Take the table's order
Explain the menu choices, note any changes a guest asks for, and record each person's order.
Career profile
Restaurant Server
Waiters and waitresses answer menu questions, take orders and keep meals moving until the bill.
Good service means noticing what a seated table needs and working with the kitchen staff to get it covered.
A day in the life
Send orders to the cooks
In restaurants with networked ordering software, you key items into a handheld or terminal for the cooks.
Bring each guest's plate
Carry the dishes to the table and set each in front of the guest who ordered it.
Handle a cold-food complaint
When a guest says the food isn't hot enough, get details, then talk to the kitchen staff.
Settle up and reset the table
Take the guests' payment, clear away the dirty plates and dishes, and lay out fresh place settings.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States · 2025
$16.94/hour
United States · May 2025
2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobTypically no formal educational credential; short-term workplace training.
Pay
$16.94/hourNational median, including tips.
Outlook
2% projected growthAbout 423,100 openings annually, mostly replacing workers who leave.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy talking with unfamiliar people.
- You can track details while switching between requests.
- You notice when someone needs help.
Things to weigh
- You spend most of the shift on your feet; pausing when you want may be difficult.
- Evenings and weekends can conflict with your social schedule.
Where AI may help
Some ordering systems let guests order and pay on their phones, sending items directly to the kitchen.
What people still lead
You still explain choices and respond when a meal goes wrong.
What we can’t predict yet
How much ordering shifts to guests—and how that changes the number of tables a server handles—will vary by restaurant.
Pay in context
Earnings
These national figures cover waiters and waitresses across dining establishments.
The median and spread
The median was $16.94/hour, about $35,230 at 2,080 hours. The lowest 10% earned under $8.70/hour; the highest 10% exceeded $31.12. Part-time work is common.
Compare the setting
Hourly medians were $16.93 in food services and drinking places and $17.09 in traveler accommodation.
Getting started
Train in a restaurant
- What the route involves
- Enter without prior experience where accepted, then learn alongside an experienced server.
- What it can lead to
- Learn the restaurant’s ordering and payment systems so you can serve tables.
Start with banquet service
- What the route involves
- Join an event-serving crew to set tables, serve meals, and clean up. Some positions accept beginners.
- What it can lead to
- Build experience with tableside, buffet, and passed-food service.
- What to check
- Employers may prefer hospitality experience and require you to meet alcohol-serving age rules.
Check local food-handler and alcohol-service requirements for your age and duties.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Make accurate orders and checkout your routine.
Handle the rush
Coordinate several tables without losing track of requests.
Move into fine dining
Use experience to pursue more formal restaurant service.
Where you can work
Restaurants without bussers
Clearing and cleaning tables also falls to you, adding work between serving customers.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
Hotel banquets
You work with an event crew, setting up the room, serving a group, and breaking down afterward. Service may involve buffets or trays of passed food.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make a short pretend menu and take orders from two friends. Have one change an item while you record the other order, then read both back. Notice whether listening, correcting details, and keeping people informed feels satisfying.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 35-3031.00 — Waiters and Waitresses. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Waiters and Waitresses — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Waiters and waitresses — Occupational Requirements Survey. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Toast. Toast Mobile Order & Pay Overview. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- White Lodging / Marriott Careers. Banquet Server — Westin Austin Domain. Accessed 2026-10-02.