Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume- Complete Guide

Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume

Restaurants generally hire hundreds to thousands of restaurant servers to make sure everything goes without any difficulty. Restaurant servers or catering servers are like the hook of an eye that goes hand in hand with the restaurants. Catering companies simply can’t do without them. The servers are hired to work in a range of events such as weddings, private parties, company picnics, birthday celebrations, and funerals. Let us know about Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume Examples, Skills, Objective, Writing Guide in this article.

Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume

Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume Examples

Catering servers are those humble, generous people who welcome their guests with open arms. They make sure their guests are not having an ounce of dissatisfaction, be it the food, the ambiance of the hotel. They make sure that everything goes perfectly fine. They are like the stress busters when their guests go through troubled times. These are some soft skills that an aspiring caterer must possess in order to ensure guest satisfaction. It also guarantees good feedback along with maintaining a good image of the restaurant. The following will give you the examples of Restaurant / Caterer Server resume. By reading the examples of Restaurant / Caterer server resume you will get he way to write it.

Restaurant or banquet servers are expected to serve food in elegance. There should be grace in serving the guests. And in every skill, there lies a technique. So everyone needs to master the art. So that we become the first preference for the recruiters. Banquet servers serve at ceremonies, halls, special events be it weddings, baby showers, etc. A high school diploma will do well in case of qualification. A hotel management certificate is an added bonus. 

Setting and restocking buffets, serving food and beverages at tables, and ensuring a seamless service are all part of the server’s responsibilities. A caterer is an individual who is vested with the duties of serving food and beverages to guests. The caterers are also tasked to coordinate with staff members for food preparation duties. Assisting in setting up the linens, silverware, linens plates, and glassware, coordinating in cleaning up and packing down the banquet setup at the end of the event are some of the duties. Other activities include providing equipment and service.

Restaurant servers are expected to keep dining areas spic and span.

Typical work activities for banquet servers also include

  • greeting the guests with a smile and patiently guiding them to their seats, 
  • cooperating with certain requests, 
  • taking care of the refilling of the glasses, and cleaning the tables
  • moving the used dishes from the hall to the kitchen,
  • and solving unrehearsed issues. 

For most Americans, it is an entry-level position. Even though it is kind of a first job thing, it also requires its equal share of mastery or knowledge in abilities that stand in relevance.

Some of the ways to format a Restaurant / Caterer server resume

Here are the format of Restaurant / Caterer server resume.

  • Always write your name in bold, along with 
  • The mandatory phone number and contact information. 
  • In case of address, including your town and region is enough unless asked further.
  • The best format is the reverse-chronological format. 
  • The size font may vary. Body text can be kept around 11-12pts., whereas headings can be kept around 3-4pts.

Resume summary / objective

You write a career summary when you’ve plenty of catering experience. This includes your expertise in food handling, customer service, and satisfaction, other catering skills. You may include quantifiable achievements for best results, giving them an overview of measuring your past achievements.

Examples:

With 14 years of experience being a server at events (weddings and corporate), I am adept as a catering server. Highly committed to providing special service to guests along with quality food and beverages. I have the experience of serving 600+ guests in large-scale gatherings. Capable of creating a warm and enjoyable environment for customers. Attains accuracy in entering customer orders and providing guidelines to dietary meals to concerned customers. 

A server with a passion for exceptional customer service and serving delicious meals. Capable of creating a joyous environment and managing tables up to 70-80 people.

Experienced with working in a fast-paced environment. A positive person at heart. Also, a successful bartender with the highest number of tip% amongst the counterparts, ensures people skills.

Career objective when not much experience or a rookie. With the career objective, you highlight your career goals along with what you can offer to the table. Make yourself an asset to the team. How the company will benefit from you as a caterer. Give them the assurance to measure your confidence and commitment to the job.

While writing about the experience in the objective, try to highlight these duties: 

carrying different kinds of items, 

  • be it glassware, silverware, food items, dishes, linens, and others.
  • daily stock up of food in the food stations
  • testing the food trays for hygiene, and safety issues
  • cooperating with the guests
  • moving the dishes. 

Remember to focus on these duties while writing the objective

Even though it will be highlighted at the top, it is advisable to write at the end whilst the preparation of the resume, as the better idea will be gained as to which points to highlight.

In the case of servers, be it a rookie or a seasoned server, it is very essential to define the type of settings you’ve worked in. It covers cuisine and service types. American, Spanish, Indian, French, or Italian, others are examples of cuisine types, and fast food, fast-casual, casual dining, and fine dining are examples of service types.

Examples of career objectives

1. Interested in a Catering Server position with Olive Gardens that will allow me to put my great customer service talents to use. Friendly individual with seven years of experience in food preparation and people skills. 

2. Socially confident professional with seven years of waitressing experience seeking a Catering Server position with Texas Roadhouse, where I can put my skills of customer service and attentiveness to use. 

