Server Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2024

A server job can be the first step to a successful restaurant career or just a part-time thing you do to pay the bills. The end goal doesn’t really matter—what matters is finding a job that will suit your needs right now. I’ll teach you how to write a restaurant server resume that can get you there.

Top Insights:

• Writing a tailored resume for servers can help you land jobs paying over $25 per hour.
• Excellent customer service is the #1 server skill for a resume, and its value will grow even higher soon.
• Additional information in the education section of a server resume can give you a significant advantage over other applicants.

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Server Resume Example #1—Experienced Candidate

Joshua Lafayette

Culinary Server

(444) 555–7777

joshua.lafay@email.com

Resume Summary:

Energetic Culinary Server eager to deliver exceptional dining experiences at Maple House. Proven ability to work efficiently in fast-paced environments while ensuring guest satisfaction through attentive service and strong communication skills. Boosted the sales of cocktails by 11% through a personalized approach to recommendations.

Core Competencies:

• Interpersonal skills
• Effective communication
• Attention to detail
• POS system knowledge
• Complaint resolution
• Multitasking

Work Experience:

Restaurant Server

Steamboat, Burlington, VT

March 2022–August 2024

Key responsibilities:

• Ensured a welcoming dining atmosphere through excellent customer service.
• Recommended food and beverages based on guests' preferences and menu knowledge.
• Accurately took orders and entered selections into the POS system.
• Regularly checked in with tables to anticipate and fulfill guest needs.
• Cleared tables efficiently and arranged table settings for new guests.

Key achievements:

• Resolved 100% of guest complaints immediately and without the need for manager intervention.
• Increased the sales of cocktails by 11% by offering personalized recommendations.

Education:

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT

Expected graduation in June 2025

Certification:

• Vermont TIPS On Premise Server & ANSI Food Handler, valid through February 2026

Additional Skills:

• Exceptional time management and punctuality
• Flexibility with scheduling
• Ability to carry multiple drinks, plates, and bowls simultaneously
• Strong team collaboration and support

Languages:

• English (Fluent)
• French (Intermediate)
• Spanish (Conversational)

Volunteer Work:

Community Kitchen Volunteer

Burlington Homeless Shelter, Burlington, VT

June 2021–Present

• Assisted in meal preparation and serving for shelter residents.
• Helped maintain a clean and organized kitchen environment.

Hobbies:

• Running an Instagram account dedicated to trying out new recipes
• Learning about local culinary traditions

What makes it work:

• This food server resume example is a great fit for an experienced restaurant server.
• It highlights server responsibilities and common server skills for resumes.
• The additional sections showcase qualities that are desirable in dining servers, such as communication and interest in culinary arts.

Server Resume Example #2—No Experience

Maria Jones

Server

maria.jones@email.com

(555) 555–5555

Resume Objective

Enthusiastic and hardworking individual seeking a restaurant server position. Eager to create a positive dining experience at LineLeek Dining through strong communication and teamwork skills. Passionate about world cuisine and keen to develop wine pairing knowledge under supervision from experienced waitstaff.

Core Competencies

• Interpersonal Skills
• Verbal Communication
• Effective Teamwork
• Multitasking
• Problem-Solving
• Attention to Detail

Education

Coney Island High School

New York City, NY

Graduated in June 2024

Extracurricular Activities:

• Participated in organizing and managing Cooking Club events, developing teamwork and leadership skills.
• Interacted with a diverse group of people, enhancing communication abilities.

Certifications

Food Protection Certificate, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, July 2024

Volunteer Experience

Brooklyn Community Center

August 2022–January 2024

• Assisted in setting up tables, serving food and beverages, and cleaning up after charity events.
• Worked closely with a team of volunteers to ensure all guests were served promptly and courteously.
• Developed strong communication and multitasking skills in a fast-paced environment.

Personal Interests

• Home cooking and posting recipes on a personal Instagram account
• Reading restaurant reviews and learning about world cuisines

What makes it work:

• This sample server resume is suitable for a candidate with no work experience.
• It features examples of relevant experiences from school and volunteering to show that the applicant has the skills required for this job.
• Descriptions from this server resume show how they developed relevant competencies.

Server Resume Example #3—Career Change

Brian Faux

Server

(222) 222–2222

brian.bot@email.com

Objective

Hardworking and reliable dishwasher with a strong work ethic and a desire to transition into a server role. Bringing hands-on experience in the restaurant industry and excellent teamwork. Eager to develop customer service skills while serving the patrons at Canvas 541. At Voulez, developed strong interpersonal skills by assisting with bussing tables and interacting with customers.

