Important Skills for Food Server Jobs

Important Skills for Food Server JobsImportant Skills for Food Server JobsBeing afood serveris not an easy job. The work can be physically demanding. You are on your feet for long shifts, often rushing from table to table, sometimes carrying heavy trays of food. Being a server requires diplomacy, a good memory, and the ability to interact with a wide variety of personalities, both as customers and coworkers. That said, food service can be lucrative, rewarding, and even fun. It can also be lucrative, depending on the clientele. Some servers rely primarily on minimum wage checks. Others take home thousands in tips each month. Whether you work at a high-end fine dining establishment, or a local diner, the skills listed below are fairly universal, and when applied well, will impact your income earning potential. What Kind of Skills Do Food Servers Need? While engaging customers with a pleasant attitude, you will need to be able to take orders, remember preferences, move quickly, and manage an entire room of diners. You are a key piece of the dining experience, and if you give customers the impression that they do not matter, they may take it personally. Some places might forgive a server for being slow if he or she has excellent people skills. Most employers prefer both. But in general, the required skill set for food servers is fairly consistent. The top skills listed below can be improved with practice. Types of Food Server Skills FriendlinessFood servers must becheerful and friendly, no matter how stressed, tired, or frustrated you may be. You may be responsible for fifteen tables at once. But your customers should feel that you care for them individually. Their dining experience depends on you staying positive and friendly. Likewise, kitchens can be stressful and tense. A demanding waiter can have a negative effect on the mood of the kitchen staff. Being pleasant and enjoyable to be around are important qualities in both the front and back of the house. EnthusiasmStress ToleranceResilienceAppearanceCourtesyHospitality Communication As a food server, you need to be able tocommunicate effectivelyand clearly, both with customers and with colleagues. You need to be able to listen attentively, understand customer concerns, and relay them to the cooks or management effectively. Likewise, you may need to memorize aspects of the menu or the restaurants history and convey those details to customers. Active ListeningVerbal CommunicationHumorEmotional IntelligenceNote TakingMemoryCollaborationTeamwork Attention to Detail Some orders are complicated, from food allergies to spice or garnish preferences. If you forget a detail, like leaving off a condiment or including croutons when a customer has a gluten-allergy, youll upset, disappoint, and possibly harm them. Paying attention to the details of orders is an important part of your job and one that matters to the overall quality of your work. AttentivenessMemoryActive ListeningMeal Ing redientsIntimate Knowledge of Menu Items Energy Shifts can be long and tough on your feet. You need to have significant energy reserves, or the shifts will just drag painfully for you. Naturally, high-energy people tend to thrive in food service. Physical EnduranceResilienceConfidenceFlexibilityMotivation harte nuss Solving Your manager will not always be around to help you deal with upset customers. You have to beable to problem-solveon the spot. If you cannot fix the problem, you still must make the customer feel heard and understood. Whether its taking off the cost of a meal or offering a free dessert, you need to be creative to save the situation. Decision MakingProactiveProblem SensitivityLogical ThinkingIntegrityEmpathy Focus As a food server, youll be surrounded by people and their demands. Its easy to get distracted by a loud or persistent customer. Conversely, an interesting conversation with a co-worker or a particularly friendly patron might lead you to neglec t your work. Communicating with co-workers, being friendly with patrons, and attending to high-priority demands are all part of your job, but you have to be able to balance these conflicting priorities to give good service. Your ability to keep yourself focused and on task is critical to your success as a food server. MultitaskingApproachabilityCircumstantial AwarenessDiligenceEfficiencyThoroughness More Food Server Skills PersistenceCustomer ServiceBar TendingOutgoingDeliver OrdersBus TablesComplianceMoney HandlingBasic MathSalesMultilingualDexterityPersonal EthicsJudgementPatienceDiplomacyPoiseFast LearningQuality AwarenessCalmObservationDesire to Exceed ExpectationsPresentationAgilityCentral Reservations Systems (CRS)Payment ProcessingTaking Reservations How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Add Relevant Skills to Your Resume Restaurants may accept resumes from applicants for food service positions, but many use ?application formsinstead. In either case, be sure to emphasize thos e skills your prospective employer is looking for.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter It is not likely that you will be asked to provide a titel letter for a food serving job. If you are, it would be beneficial to mention the extent of your experience using some of the skills listed above.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview Employers will ask you questions prompting you to share specific scenarios where you used skills youve outlined in your resume and application.