Creating a standout fine dining server resume is like recommending wine to a client—it needs to be tailored to the specific tastes and wishes and pair well with the dish they’re eating. But in a competitive field where everyone knows the difference between a Bordeaux and a Burgundy, how do you ensure your resume doesn't get lost in the crowd?
In this fine dining server resume guide, I will give you all the answers.
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Sophia M. Reynolds
Fine Dining Server
Phone: (987) 654-3210
Email: sophia.reynolds@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophiareynolds_10
Career Summary
Dedicated Lead Fine Dining Server with 7+ years of expertise in providing exceptional customer service in upscale dining environments. Consistently received 5-star guest reviews, contributing to the restaurant's high customer satisfaction ratings. Led to a 10% increase in repeat business by building strong relationships with regular guests and ensuring memorable experiences.
Core Competencies
Professional Experience
Lead Fine Dining Server
Le Grand Épicurien, New York City, NY
January 2021–August 2024
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Fine Dining Server
La Belle Vie, Chicago, IL
March 2018–December 2021
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Server
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston, MA
June 2017–February 2018
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Education
Associate of Applied Science in Hospitality Management
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
Graduated: May 2015
Additional Skills
Certifications
Languages
What makes it work:
Alexandra B. Mitchell
Restaurant Server
Phone: (555) 123-4567
Email: alexandra.mitchell@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexandrabeamitchell
Professional Summary
Dedicated and customer-focused restaurant server with 3 years of experience in fast-paced dining environments. Increased average table turnover rate by 10% through efficient service and time management. Eager to transition into a fine dining setting at Lavender, where I can utilize my strong communication skills and passion for delivering exceptional guest experiences.
Professional Experience
Restaurant Server
The Corner Bistro, Dallas, TX
July 2022–August 2024
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Server Assistant
Sunrise Café, Fort Worth, TX
June 2021–June 2022
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Skills
Education
High School Diploma
Skyline High School, Dallas, TX
Graduated: June 2019
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer
North Texas Food Bank, Dallas, TX
January 2022–August 2024
Key Qualifications:
Certifications
Hobbies & Interests
What makes it work:
Elizabeth A. Turner
Front Desk Supervisor | Aspiring Fine Dining Server
Phone: (555) 789-1234
Email: elizabeth.turner@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethaturner
Career Summary
Customer-facing front desk professional with 6 years of experience in prestigious hotel chains. Possess a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management and certifications in wine and cheese presentations. Consistently maintained a guest satisfaction score of 98%. Increased guest loyalty by 10% through personalized service and attention to detail. Seeking to transition into a fine dining server role where I can utilize my expertise in providing exceptional guest experiences.
Core Competencies
Professional Experience
Front Desk Supervisor
The Ritz-Carlton, New York City, NY
July 2020–August 2024
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Front Desk Associate
Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago, IL
June 2018–June 2020
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Education
Master of Science in Hospitality Management
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Graduated: May 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Graduated: May 2014
Certifications
Skills
What makes it work:
Fine dining server jobs can be a huge boost to your server/waiter career. It’s not uncommon for fine dining restaurants to pay up to a doubled yearly salary of regular restaurant servers. However, this job requires much more specific skills, making it much tougher to secure.
To write a fine dining server resume that gets you into the top-class gourmet kitchens:
Before I show you how to write a fine dining server resume, we need to find a fine dining job. So let’s take a look at one job posting in the state of New York:
We are a prestigious, Michelin-starred restaurant located in the heart of New York City. Known for its exquisite cuisine, impeccable service, and elegant ambiance, our establishment attracts high-profile guests from around the world. We are dedicated to delivering a dining experience that exceeds the highest expectations, and we are looking for an experienced and passionate Lead Fine Dining Server to join our team.
Key Responsibilities:
This looks like a great job opportunity. And it piqued the interest of a fine dining server named Sophia. Here is something about her:
Sophia M. Reynolds is a seasoned Fine Dining Server with over seven years of experience in providing top-tier service in prestigious dining establishments. She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Hospitality Management from the Culinary Institute of America. Currently, she serves as the Lead Fine Dining Server at Le Grand Épicurien, where she has contributed to the restaurant’s high customer satisfaction ratings and played a key role in its achievement of a second Michelin star. Her expertise in food and wine pairing, coupled with her exceptional guest relations, has led to a 15% increase in wine sales and a 10% rise in repeat business.
Previously, at La Belle Vie in Chicago, Sophia was recognized with the “Employee Excellence Award” for three consecutive years, demonstrating her consistent dedication to exceeding guest expectations. She also possesses certifications as a Certified Sommelier and in food safety, and she is fluent in English and conversational in French and Spanish. Sophia’s skills include team leadership, salesmanship, and problem-solving, making her a standout candidate in the fine dining industry.
But it’s been a while since Sophia created a resume, so her skills were rusty. The first draft of her fine dining resume profile could use more time in the oven:
Unprofessional introduction
Experienced Fine Dining Server with exceptional customer service skills. Adept at delivering personalized dining experiences, knowledgeable in wine pairing, and skilled in managing high-pressure situations with poise and professionalism. Seeking to contribute my passion for fine dining and customer satisfaction to an esteemed restaurant.
