing work duties.
   • Adheres to CSM attendance policy, grooming/appearance standards, general work rules and department procedures.
   • Attends all required department and hotel meetings.
   • Works as a team player in meeting guest needs, and actively contributes to the efforts of other departments when necessary.
   • Completes all assigned duties within or outside the normal scope of responsibilities.
   
   Competencies/Skills Required: TIPS or CARE beverage service certification desired, or the ability to obtain certification is required. Must have one or more years of previous guest service experience. Must have demonstrated exemplary customer service, attention to detail, and ability to perform job duties in a repetitious and fast paced environment. Must be able to be able to constantly be walking while prepping, and delivering food and beverage to guests. Must have the ability to speak, understand, and write English in order to meet guest's needs.
   
   Education: High school diploma/GED or equivalent experience required.
   
   Physical Requirements: Ability to lift, push and pull up to 50 pounds on a regular basis throughout shift. Requires ability to complete physically demanding responsibilities such as walking, standing, carrying, and lifting continuously throughout the shift.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find restaurant servers 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 restaurant servers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level restaurant servers 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 restaurant server job on Zippia to find and recruit restaurant server candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with restaurant server 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 restaurant server

   Once you've found the restaurant server candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new restaurant server. 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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How much does it cost to hire a restaurant server?