Occupation
Restaurant server
Servers take orders, bring food and drinks, and look after guests for the length of a meal. They hold several tables in their head at once and keep the kitchen, bar, and floor in step. The work is physical, worked on evenings and weekends, and judged mostly on how guests feel when they leave.
Also known as: Waiter · Waitress · Waiting staff · Food and beverage server
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Occupation content
Part of Hospitality, travel and tourism
A visual day in the work
What the work involves
Greet guests, explain the menu and specials, and answer questions about ingredients and allergens.
Take orders, enter them into the point-of-sale system, and time courses with the kitchen.
Carry and serve food and drinks, then clear and reset tables between sittings.
Check back on tables, fix problems early, and pass service issues to a supervisor.
Present bills, take payment, and handle cash, cards, and tip-sharing correctly.
Set up and close down sections, including stocking, polishing, and side duties.
Entry-route stepper
How people commonly enter
Direct entry with on-the-job training in service standards, the menu, and the till system.
A short food handling or responsible beverage service course where the venue serves alcohol.
A college certificate in food and beverage service or hospitality.
Typical training: Short course or on-the-job training
Licensing: Regulated in some jurisdictions. Confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Work-context map
Typical work context
- Public facing
- Fast paced
- Physically active
- Shift work
- Team based
Public facing · Fast paced · Physically active · Shift work · Team based
Related interests
- Social (helping)
- Enterprising (leading)
- Conventional (organizing)
Social (helping) · Enterprising (leading) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
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Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Hospitality, travel and tourism.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Hospitality, travel and tourism in Canada, not a figure for Restaurant server. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Hospitality, travel and tourism family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Hospitality, travel and tourism: education pathways
Some roles in Hospitality, travel and tourism may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Hospitality, travel and tourism: licensing
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