3. Prompt individuals looking for a Catering Server position with Capital Grille that requires good interpersonal skills. With five years of experience serving in a challenging fast-paced food preparation setting, along with being adept at anticipating the needs of customers with a committed level of attentiveness. I would be an asset as I aim to assist the firm in giving the guests the premium experience they wish for. 

4. A committed individual seeking to work as a restaurant server Server at Capital Grille. I bear an OLCC/WA liquor and food-handlers license. A proficient individual in dealing with numbers. Having three years of experience in the industry, I have outstanding customer service, communication skills and attain accuracy in managing cash. 

5. A committed individual with a deep sense of admiration seeking the position of restaurant server at Olive Gardens. Attains an extraordinary ability in processing transactions, be it cash or credit. Have a three-year experience of working in a luxury bar. With the experience in hand, I attained a thorough knowledge of the production of mixed beverages, wines, and others. Adept in communication skills along with an aim to provide exemplary service in compliance with company standards. 

6. Hospitality enthusiasts with a strong knowledge of beverages are looking for the posting of catering server at Texas Roadhouse, where a commitment to providing hospitality, ability to work in a challenging environment will be ensured. Seeks to provide an exceptional fine dining experience to the patrons. 

Work experience

  • Highlight them in a reverse chronological format 
  • Placing your current job. Then following the next and so on.
  • Mention the job title, company’s name and location, the years you’ve worked, your duties more so your achievements.
  • Make sure to add your achievements and responsibilities in bullet points, also using action words like ‘handled’, ‘prepared’, ‘catered’.
  • Prove your candidature by adding numbers to your achievements. Make sure you tailor the resume as per the job advt., otherwise you’re just another ordinary candidate for the recruiter.

Examples : 

Meal delivery and service coordination for visitors with unique dietary needs, including allergies, veganism, and dairy-free diets.

Set up tables for weddings, celebrations, and business events with the help of a team of professionals.

At an event, I took orders for each attendee and transmitted any special requests to the kitchen.

Achievements

As the creator of excellent window displays, I increased the diner’s earnings by 20%.

Six times in a year, I was named Employee of the Month.

5 new employees were trained, and a new onboarding process was developed.

30 menu items and their contents were memorized, and knowledge was kept up to date in case of recipe changes.

Incorrect approach

  • Window displays that have been created
  • Another staff member was inspired.
  • possessed the ability to open and close the restaurant

If you have got experience of working in a chain of restaurants, then ask for the statistics of your job performance. It will work great for your resume!

Skills

The resume should highlight the skills that will nudge the event director to shift his attention towards your resume. Make sure your skills section is as delicious and graceful as the food you’ll serve.

Skills for the position of a Catering Server may include 

  • serving skills, 
  • food-handling skills,
  • the ability to stand for hours, 
  • courtesy, 
  • attention to detail, 
  • agility, and 
  • customer service skills.

These are some top catering skills by the writer on Zety( include picture). Now divide them into hard and soft skills, mention the skills at the top that best aligns with the job description. 

Example:

Hard Skills

Certification as a food handler

Operation of the coffee maker and the beverage machine, knowledge of food garnishes

Etiquette for fine dining

Skills with computers and point-of-sale systems/cash registers

Sharp memory

Basic math abilities and knowledge of wine pairings and alcohol in general

Understanding of restaurant equipment

Knowledge of foreign languages

Soft Skills

Conversational and friendly

Teamwork and the ability to be on time

Communication Organization Customer service Active listening

Patience

Physical endurance

Patrons and their orders are remembered in a neat manner.

Ability to keep up in a fast-paced setting Conflict resolution Legible handwriting

Cleanliness

Organize your time.

Leadership

It tests your ability to multitask, your calm, and your composure when you’re working under pressure. A caterer has to satisfy guests, also take care of going in sync with other staff members in order to prevent chaos.

Time management

They should be adept with perfect timing to serve the food at the perfect time and temperature. That’s a one-of-a-kind skill in itself.

Attention to detail

being attentive allows the caterer when items need to be filled or removed and monitoring when to approach the customer if they are comfortable with the environment. 

Active listening

If you listen, you win. You are like the bridge between the chef and the guest. If you listen, you understand instructions and can gracefully communicate with the guest, provide them what they need, which also brings me to 

Communication skills

A must-needed skill for effective communication, be it with co-workers, guests, and others. 

Stamina

Make sure caterers take care of your health. As for hours you have to stay on your feet and keep running here and there. Aspirants should be proactive and should be able to prioritize tasks to ensure guests are severed or attended in a timely manner. 

Should build up bodies, or exercise in the right manner as servers are also expected to lift light to moderate boxes that are often transported.  Doing that they also need a balance to prevent dropping/spilling the food/beverages.

Teamwork

Now all servers work together, so there comes unity in diversity. Everyone should work together for the goodwill of the company. It shows the work ethics and the fact that teamwork is highly necessary for the collective good. Servers should be capable of working in stressful and crowded environments. They should love their work. Not an ounce of stress should show up on the face.

Servers work in hospitality industries, providing quality service. Depending on the challenging grounds, the employees will work in different settings.

