What Does it Take to Be a Food Server?
Job Description & Duties Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
A Day in the Life of a Food Server
- Determine where patients or patrons would like to eat their meals and help them get situated.
- Record amounts and types of special food items served to customers.
- Total checks, present them to customers, and accept payment for services.
- Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities.
- Prepare food items, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, or beverages.
- Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Food Server?
When polled, Food Servers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Types of Food Server Jobs
- Room Service Food Service Attendant
- Food Cart Attendant
- Dining Room Coordinator
- Wait Staff
- Hospital Tray Service Worker
Is There Going to be Demand for Food Servers?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 263,800 jobs in the United States for Food Server. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.2% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 26,900 new jobs for Food Server by 2026. The BLS estimates 43,100 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Food Server are Utah, Arizona, and Idaho. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, District of Columbia, or Connecticut. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Food Servers Make A Lot Of Money?
The typical yearly salary for Food Servers is somewhere between $18,030 and $35,150.
Food Servers who work in Hawaii, New York, or District of Columbia, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Food Servers in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $21,550 |
| Alaska | $29,780 |
| Arizona | $27,320 |
| Arkansas | $20,560 |
| California | $30,350 |
| Colorado | $26,730 |
| Connecticut | $28,690 |
| Delaware | $24,700 |
| District of Columbia | $32,740 |
| Florida | $22,570 |
| Georgia | $22,020 |
| Hawaii | $38,480 |
| Idaho | $23,740 |
| Illinois | $24,450 |
| Indiana | $23,050 |
| Iowa | $23,870 |
| Kansas | $20,390 |
| Kentucky | $22,370 |
| Louisiana | $20,860 |
| Maine | $24,230 |
| Maryland | $24,730 |
| Massachusetts | $29,210 |
| Michigan | $25,220 |
| Minnesota | $27,660 |
| Mississippi | $19,330 |
| Missouri | $22,120 |
| Montana | $22,340 |
| Nebraska | $23,330 |
| Nevada | $25,570 |
| New Hampshire | $23,530 |
| New Jersey | $25,190 |
| New Mexico | $20,530 |
| New York | $32,500 |
| North Carolina | $21,180 |
| North Dakota | $27,500 |
| Ohio | $22,370 |
| Oklahoma | $21,450 |
| Oregon | $27,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $23,250 |
| Rhode Island | $25,880 |
| South Carolina | $21,750 |
| South Dakota | $26,930 |
| Tennessee | $21,830 |
| Texas | $21,170 |
| Utah | $24,950 |
| Vermont | $30,970 |
| Virginia | $22,210 |
| Washington | $27,040 |
| West Virginia | $22,190 |
| Wisconsin | $22,160 |
| Wyoming | $22,410 |
What Tools do Food Servers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Food Servers:
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows
- Point of sale POS software
- CBORD Nutrition Service Suite
How do I Become a Food Server?
Education needed to be a Food Server:
What work experience do I need to become a Food Server?
Who Employs Food Servers?
Food Servers work in the following industries:
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those who work as a Food Server sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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