About This Career

Takes orders and serves food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

This career is part of the Hospitality and Tourism cluster Restaurants and Food/Beverage Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Takes orders from patrons for food or beverages.
• Checks with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and takes action to correct any problems.
• Checks patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
• Collects payments from customers.
• Writes patrons' food orders on order slips, memorizes orders, or enters orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
• Prepares checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
• Presents menus to patrons and answers questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
• Removes dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and takes them to kitchen for cleaning.
• Serves food or beverages to patrons, and prepares or serves specialty dishes at tables as required.
• Cleans tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work