Index
Intro
Food and beverage servers take patrons’ food and beverage orders and serve orders to patrons. They are employed in restaurants, hotels, bars, taverns, private clubs, banquet halls and similar establishments.
Main Duties
Food and beverage servers perform some or all of the following duties:
- Greet patrons, present menus, make recommendations and answer questions regarding food and beverages
- Take orders and relay to kitchen and bar staff
- Recommend wines that complement patrons’ meals
- Serve food and beverages
- Prepare and serve specialty foods at patrons’ tables
- Present bill to patrons and accept payment
- Order and maintain inventory of wines and wine glassware
- Perform sensory evaluation of wines.
Employment Requirements
- Completion of secondary school may be required.
- Formal waiters/waitresses may require completion of a one- or two-year apprenticeship program
or
College or vocational school courses. - Apprenticeship training programs for food and beverage servers are available in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Trade certification is available but voluntary in those provinces.
- On-the-job training is usually provided.
- Wine stewards may require courses in wine selection and service
or
Experience as a captain waiter/waitress or formal waiter/waitress. - Responsible beverage service certification is usually required for employees serving alcoholic beverages.
All Titles
- assistant waiter/waitress – food and beverage servicesassistant waiter – food and beverage services, assistant waitress – food and beverage services
- banquet captainbanquet headwaiter, banquet headwaitress
- banquet headwaiter/headwaitress
- banquet serverbanquet waiter, banquet waitress
- banquet waiter/waitress
- bar service waiter/waitressbar service waiter, bar service waitress
- beer server
- buffet waiter/waitressbuffet waiter, buffet waitress
- camp waiter/waitresscamp waiter, camp waitress
- captain waiter/waitresscaptain waiter, captain waiter – food and beverage services, captain waitress, captain waitress – food and beverage services
- captain waiter/waitress – food and beverage services
- captain waiter/waitress – formal servicecaptain waiter – formal service, captain waitress – formal service
- caterer waiter/waitresscaterer waiter, caterer waitress
- chief wine steward
- club car attendant
- cocktail waiter/waitresscocktail waiter, cocktail waitress
- commissary waiter/waitresscommissary waiter, commissary waitress
- dining car steward
- dining car waiter/waitressdining car waiter, dining car waitress
- dining room captain
- dining room steward
- food and beverage server
- formal service waiter/waitressformal service waiter, formal service waitress
- headwaiter/headwaitress – food and beverage servicesheadwaiter – food and beverage services, headwaitress – food and beverage services
- hotel waiter/waitress – formal servicehotel waiter – formal service, hotel waitress – formal service
- lounge waiter/waitresslounge waiter, lounge waitress
- mess waiter/waitressmess waiter, mess waitress
- restaurant waiter/waitress – formal servicerestaurant waiter – formal service, restaurant waitress – formal service
- room service waiter/waitressroom service waiter, room service waitress
- server – food and beverage serviceswaiter, waiter – food and beverage services, waitress, waitress – food and beverage services
- sommelier
- steward – food and beverage services
- waiter/waitress
- waiter/waitress – drive-in restaurantwaiter – drive-in restaurant, waitress – drive-in restaurant
- waiter/waitress – food and beverage services
- wine serverwine waiter, wine waitress
- wine steward
- wine waiter/waitress
Exclusions
- Food service supervisors (6311)
- Maîtres d’hôtel and hosts/hostesses (6511)
- Restaurant and food service managers (0631)