Food Service CV—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

You’re about to glimpse the perfect food service CV.

The thing is—

Being a food service employee is save-the-world tough.

You bend over backwards to make people happy so you can scrape up enough to keep breathing for one more day.

But, you knew that.

The trick is to prove it on one flimsy sheet of paper.

Can you do it?

Yes you can. We’ll help.

In this guide:

• 25+ food service CV examples better than most.
• How to write a CV for food service jobs that satisfies.
• How to cook up the perfect food service job description for CVs.
• Why you can’t just list food service skills (and what to do instead).

Save hours of work and get a CV like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from 21 CV templates and download your CV now.

Create your CV now

CREATE YOUR CV NOW

What users say about Resumelab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your CV.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous CV was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your CV now

Looking for a specific kind of food service CV? See these guides: 

• Bartender CV Sample & Guide
• Barista CV Sample & Guide
• Waiter & Waitress CV Sample & Guide
• Line Cook CV Sample & Guide
• Restaurant CV Examples
• Restaurant Manager CV Examples
• Dishwasher CV Examples
• Chef CV Examples
• Cashier CV Examples
• Fast Food CV Examples

Are you writing a food service manager CV? See these guide:

• Management (General) CV Sample & Guide

Trying to put food service on a CV? Switching careers into the food service world? Use this guide:

• CV for a Career Change

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Professional CV Examples.

Food Service CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a food service CV that cooks:

1. Serve a Professional Food Service CV Format

Here’s the ticket:

Your CV format should show you’re a pro.

So—

Use the reverse-chronological layout. It gives a taste of your skills at a glance.

Food Service CV Format

• Whip up a single-page CV. Use 1-inch margins.
• Add one of the best CV fonts like 10–12pt Calibri or Helvetica.
• Make these CV sections: Heading, Summary, History, Education, Skills, and one or two extra sections (like  hobbies and interests, if relevant).
• Include white space so their eyes don’t melt.
• Save your document as a PDF. A PDF CV works on every device.

Expert Hint: There are 5.4 million server food service jobs in the US. They’ll grow 14% in the next decade. But good ones with high pay need perfect food service CVs.

2. Write a Tempting Food Service CV Objective or Summary

Think about it.

You wouldn’t eat a mystery-meat sandwich.

Why would they read a mystery-meat CV?

Appetize them with a CV profile (in the form of a CV summary or CV objective). Put it near the top of your food service worker CV.

(Write it last so you’ll have plenty of ingredients.)

Include:

1. An adjective (cheerful, efficient)
2. Years of experience (1+, 9+)
3. How/who you’ll help (create memorable dining experiences at B-Side Barbecue)
4. Best food service moments (trained 10 employees...)
5. A couple job skills (serving, POS systems...)

These food service CV examples give the menu:

Food Service CV Summary—Example

Efficient server with 3+ years of experience. Seeking to promote a positive dining experience at Pizza Hut. At The Chicken Coop, was named employee of the month 3x thanks to efficient service. Maintained 93% positive comment scores. Regularly volunteered for unpopular duties like cleaning the bathrooms and walk-in.

Profit-focused food service manager with 8+ years of experience. Seeking to create a memorable dining experience at B-Sides Barbecue. At The Satiated Satyr, managed 24 servers, cooks, and support staff, raising retention 25% through improved communication. Presided over a period of 30% increase in repeat business.

Cool-headed cook with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to wow guests with memorable meals delivered fast at the Frangible Frog. At The Lobster Pound, reversed a 3-year streak of customer complaints. Won a favourable review in Time Out magazine for excellent food quality. Received 20+ compliments from waitstaff for being easy to work with.

See that?

Those food service worker CV samples show delicious restaurant achievements.

No matter your job title, think—

What does this restaurant manager want most? And what’s the proof I’ve done it?

But what about CVs for food service jobs with no experience?

These entry-level food service CV examples serve it up:

Entry-Level Food Service CV Objective

Personable barista with skills in POS operation and customer service. Seeking to give service with a friendly smile at Starbucks. Awarded district high-satisfaction rating as server at McDonald’s. Called by manager, “The most efficient employee we’ve ever had.”