Core Competencies

• Restaurant Experience
• Interpersonal Skills
• Verbal Communication
• Teamwork
• Attention to Detail
• Adaptability

Work Experience

Dishwasher

Voulez, Long Beach, CA

January 2021–July 2024

Key responsibilities:

• Gained valuable insights into kitchen and dining room operations.
• Handled unexpected challenges in the kitchen, demonstrating the ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Maintained cleanliness and organization of kitchen and dishwashing area.
• Supported kitchen staff by ensuring the timely availability of clean dishes and utensils.
• Assisted with basic food preparation and restocking supplies as needed.
• Collaborated with kitchen and front-of-house teams to maintain smooth operations during peak hours.
• Communicated effectively with staff to ensure all kitchen needs were met promptly.

Key achievement:

• Trained 6 new dishwashers, showcasing leadership potential and a desire to grow in the industry.

Education

St. Marten High School

Long Beach, CA

Graduated in June 2021

Additional Skills

• Flexibility
• Time Management
• Physical Fitness

Languages

• Spanish—Intermediate

What makes it work:

• This server resume example fits someone who’s worked in the restaurant industry before but in a different role.
• It highlights transferable skills that the applicant developed in their previous job.
• The work experience section demonstrates the candidate’s knowledge of restaurant operations.

How to Write a Flavorful Server Resume

The federal minimum hourly wage for servers is $7.25. But some jobs pay over $25 per hour. The difference is massive, and landing a well-paid job in food service depends strongly on the quality of your job application. You must create a server resume that can convince the boss that you’re the person they need, and a generic application won’t charm them. 

1. Analyze the Job Advertisement

I’ll show you how to write a resume tailored to the job advertisement. First, here’s a typical job ad for a serving position:

Nothing surprising about it, right? Now, let’s meet the applicant who got the job. His name is Joshua, and this is his professional profile:

Writing resumes was not Joshua’s specialty. The first draft wasn’t great. It featured the following introduction:

I’m Joshua Lafayette and I truly enjoy working as a restaurant server. I treat patrons with a professional and courteous attitude to ensure a great dining experience.

And his work descriptions were like this:

Key Responsibilities:

• Serving food and drinks at a busy restaurant
• Welcoming guests
• Keeping the dining area clean and organized at all times

That didn’t deserve to get a job paying over $25 per hour. Joshua realized that his resume wasn’t great, so he decided to rely on professional help. He gave ResumeLab’s builder a try, and it guided him through the process of writing a tailored culinary server resume. Here are the tips he followed—and you should follow them, too.

2. Use the Resume Profile to Show Your Strengths

A resume profile is like a tasting menu—it offers samples of the best offerings. It consists of just 3–4 sentences presenting your most relevant qualifications.

Server resume summary

Energetic Culinary Server eager to deliver exceptional dining experiences at Maple House. Proven ability to work efficiently in fast-paced environments while ensuring guest satisfaction through attentive service and strong communication skills. Boosted the sales of cocktails by 11% through a personalized approach to recommendations.

What makes this resume profile great?

• It gives a quick overview of the applicant’s strengths.
• It features resume keywords that mirror job requirements from the advertisement.
• It includes a quantifiable achievement from a previous job.

You can start a restaurant server resume using a resume summary (if you’re experienced) or a resume objective (if you’re applying for your first job.) Remember to make your introduction specific: name personal qualities and skills that answer the employers’ needs. 

3. List the Competencies That Mirror Job Requirements

After introducing yourself, it’s best to show your strengths right away. Make a section dedicated to your core competencies by listing the hard and soft skills outlined in the job advertisement. It’s a great way to keep the recruiters’ focus on your application. See how Joshua did it:

Core Competencies:

• Interpersonal skills
• Effective communication
• Attention to detail
• POS system knowledge
• Complaint resolution
• Multitasking

What makes Joshua’s core competencies section great?

• It includes keywords from the job ad: POS system knowledge, complaint resolution
• It features soft skills usually required from restaurant servers, such as communication and multitasking.

I recommend picking 6–8 skills for the core competencies. What about other strengths? You can include them in your server resume by mentioning specific skills in the work experience section as well as create a separate skill for additional sections worth mentioning.

Things to Consider: Will the automation trend in restaurants influence the job of servers? Probably. Deloitte’s research shows that restaurant owners want to focus on labor efficiency, which means that staff responsibilities will move toward customer-oriented duties. KPMG’s survey discovered that 23% of executives consider using digital solutions for kitchen and waiting processes.

4. Describe Relevant Experience on a Server Resume

If you’re an experienced restaurant server, then your work experience section is like the chef’s specialty. Just like there’s no space for second-hand quality in fine dining, there’s also no way a generic description of server duties could make its way into your resume. Demonstrate how excellent you are at your job.

