
How to Write a Resume According to Science in 2023
How do you write a resume? With so many conflicting opinions out there, we’ve set out to find the ultimate answer to this question.
A restaurant job resume is a document showing your kitchen or hospitality skills. It has to prove your food service mastery by focusing on your relevant restaurant achievements.
Restaurant workers pull out all the stops to manage, cook, serve, and clean in busy dining establishments.
They may handle scheduling, food prep, waiting tables, or a dozen other restaurant duties.
A resume for restaurant jobs should prove food service skills with eye-opening achievements.
What does it take to get hired?
You need to show good food-service history in a clean, quick way.
Do that, and you’ll get attention like cedar-planked salmon in a world of corn chips.
In this guide:
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Browsing for specific restaurant jobs? See our guides:
Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.
Melissa Savolina
Waitress, Manager
Personal Info
Phone: 802-490-1360
E-mail: melissazsavo@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/melissazsavo
twitter.com/melissazsavo
Summary
Efficient restaurant worker & waitstaff manager with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to provide excellent customer service and management at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Managed 17 waitstaff and bartenders at 5-star restaurant. Handled bookkeeping, ordering, & hiring. Cut turnover 20%.
Experience
Waitress, Manager
The Speckled Nymph Restaurant
2014–2019
Waitress
The Mizzenmast Restaurant
2012–2014
Restaurant Experience
Various
2012
Education
Mill River High
2008–2012
Classes
Additional Activities
Conferences
Volunteer Work
Hard Skills: scheduling, inventory, MS Office, annual reviews
Soft Skills: leadership, interpersonal skills, communication, teamwork
Here’s how to write a restaurant resume that makes them ask for seconds:
Does this sound familiar?
You spend hours writing a restaurant resume, but then—
Nobody calls.
Why does that happen?
It’s probably the format of your resume.
See these tips:
Expert Hint: Save your restaurant resume in PDF format. ATS hiring software can translate them, and they look appetizing no matter what screen they wind up on.
Here’s the bad news:
The restaurant manager has seven million things to do.
He doesn’t have time to read your restaurant resume.
Unless—
You’re worth it.
How can you show that?
With a tantalizing resume profile (in the form of a career objective, career summary, or summary of qualifications).
Add:
See these restaurant resume examples:
Wow.
The second of those restaurant resume examples leaves you feeling empty.
The first is like a smoked Scottish salmon rillette. The skills and metrics sell it.
Next—
For an entry-level resume for restaurant jobs, find something in your work history that fits.
The second of those resume for restaurant jobs examples is like an empty plate.
Expert Hint: Place your restaurant resume objective or summary underneath your header. But write it at the end. That makes it so much easier to write it well.
Reality time:
They’ll only hire one person for this job.
It can be you.
But you’ll need the right job description for your resume for restaurant jobs.
So—
These restaurant resume examples show the recipe:
The job ad wants these restaurant skills: (1) managing waitstaff (2) building relationships (3) bookkeeping (4) training.
Experience
Waitress, Manager
The Speckled Nymph Restaurant
2014–2019
See that?
The first of those restaurant skills resume samples serves up skills with measurements.
The second lists skills—but the wrong ones. And we took out all the numbers. Bland!
What about a resume for entry-level jobs?
Dig into your work history.
These restaurant resume examples show how:
The job ad wants these restaurant skills: (1) serving (2) friendliness (3) efficiency (4) communication.
Restaurant Experience
Various
2012
Team Member
Old Navy
2011
Retail Associate
Old Navy
2011
5-star.
The first of those restaurant resume examples has the secret sauce. (Hint: it’s the numbers and achievements.)
But what skills to put on a resume?
Use the ones from the ad online.
You can use these to get started:
Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
Serving Food | Interpersonal Skills |
Scheduling | Communication |
Mixing Drinks | Collaboration |
Cooking | Dependability |
Register Skills | Time Management |
Knife Skills | Leadership |
Vendor Management | Self-Motivation |
CPR and First Aid | Detail Oriented |
Restocking | Physically Fit |
Inventory Management | Listening |
Expert Hint: Don’t overegg your restaurant resume with too many skills. Anyone can write up a long skills list. The key ingredient is accomplishments-as-proof.
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.
Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.
Does education matter in a resume for restaurant jobs?
Absolutely.
The schooling section of your resume is vital.
Can you tell why this restaurant resume example nails it?
Education
Mill River High
2008–2012
That shows leadership and physical fitness. Both essential in restaurant resumes.
Expert Hint: Don’t just list any old restaurant skills in your resume. Just like with your job description, use the online posting as your menu. Look for the right keywords in it.
Check please.
Well, wait.
You’re not done writing your resume for restaurant jobs just yet.
Choose from these “bonus” sections:
These restaurant resume examples show how:
Classes
Additional Activities
Conferences
Volunteer Work
Additional Activities
Magnifique.
The first of those restaurant resume examples could be Bobby Flay. It’s all in the details.
Expert Hint: Write a cover letter. Focus on the job, and not how great you are. In your restaurant cover letter talk about how much you’d love to work at the restaurant, and why you are the perfect fit.
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.
Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:
For a 5-star restaurant resume:
Got questions on how to write great resumes for restaurant jobs? Not sure how to show restaurant on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!
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