And the work experience bullet points were even worse:
Key Responsibilities:
Maybe it would work if she was looking for a server job at a run-of-the-mill restaurant but not a high-end establishment. But Sophia had an ace up her sleeve. She hopped on ResumeLab and got to work, using the following advice from our resume builder:
In a restaurant, appetizers come before the main course. A resume profile takes the role of an appetizer when you’re applying for a fine dining job. It’s a brief overview of your qualifications, allowing recruiters to quickly decide if your fine dining server resume is worth reading further.
Now that Sophia was using our builder, she changed her resume introduction into something much more appetizing.
Improved Sophia’s resume profile
Dedicated Lead Fine Dining Server with 7+ years of expertise in providing exceptional customer service in upscale dining environments. Consistently received 5-star guest reviews, contributing to the restaurant's high customer satisfaction ratings. Contributed to a 10% increase in repeat business by building strong relationships with regular guests and ensuring memorable experiences.
Why is it better than the previous one? A couple of things:
Normally, there are two main types of resume profiles, but since a fine dining server job always requires at least some previous customer service experience, you’ll be writing a resume summary 99% of the time. However, if you manage to find an internship that requires no previous experience, write a resume objective instead. The general rules are the same for both, but due to your lack of work experience, the objective will naturally focus more on your skills and non-work-related accomplishments.
As a fine dining server, you’re not just expected to take customer orders and bring food to tables. You need to know all the available dishes, certain cuts of meat, drink and food pairings, etc. That’s a lot of skills right off the bat. So use them on your fine dining resume.
Create a dedicated core competencies section with some of the most important skills for the targeted job. Like the example below:
Core Competencies
What makes this list of qualifications so great?
A fine dining server job requires both industry-specific hard skills and vital soft skills to facilitate proper conversations with guests. For your core competencies, I recommend either a 50-50 split between hard and soft skills or a slight bias towards hard skills.
Expert Hint: The most popular types of fine dining restaurants in the US are steakhouses. So brush up on your steak and steak pairing knowledge to greatly improve your chances of landing a fine dining server job.
Since you're expected to have some experience to get a fine dining server job, your resume experience section is the main factor in deciding whether you’ll advance in the recruitment process.
It’s also where most fine dining servers fail, as they only show their job responsibilities but forget about resume work achievements. These bullet points are even more important as they showcase the impactful results you made in your career.
Sophia took this to heart and remade her work experience section into a work of art:
Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievements:
Why does her experience section work so well now?
Remember that the best thing you can do for your application is to make a targeted resume. Show that you were tailor-made for the job and you’ll see your chances skyrocket.
There are two remaining vital parts of your fine dining resume. First is your contact information located in the resume header. Remember to triple-check for typos. If there are any, the recruiter may be unable to contact you back.
Sophia M. Reynolds
Lead Fine Dining Server
Phone: (987) 654-3210
Email: sophia.reynolds@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophiareynolds_10
A fine dining server doesn’t require any formal education, as you will gain most knowledge through work and useful certifications. But, nevertheless, you need to include an education section on a resume. The essential parts are the degree/diploma, school name, and dates attended/year of graduation.
Associate of Applied Science in Hospitality Management
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
Graduated: May 2015
What makes this education section effective?
If your work history section is a bit lackluster, or you recently finished a very relevant education, you can expand this section by including things like relevant coursework, awards & honors, or specialized workshops you attended.
Expert Hint: Consider adding a resume headline to make your resume header more interesting. It works like a snappier resume profile.
There’s still a lot you can add to your resume to make it even more interesting. Whether you still have some empty space on your “plate” that needs to be filled or want to showcase some additional qualifications, consider including bonus sections.
Sophia chose to add the following information to finish her resume:
Additional Skills
Certifications
Languages
Why are these sections a great choice?
Of course, you may choose to include other things in your fine dining server resume. Professional associations and memberships, conference attendance, completed workshops and courses, volunteer experience, or relevant hobbies can all be used to add expertise to your application.
If you want to learn more about the art of resume writing, see these guides:
Otherwise, continue reading to learn how to make your fine dining resume look perfect.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
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Remember when I said that first impressions matter a lot, both in fine dining and for recruiters? Well, imagine serving a guest a dish that looks unappetizing or hastily prepared—would that ever be acceptable in a fine dining setting? Of course not. Presentation is everything, both on the plate and on paper.
Your fine dining server resume should reflect the same level of care and precision that you bring to your service. It doesn’t need to be overly flashy, but it must be polished, professional, and thoughtfully composed.
— When crafting a fine dining server resume, the most important aspect to keep in mind is presentation and clarity. The fine dining industry places a high value on attention to detail and professionalism, and your resume should reflect these qualities. —
When it comes to creating your resume, you have two main paths: the quick and easy route or the more meticulous, hands-on approach. The quick option is to use a pre-made blank resume template or an online resume builder that takes care of the design for you. This is perfect if you want something clean and straightforward without much fuss.
The other way is to create a resume template from scratch. It’s a much more difficult and time-consuming process, but if you want to take this route, keep these guidelines in mind:
Looking for specific articles about resume templates? See the guides below:
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
And now you know how to write a Michelin star-worthy resume. If you have any questions about how to write a fine dining server resume, ask in the comments below. If you’re ready to write your fine dining server application, give ResumeLab’s builder a go.
At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.
Mariusz is a career expert with a background in quality control & economics. With work experience in FinTech and a passion for self-development, Mariusz brings a unique perspective to his role. He’s dedicated to providing the most effective advice on resume and cover letter writing techniques to help his readers secure the jobs of their dreams.
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