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Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a
restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...
, a diner, or a
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff follow rules and guidelines determined by the manager. Waiting staff carry out many different tasks, such as taking orders, food-running, polishing dishes and silverware, helping bus tables and restocking working stations with needed supplies. Waiting on tables is part of the
service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
and among the most common occupations in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of t ...
estimates that, as of May 2008, there were over 2.2 million people employed as servers in the U.S. Many restaurants choose a specific uniform for their waiting staff to wear. Waiting staff may receive tips as a minor or major part of their earnings, with customs varying widely from country to country.


Terminology

An individual ''waiting tables'' (or ''waiting on'' or ''waiting at tables'') or ''waitering'' or ''waitressing'' is commonly called a ''waiter'', ''server'', ''front server'', ''waitress'', ''member of the wait staff'', ''waitstaff'', ''serving staff'' ''server'', ''waitperson'', or ''waitron''. The last two terms are gender neutral but rarely used, and the terms ''waiter'' and ''server'' are increasingly used for women too. Archaic terms such as ''serving girl'', ''serving wench'', or ''serving lad'' are generally used only within their historical context.


Roles

In large luxury establishments, there are often multiple ranks of waiting staff in the dining room: *
Maître d'hôtel The ''maître d'hôtel'' (; ), head waiter, host, waiter captain, or ''maître d ( , ) manages the public part, or "front of the house", of a formal restaurant. The responsibilities of a ''maître d'hôtel'' generally include supervising the wa ...
, responsible for dining room as a whole, greets guests * Floor manager * Headwaiter * Expeditor, or "Expo", responsible for ensuring accuracy and completeness of orders. The expeditor is also often responsible for preparing the tray for the servers so they can bring all of the plates of that course to all of the table guests at the same time * Captain, responsible for several tables * Waiter * Front waiter * Back waiter, who helps waiters refill water, replenish bread, etc. * Bar back, who helps a bartender by bussing, and restocking glassware and alcohol * Runner, who brings cooked dishes to diners * Busboy, busser, clears tables, sets tables In such restaurants, the captain is typically responsible for interacting with the diners and overseeing waiters.Frank J. Prial, "Restaurant Tipping: The Captain, the Waiter, The Sommelier...", ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', March 12, 1979
p. B13
/ref> There are also specialists, notably a
sommelier A sommelier ( or or ; ), or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the wine steward in hau ...
for wine service, and occasionally a maître fromager for the cheese service. A host or hostess may be responsible for seating diners if there is not a maître d'hôtel.


Duties

The duties of waiting staff can be tedious and harsh but are vital to the economic success of restaurants. Such duties include the following: preparing a section of tables before guests sit down (e.g., changing the tablecloth, putting out new utensils, cleaning chairs, etc.); offering cocktails, specialty drinks, wine, beer, or other beverages; recommending food options; requesting the chef to make changes in how food is prepared; pre-clearing the tables; and serving food and beverages to customers. In some higher-end restaurants, servers have a good knowledge of the wine list and can recommend food–wine pairings. At more expensive restaurants, servers memorize the ingredients of the dishes and the manner in which the food is prepared; for example, if the menu lists marinated beef, the customer might ask what the beef is marinated in, for how long, and what cut of beef is used in the dish.
Silver service Silver service (in British English) is a method of foodservice at the table, with waiter transferring food from a serving dish to the guest's plate, always from the left. It is performed by a waiter by using service forks and spoons from the din ...
staff are specially trained to serve at banquets or high-end restaurants. These servers follow specific rules and service guidelines, which makes this a skilled job. They generally wear black and white with a long, white apron (extending from the waist to the ankles). At expensive restaurants, waiting staff also keep blacklists of rude customers. Some waiting staff, are trained to deal with aggressive customers and how to restrain them, until security or police arrive. Also they are trained at first aid, specifically the
Silver service Silver service (in British English) is a method of foodservice at the table, with waiter transferring food from a serving dish to the guest's plate, always from the left. It is performed by a waiter by using service forks and spoons from the din ...
staff. The head server is in charge of the waiting staff and is also frequently responsible for assigning seating. The head server must insure that all staff do their duties accordingly. The functions of a head server can overlap to some degree with that of the
maître d'hôtel The ''maître d'hôtel'' (; ), head waiter, host, waiter captain, or ''maître d ( , ) manages the public part, or "front of the house", of a formal restaurant. The responsibilities of a ''maître d'hôtel'' generally include supervising the wa ...
. Restaurants in North America employ an additional level of waiting staff, known as ''
busboy In North America, a busser, more commonly known as a busboy or busgirl, is a person who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling and otherwise assisting the ...
s'' or ''busgirls'', increasingly referred to as ''bussers'' or ''server assistants'', to clear dirty dishes, set tables, and otherwise assist the waiting staff.
Emotional labour Emotional labor is the process of managing feelings and expressions to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. More specifically, workers are expected to regulate their emotions during interactions with customers, co-workers, clients and man ...
is often required of waiting staff, particularly at many high-class restaurants.