Customer service

It is an assessment of the customer’s needs that is one of the essential strong skills. Caterers should have a presence of mind and they must be able to act actively be it in listening, monitoring situations, and others. Customer service is offering assistance to the customers which include, answering their queries, solving their problems, and giving them potential customers excellent service. Why is it important? to build a strong mutual relationship so that they keep coming again and again. 

In the case of handling customer complaints and requests, speech clarity and comprehension is equally important. 

Sanitation policies

Now, as we have faced a pandemic, all of us are aware of how crucial and important it becomes to stay clean and healthy in and out. The same goes for public places. The caterers are service providers who are also doing and playing their part in keeping the environment, surroundings, and ambiance of the public places neat and tidy. If any caterer has to put it down into the resume, one can go by: 

  • Complied with all the sanitation policies. 
  • Ensured daily sanitation in my assigned area, assisting customers with recommendations
  • Performed tasks adhering to company protocols regarding safety and sanitation

Safety standards

Now, we know the public is heavily dependent on eating food outside. At times like these, it is the duty of the service providers to ensure if the customers or the potential clients are eating healthy and tasty food. We have to ensure the food is safe at all times. It doesn’t look good if the food starts smelling bad on the table, or the customer suffers from food poisoning. That is the last thing we, as food providers, would wish for. So if you have to use safety standards on the resume, you may use the following:  

  • Maintained the highest level of professionalism in food safety standards.
  • Adhered to food, health, and safety standards, which included scrubbing floors and other pieces of equipment of the restaurant.

Academic achievements

Often in a Catering Server’s resume, displaying academic achievements isn’t a necessity. Glamming up doesn’t harm anyone as well as long as it is relevant. If any certificate or training is acquired relating to the job description that you’re applying for, you may mention them. Eg: if holding a certificate in hospitality management, you may include it in your resume. If you have a certificate from National Association for Catering and Events (NACE), that’s a bonus. Also, education in vocational schools can be mentioned in the resumes which require a fine dining server. This site gives out some great templates. Do check it out. Always go for the apt catering resume. The resume should resonate with you. 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS), the median pay for waiters and waitresses is $23740 per year.  The scenario of job outlook for servers in the food industry is likely to increase 20% between 2020-30. The statistic is, however, quite faster than the average of the other services. The BLS has also projected about 470,200 openings for servers per year. 

Miscellaneous sections

Won a competition for the best catering server?

Have an extra hobby/interest?

Proficient in a language other than your native language?

Include all of them. You may add any volunteer experience, certifications/food safety certifications, and others.

Now, the cherry on the cake

Catering cover letter with your job application

A majority of recruiters or almost everyone prefers an attached cover letter to your job application. A great cover letter will give you an edge over the others. You can divide the section into :

Introduction

Start with a jaw-dropping paragraph by including your intent and goals for the catering role. Create a hook.

Body

Write about your skills, highlight your achievements and experience. 

End

Finish up with a call-to-action statement. Tell them why you would be an asset to the team, as well as what more you can bring to the table.

Always follow up on your job application. That ensures your sincerity regarding the opening in the firm.

Writing guide
  1. Keep the resume short and direct, and relevant to the job description. The recruiter isn’t much interested to know about your background, but rather in what you can offer to the organization with your skills.
  1. Make an elevator pitch in your resume summary/objective itself to attract the recruiter’s attention.
  1. Show your strengths and experiences. For example: “Worked in busy setups serving 200+ diners. A proficient server with 4 years of experience. Well-informed in protocols related to safe food-handling safety practices.”
  1. Always go for personalizing/customizing your resume for different job applications.

Jobs are often in need of different skills, so make sure you customize according to the requirements of the job description. For example: While applying for a server position that does a lot of mobile dining, you may mention “skilled in setting up and packing down”, but that same skill might be needed in independent living areas where everything is served at the same place.  

  1. Always include keywords that are functional in the banquet industry. Be attentive to the little details that are given in the job description and try to incorporate that with your skill in the resume. For eg: you read in the job description of a server, e.g., “skilled expert on menu items”, remember to include the keywords be it something you’ve done before in the skills section. Include a skill that you do best.
  1. Quantify your achievements. Applying numbers goes a long way, it shows your diligence, your structured method of living, your discipline all of which is asked from a caterer. For instance: You can be a bit more precise when you state, “Efficiently served 40-50 meals per shift” instead of mentioning “served many customers per shift.”. Remember both the quantity and quality matter.” 
  1. Always proofread your resume. Just like a banquet server is expected to keep everything clean, the resume needs to be neat and tidy as well. 
  1. Before you cater to any event, you’ll create a strategy and meal plan, among other things. A caterer always creates a meal plan and strategy, the same goes here, make sure you’ve personalized it with the right skills for the recruiter to get impressed by your resume. 
  1. Also, let’s not forget to run Grammarly, double-check the resume, hunt for errors, and correct them.

You can check out this site for great resume templates. Hope this article helped you with Restaurant / Caterer Server resume.

Restaurant / Caterer Server Resume- Complete Guide

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