How to hire a server

How to hire a server, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 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 server job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new server
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a server do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your server job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a server for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect server also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of servers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Server	Description	Hourly rate
   Server	Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.	$10-20
   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
   Food Runner	Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen... Show more	$8-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Customer Service
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Cleanliness
   • Cash Handling
   • POS
   • English Language
   • Food Service
   • Food Orders
   • Exceptional Dining
   • Seat Guests
   • Fine Dining
   • Beverage Orders
   • Greeting Guests

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
   • Provide exceptional customer service, while frequently checking for food allergies, by utilizing excellent communication and multitasking skills.
   • Maximize profits by upselling food and alcoholic beverages and utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure guests repeat business.
   • Clean bars, work areas, and tables.
   • Provide exceptional service to guests with charm, professionalism, respect, and bright personality.
   • Embrace serving on a more personal level due the quaint, small-town charm of the location.

   More server duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the server job description is a good way to get more applicants. A 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 server in Wisconsin may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level server. Additionally, a server with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average server salary

   $14.38hourly

   $29,901 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level server salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average server salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$40,480	$19
   2	New York	$36,327	$17
   3	Massachusetts	$36,188	$17
   4	California	$35,493	$17
   5	Washington	$34,127	$16
   6	Oregon	$32,261	$16
   7	Maine	$31,291	$15
   8	Arizona	$30,741	$15
   9	Pennsylvania	$28,590	$14
   10	Michigan	$28,163	$14
   11	Minnesota	$27,928	$13
   12	Colorado	$27,526	$13
   13	Nevada	$25,580	$12
   14	Missouri	$25,522	$12
   15	Illinois	$24,976	$12
   16	Ohio	$23,953	$12
   17	Arkansas	$23,899	$11
   18	Kansas	$23,753	$11
   19	Florida	$23,719	$11
   20	North Carolina	$23,710	$11

   Average server salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dell	$49,598	$23.85
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$45,231	$21.75
   3	Tableau	$45,051	$21.66
   4	The Culinary Institute of America	$44,636	$21.46
   5	UC Santa Barbara	$43,155	$20.75
   6	Hill International	$42,447	$20.41
   7	IBM	$41,442	$19.92
   8	Massachusetts General Hospital	$40,983	$19.70
   9	Aspen Snowmass	$40,248	$19.35	18
   10	Lexington Country Club	$40,196	$19.32	3
   11	Rich Products	$39,177	$18.84	2
   12	Le Bleu	$38,878	$18.69
   13	Lawrence General Hospital	$38,864	$18.68	1
   14	Franklin	$38,472	$18.50	4
   15	The Boston Beer Company	$38,282	$18.40
   16	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$38,201	$18.37
   17	Lake Naomi Club	$38,044	$18.29	2
   18	Anthony	$38,029	$18.28	5
   19	The Cheesecake Factory	$37,912	$18.23	522
   20	City Year	$37,865	$18.20

4. Writing a server job description

   A job description for a server 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 server job description:

   Server job description example

   As a server at Cracker Barrel, you will serve up smiles and Southern goodness in a fast-paced, family-friendly environment. Our mission of Pleasing People guides everything that we do, and there's room for everyone at our table! Servers keep 100% of their tips!
   Responsibilities:
   If you are friendly and guest-focused, you can thrive as a server here! Our servers work together as a team to help us achieve our mission of "Pleasing People." As a Server, you will have flexible hours (full or part time), no tip sharing, and the opportunity for promotion and continued development!
   Qualifications:
   You will need to be able to stand for long periods, work in a variety of environments, be expected to lift, load and carry up to 40 pounds, and work with hot and cold food items. You must be able to understand and carry out instructions while working effectively with co-workers and managers to please our guests.
   
   We'd love to get to know ya - text CBJOBS to 97211 and "skip the line"!
   
   NOTE: Racism, either overt or perpetuated through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and both our Mission and People Promise are firmly rooted in the principle of valuing what everyone brings to the table. Our employees work hard to ensure that our brand, which is grounded in genuine hospitality and nostalgia, represents only what is good about those things. While our d cor and food may harken back to earlier times, our inclusive culture and beliefs about equality and diversity do not.
   
   Come for the biscuits and stay for the perks- Cracker Barrel offers our employees:
   Culture of Belonging: We believe in Family. We care about your wellbeing and your success. We foster an atmosphere where employees care for each other like family. Our employees are encouraged to be themselves, and this means we accept and celebrate our differences. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Top Notch Training: PAR Training program: our hourly employee training program is built to help you grow and succeed. We have a unique role of the Employee Training Coordinator at each location and their purpose is to help you be successful in your role Cross Training- If you thrive in an environment where no day is the same, you can cross train and work in a variety of roles for your store Diverse Career Paths: Cracker Barrel values internal development- whether you want to become an Employee Training Coordinator, a Shift Leader, a Restaurant or Retail Manager, or come join us at our Home Office in Lebanon, TN to work in corporate support for our stores; we are committed to helping you reach your personal career goals. Pay and Benefits: Paychecks weekly or daily - You can access the pay you have earned throughout the week! Flexible Schedules Health, Vision, and Dental Benefits starting on day 1 401K with company matching starting at 90 days Vacation Time 35% off restaurant and retail items Employee Stock Purchasing Program

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit servers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up 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 server

   Once you've found the 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new server. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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