See Joshua’s work experience section:

Work Experience

Restaurant Server

Steamboat, Burlington, VT

March 2022–August 2024

Key responsibilities:

• Ensured a welcoming dining atmosphere through excellent customer service.
• Recommended food and beverages based on guests' preferences and menu knowledge.
• Accurately took orders and entered selections into the POS system.
• Regularly checked in with tables to anticipate and fulfill guest needs.
• Cleared tables efficiently and arranged table settings for new guests.

Key achievements:

• Resolved 100% of guest complaints immediately and without the need for manager intervention.
• Increased the sales of cocktails by 11% by offering personalized recommendations.

What makes these server resume descriptions effective?

• Bullet points help to organize the information.
• Sentences start with action words to highlight the applicant’s effort.
• Descriptions mirror the job advertisement by using similar phrasing: clear tables and arrange table settings, handling and resolving complaints, and making recommendations.

If you’re applying for your first server job and don’t have any relevant experience to show, skip this section and follow your core competencies with the education section. I will discuss it in the next section.

5. Don’t Skip the Education Section

Sure, you don’t need a degree to work as a restaurant server. Statistics show that it’s a profession dominated by people under 25 years old, with 34% of waitstaff still enrolled in school. However, adding extra detail to your education section can improve your chances of getting hired, especially if you don’t have any work experience.

Here’s Joshua’s education section:

What makes this education section professional:

• It features essential information about their background.
• It mentions certification required by the state.
• As this candidate is experienced, this section is concise, so it doesn’t occupy much space on a resume.

If you don’t have relevant work experience, you can list extracurricular activities, club memberships, and relevant coursework as long as they highlight the skills or knowledge relevant to the job. Needless to say, being enrolled in culinary school is a major plus, too.

6. Pick Extra Sections to Add Value

You may have some space left on your server resume as well as additional information to present. Select extra resume sections to strengthen your candidacy: language proficiency, volunteer work, additional skills, personal interests, or professional associations. See Joshua’s example:

Extra resume sections

Additional Skills

• Exceptional time management and punctuality
• Flexibility with scheduling
• Ability to carry multiple drinks, plates, and bowls simultaneously
• Strong team collaboration and support

Languages:

• English (Fluent)
• French (Intermediate)
• Spanish (Conversational)

Volunteer Work:

Community Kitchen Volunteer

Burlington Homeless Shelter, Burlington, VT

June 2021–Present

• Assisted in meal preparation and serving for shelter residents.
• Helped maintain a clean and organized kitchen environment.

Hobbies:

• Running an Instagram account dedicated to trying out new recipes
• Learning about local culinary traditions

What makes these additional sections effective?

• They include additional resume keywords.
• Knowledge of foreign languages shows Joshua’s excellent communication skills.
• Described volunteer activities are closely related to food service.
• His hobbies prove that he’s interested in the culinary arts.

Now that the contents of your server resume are ready, you can try polishing them a little more using information from the following articles:

• Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out
• How to Make Your Resume Perfect
• What Does Relevant Experience on a Resume Mean

Or scroll down to learn about formatting your resume.

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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Make the Server Resume Template Look Great

Aesthetics play a massive role in fine dining. Research shows that the appearance of food influences our judgment. Similarly, how your resume looks can also affect the recruiter’s verdict.

To create a visually appealing resume for a restaurant server job, keep it clean and easy to read. Use a simple, professional font, and make sure your name and contact info stand out at the top. Use bullet points to list your skills. Keep your resume to one page, and use a little color to make headings pop, but don't overdo it.

If you want to save time on formatting your resume, you’ve got two options: finding a suitable blank resume template or using a professional resume builder that will take care of the layout in just a few clicks. However, you can also design a resume for a server by yourself. Just follow these steps:

1. Outline your resume for serving jobs: Decide if you want one or two columns of text, make the space for a resume header with your contact information, and choose the best font for your resume.
2. Keep the length of your resume to one page: There’s no need to go beyond that when applying for server jobs.
3. Make it memorable: Your server resume must stand out from the rest. You can make a unique modern resume template by adding some color, putting your logo in the header area, or adding resume icons next to section headings.
4. Aim for ATS compatibility: don’t use too many visual elements or unusual fonts, and keep the contents neatly organized. Check if your template is ATS-friendly by saving your resume in a PDF file, then copy-paste the contents to Notepad and see if you can still read the results.

Want further advice on resume formatting? Read these helpful articles:

• How to Lay Out Your Resume
• Most Common Resume Formats in 2024
• What’s the Best Style for a Resume?

Are you working in Michelin-star restaurants? See this guide for a fine dining server resume.

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You’ve got everything you need to write the perfect server resume. How about giving our resume builder a try to get that job application ready ASAP? Good luck!

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