How to hire a waiter and cashier

How to hire a waiter and cashier, step by step

Here's a step-by-step waiter and cashier hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the waiter and cashier you need to hire. Certain waiter and cashier 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a waiter and cashier to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a waiter and cashier that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of waiter and cashiers.

   Type of Waiter And Cashier	Description	Hourly rate
   Waiter And Cashier	Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.	$8-15
   Busser	Busser, also known as dining room attendants or bartender helpers, is an entry-level position in the restaurant and dining industry. The bussers help in preparing the dining areas before guests arrive and decorating tables with a set of candles, napkins, linens, flowers, or other ornaments, especially if with a special theme for the day, usually when it's a national celebration or holidays... Show more	$8-15
   Food Server	A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options... Show more	$8-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Dishes
   • POS
   • Customer Service
   • Clean Tables
   • Food Service
   • Drink Orders
   • To-Go Orders
   • Bus Tables
   • Customer Complaints
   • Beverage Orders
   • PowerPoint
   • Sales Taxes
   • Phone Orders
   • Alcoholic Beverages

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage restaurant sections in order to equalize seating arrangements for each waiter and ensure the restaurant are stocked and well maintain.
   • Maintain a POS cash drawer, collect payments, and apply discounts for orders.
   • Learned and aptly operate sophisticated touch-screen POS system contributing to increase efficiency and speed of service.
   • Operate large volume cooking equipment like buger grills, fryers, and/or griddles.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your waiter and cashier job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A waiter and cashier salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, waiter and cashiers' average salary in oklahoma is 46% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level waiter and cashiers earn 45% less than senior-level waiter and cashiers.
   • Certifications. A waiter and cashier with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a waiter and cashier's salary.

   Average waiter and cashier salary

   $11.93hourly

   $24,818 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level waiter and cashier salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a waiter and cashier job description

   A good waiter and cashier 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 waiter and cashier job description:

   Waiter and cashier job description example

   McCall's Catering and Events is hiring waiters, waitresses, servers, baristas & cashiers at our Cafes and Coffee Shops. McCall's is the one of San Francisco's most noted caterers and operates seven culinary-forward museum cafes in the city. If you enjoy a fast-pace way of working and want to kick start your career in the hospitality industry. We'd like to meet you.
   
   We are looking for waiters, waitresses, servers to prepare and serve hot and cold food & beverages, including various types of coffee and tea. To assist customers in the in-store check-out process, and to manage all transactions with customers accurately and efficiently. As well as to help support café staff members and set up our dining areas.
   Responsibilities:
   
   - Greet all customers with professionalism; provide a positive customer experience
   
   with friendly and courteous service.
   
   - Prepare and serve food and drinks that meet quality standard.
   
   - Take orders and serve customers quickly and efficiently.
   
   - Cleaning and sanitizing work areas, utensils, and equipment.
   
   - Receiving and maintain stock supplies, helping with stocking, cleaning,
   
   and other duties as needed.
   
   - Handle cash, credit or check transaction with customers.
   
   - Balances cash drawer by counting cash at the beginning and end of work shift.
   
   - Comply with the health and safety regulation.
   
   Requirements:
   
   - Able to work in a fast-paced environment.
   
   - Able to maintain a positive and professional attitude toward our guest.
   
   - High volume experience on Café and restaurant.
   
   - Customer service orientation; strong ability to multi task; retail, hospitality,
   
   and customer service experience preferred.
   
   - Strong communication and time management skills.
   
   - Honesty and integrity.
   
   - Flexibility to work AM + PM shifts, including weekends, evenings, and holidays.
   
   - Able to work in different location if needed.
   
   - Understanding of hygiene and food safety Rules.
   
   - Able to produce a valid ServSafe/Food Handlers Card as well as: a valid ABC's Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) certification
   
   - Physical ability to lift 20 lbs. or more, and stand for long hours.
   
   Vaccination is a requirement of the job and accommodations due to disability or religious reasons will be evaluated in compliance with prevailing regulations.
   
   If you want to working in an amazing company and start your career in the hospitality industry, please come and join our team.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right waiter and cashier for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your waiter and cashier job on Zippia to find and recruit waiter and cashier candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit waiter and cashiers, 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 waiter and cashier

   Once you have selected a candidate for the waiter and cashier 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new waiter and cashier. 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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