Speedy line cook with skills in food prep and safe food handling. Seeking to prepare fast meals to company policy at Chilli’s. As volunteer cook at Front Street Soup Kitchen, prepped 20% faster than other volunteers without a safety incident.

Enthusiastic waitress with outstanding interpersonal skills. Seeking to provide an excellent dining experience at The Down Under. President of the Debate Club at Worcester West High School. Served sheet cake for 8-hour shifts at the Weston County Fair, 5 days straight the past 3 years.

Perfection.

Those food service CV examples prove interpersonal skills, efficiency, and more.

To do that, think when you used those skills to do big things.

Even debate club leadership can prove interpersonal skills.

Expert Hint: The median food service manager salary in the US is £49,139. There are six-figure managers, but to get those jobs you need a custom-fit CV. 

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 CV in our CV builder now.

CREATE YOUR CV NOW

3. Sweeten Your Food Service Worker Job Description

What skills go in a food service CV?

See this list:

Food Service Skills for a CV

• Customer Service
• Quality Control
• Food Safety
• Physical Stamina
• Communication Skills
• Teamwork
• Listening Skills
• Handling Money
• Multitasking
• Interpersonal Skills
• Efficiency
• Time Management
• Problem Solving
• Good Attitude
• Attention to Detail

Here are skills for different food service professions:

Cook Skills

• Food Prep
• Quality Control
• Food Safety
• Stocking
• Knife Skills
• Ordering
• Cleaning
• Plating
• Timing Food Orders
• Sauces

Server Skills

• Customer Service
• POS Systems
• Food Safety
• Restocking
• Cleaning
• Vacuuming
• Making Drinks
• Writing Specials Boards
• Memorising Specials
• Describing Entrees

Barista Skills

• POS
• Latte Frother
• Bean Grinders
• Specials Board Writing
• Food Safety

Bartender Skills

• POS Systems
• Serving Drinks
• Mixing Drinks
• Closing Cash Registers
• Restocking
• Barbacking
• Building Relationships
• Drink Knowledge
• Serving Wine
• Cleaning

Chef Skills

• Infrared Broilers
• Gas Ranges
• Beef Grinders
• Managing Waitstaff
• Sauces
• Food Prep
• Knife Skills
• Explaining Specials
• Plating
• Desserts

But watch out:

Only list a few. And prove those few.

To write a food service worker job description for CVs:

1. Hand-pick your CV skills from the help wanted ad.
2. Salt them into your CV. They’re keywords for your CV.
3. Show you used them to get results.

See these food service CV examples:

Say the job ad wants these food service skills: creating themed cocktails, wine knowledge, training, listening to customers.

Food Service Worker Job Descriptions for CVs [Samples]

Experience

Bartender

The Cockeyed Clam

2013–2019

• Mixed drinks, prepped, opened, and closed in busy waterfront bar.
• Created 200+ themed cocktails for specials board. Increased customer engagement and foot traffic by 20%.
• Curated regional wines. Result: 22% increase in annual liquor sales.
• Trained 3 other bartenders. Raised staff retention 25%.
• Assisted with redesign of bar menu and drink menu based on listening to customers. Increased weekly revenue an average of £1,500.

That’s not half-baked.

It’s got every skill they want, with proof.

Now here’s a food service manager CV example.

It needs skills in managing, interpersonal skills, ordering, and hiring:

Experience

Head Server

The Satiated Satyr Food Service

2013–2019

• Managed 17 servers and bartenders in fast-paced, chef-owned food service. Increased retention 25% through better communication.
• Used interpersonal skills to build strong relationships with staff and customers. Presided over 30% increase in repeat business.
• Ordered all wine, liquor, coffee, tea, and bar supplies. Worked with bar vendors to cut inventory costs by 15%.
• Hired and trained 10 new staff members.

Nailed it.

Next, a cook food service CV example.

It needs efficiency, interpersonal skills, plating, and desserts:

Experience

Cook

The Paisley Onion

2013–2019

• Worked as key cook in upscale farm-to-table food service.
• Maintained efficient 99% on-time prep score even during high-volume shifts.
• Recognised by management for interpersonal skills.
• Used expert cooking and plating skills to contribute to a 5-year period of 97% customer satisfaction scores.
• Written up favourably in Downeast Magazine for excellent desserts.

