Server Skills for a Resume
Restaurants hire servers who give warm, quick service, sell well and keep tables turning on busy nights. Show the kind of restaurant, your section and covers, and your sales and guest results.
Updated
12 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Table service
Give the type of restaurant, your section size and the covers you handle on a busy night.
Example bullet pointServed a six-table section in a 180-seat restaurant, handling up to 90 covers on Saturday nights.
Point-of-sale systems (Toast, Square, Aloha)
Name the system and show quick, accurate orders, split checks and voids.
Example bullet pointEntered orders and split checks in Toast with almost no kitchen errors from my tables.
Upselling
Show your check average or your sales of specials compared with the team.
Example bullet pointKept my check average 12% above the team's by recommending appetizers, wine and desserts.
Food safety
Mention your food handler card and how you handle allergies and temperatures.
Example bullet pointFollowed allergy procedures on every order, flagging allergens to the kitchen on the ticket.
Responsible alcohol service
Name your certification, such as TIPS or ServSafe Alcohol, and how you handle checks and refusals.
Example bullet pointChecked ID and politely stopped serving an intoxicated guest, with the manager's support.
Cash and card handling
Show accurate checkouts and tip handling at the end of each shift.
Example bullet pointClosed out cash and card sales at the end of every shift with no shortages.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Friendliness
Show guest feedback, regulars who ask for your section or reviews that name you.
Example bullet pointWas named in online reviews for friendly, attentive service several times a month.
Multitasking
Show how you kept several tables at different stages moving smoothly at once.
Example bullet pointKept six tables at different stages of their meal on time through the dinner rush.
Memory
Show how you remember orders, regulars and preferences without slowing service.
Example bullet pointRemembered regulars' usual orders and allergies, which they mentioned in their feedback.
Calm under pressure
Describe a busy or difficult night and how the service stayed good.
Example bullet pointTook a 20-person walk-in party on a full Friday without slowing service to other tables.
Teamwork
Show how you helped the kitchen, the bar and other servers keep the night running.
Example bullet pointRan food and reset tables for teammates whenever the restaurant was full.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Food handler card (ServSafe or state equivalent)
- Responsible alcohol service (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol or state permit)
Keywords from server job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- tables
- covers
- average check
- point-of-sale
- wine
- guests
- private events
- large parties
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a server put on a resume?
Table service, menu and wine knowledge, point-of-sale systems, upselling, food safety, responsible alcohol service and cash handling, plus friendliness, multitasking and teamwork.
Which numbers can a server use?
Covers a night, section size, check average and sales of specials or wine compared with the team.
Should I list my food handler or alcohol certificate?
Yes, in a section of its own. Many restaurants and states require them.
Put them to work
Start from a server resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.