Requirements

Restaurant serving positions require on-the-job training that would be held by an upper-level server in the restaurant. The server will be trained to provide good customer service, learn food items and drinks, and maintain a neat and tidy appearance. Working in a role such as captain in a top rated restaurant requires disciplined role-playing comparable to a theater performance. In the United States, some states require individuals employed to handle food and beverages to obtain a food handler's card or permit. In those states, servers that do not have a permit or handler's card can not serve. The server can achieve a permit or handler's card online. No food certification requirements are needed in Canada. However, to serve alcoholic beverages in Canada, servers must undergo their province's online training course within a month of being hired.


Job benefits

Waiting offers flexible work schedules and the ability to work on a part-time basis. This makes the profession appealing to students, parents with childcare commitments, and people who also work other jobs. Most restaurants also provide their employees with free or discounted meals. High-end restaurants that have only one dinner meal service often provide a shared staff meal prepared by one of the chefs. The chef may also provide samples of special or new menu preparations so the waiting staff can experience the dish and be better able to describe it for the patron. Other restaurants that have multiple shifts will give an employee a meal for free or at a discount. In the United States, which does not have
universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
, some restaurants offer
health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
to staff who are employed full-time.


Tipping in the United States

Different countries maintain different customs regarding tipping, bu, in the United States, a tip paid in addition to the amount presented on the bill for food and drinks is customary. At most sit-down restaurants, servers and
bartenders A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
expect a tip after a patron has paid the check. The minimum legally-required hourly wage paid to waiters and waitresses in many U.S. states is lower than the minimum wage employers are required to pay for most other forms of labor to account for the tips, which form a significant portion of the server's income. If wages and tips do not equal the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour during any week, the employer is required to increase cash wages to compensate for the difference. Tips average between 15% and 20% of the bill, with 20% expected for good service, more than 20% expected for great service. Some patrons tip even more for exceptional service. If the server goes above and beyond to ensure the patron enjoys his meal, it is customary to give a higher tip. Some restaurants charge an automatic gratuity for larger parties (usually 6 or more), and the gratuity ranges from 15% to 20% depending on the restaurant. The amount that an establishment requires the customer to pay is a service charge. Service charges, also known as automatic gratuities, are automatically included in the check. Common examples of service charges may include banquet event fees, hotel fees, bottle service fees, and cruise ship fees.


See also

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Chamberlain (office) A chamberlain (Medieval Latin: ''cambellanus'' or ''cambrerius'', with charge of treasury ''camerarius'') is a senior royal official in charge of managing a royal household. Historically, the chamberlain superintends the arrangement of domestic ...
*
Hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
*
Soda jerk Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person — typically a young man — who would operate the soda fountain in a drugstore, preparing and serving soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made by mixing fl ...
*
Table service The foodservice (US English) or catering (British English) industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many ...
*
Waiters' Race Waiters' Race is a race that tests the speed that a waiter can carry a loaded tray without tipping it. Origin of the waiters race It is possible to find archive footage showing a very old waiters race in Paris, London and Berlin at the beginni ...
*
Flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...


References


External links


USA Today article on wait staff treatment

Why is service still so bad in the UK?
{{Authority control Food services occupations Articles containing video clips