Magnifique.

See the game? Learn what they need. Then show you’ve done it.

Kind of like satisfying restaurant customers. 

Let’s move on to entry-level CVs.

Say the job wants these food service skills: customer service, POS, interpersonal skills, and efficiency.

See this entry-level food service CV example with no experience:

Entry-Level Food Service CV Job Descriptions [Samples]

Team Member

Parson’s Clothing

2018–2019

• Recognised by store manager for customer service skills.
• Operated POS system 15+ hours per week with zero errors.
• Used expert interpersonal skills to interact with customers. Received 3 personal letters for cheerful disposition.
• Consistently finished stocking duties 20 minutes faster than coworkers. Commended by shift supervisor for efficiency.

Perfect.

Now here’s a cook food service worker CV example.

The job needs food prep, food safety, customer service, friendly attitude:

Store Clerk

Degotano’s Corner Store

2018–2019

• Assisted with food prep for sandwich counter. Complimented by manager and cooks for food safety skills.
• Exceeded store’s strict customer service standards in all 4 quarters.
• Complimented 2–3 times per shift by customers for friendly attitude.

Yum.

One more. A bartender food service CV example.

The manager wants customer service, efficiency, organisation, work ethic:

Waitress

The Muddy Keel

2018–2019

• Waited tables in high-volume food service. Attained 95% average in customer service card scores.
• Regularly pooled out with highest tips of entire team thanks to efficiency.
• Commended by manager for cool head during busiest shifts. Often organised enough to help flustered servers catch up.
• Regularly volunteered for unpopular tasks like cleaning restrooms. Recognised for strong work ethic.

See the trick?

You haven’t worked the job.

But you’ve still got the skills.

Need to learn more about writing job descriptions? Check out these great examples of CV job descriptions. 

Expert Hint: The best city to be a waiter is Seattle. Servers there make an average of £18.07 per hour. The competition is hot. Your fast food service CV must cook.

4. Put More Meat in Your Education Section

You don’t need an education section in a food service CV.

Do you?

Well, yes. But don’t think of it like that.

It’s just a way to show more skills that wow them.

This food service CV example shows how:

Food Service CV Example—Education

Education

Millikan High School

2007–2011

• Voted boys choice of sister.
• Girl's lacrosse co-captain.

The point?

That example used education to show teamwork and leadership.

5. Put Add-ons in Your Food Service CV

“We’ve got to hire this one.”

Getting food service managers to say that doesn’t come from work experience alone.

Put add-ons in your food service CV to tease your skills.

Try these:

• Volunteering
• Classes
• Associations (AMA, ACF)
• Groups and clubs
• Certifications (ServSafe, First Aid)
• Conferences
• Languages
• Fitness
• Additional activities

This sample food service CV sweetens it:

Food Service CV—Extra Sections

Classes 

• Bartender Certification - PBSO Bartending School.
• Leadership Manager Training - Dale Carnegie

Additional Activities

• Volunteer cook 2x per month Silver Street Soup Kitchen.
• Mentor 2 at risk girls.
• Lead yoga classes 2x per week to 18 students.

Additional Activities

• Regular soup kitchen volunteer.
• Passionate about travel.

Check please.

The first of those food service CV examples shows certifications, compassion, leadership, and fitness.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter. Your food service worker CV will look more appetising. Almost half of restaurant managers expect a cover letter with each CV.

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

Key Points

Here’s how to write a food service CV:

• Use the food service CV template up top. It’s got all the right flavours to make management take notice.
• Don’t just list food service skills. Customer service and interpersonal skills are necessary. But to get the job, show they helped the restaurant.
• Your education section can upsell. Add skills proof in your bullets.
• Add CV sections like classes or volunteer work to show your passion and tease skills.

Got questions on how to write great CVs for food service jobs? Not sure how to put food service on a CV? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Approach

At ResumeLab, excellence lies at the heart of our values, underpinning our promise to provide outstanding career resources. Our team of career experts meticulously assesses each article in line with our editorial guidelines, guaranteeing our content's high quality and dependability. We consistently engage in original research, illuminating the nuances of the job market and earning acclaim from various influential news outlets. Our commitment to delivering professional career advice draws millions of readers to our blog annually.