Why servers play a crucial role in your business

Servers are an essential backbone of the foodservice industry. For the vast majority of restaurant customers, a server or waiter is the first and last person they talk to.

What is a server?

Servers are the face of your business. They take orders from customers, communicate  the order to the kitchen and/or bar, and serve the food and drink. They answer questions, describe dishes and drive all your sales. From your customer’s point of view, servers can be a deciding factor in whether an experience is pleasurable, mediocre, or plain disastrous.

Can’t anyone be a server?

Since restaurants and bars generally employ young people, some people have the impression that serving is an easy job. After all, if a teenager can do it, how hard could it be? In reality, being a server requires a deep level of skill and ability to multitask not everyone has. While taking orders and delivering food might not sound very complicated, being able to do so hundreds of times a day, at pace, all while making the customer feel valued and attended to, is not something that comes naturally to everyone. That skill is why, in some countries, being a server is a highly respected position.

What does an average workday look like?

The exact duties of a server varies depending on the business. In smaller businesses, servers will often take on more responsibilities in terms of cleaning, finance or restaurant management. Here are some common tasks a server is likely to undertake:

• Engage with customers

• Describe dishes and answer questions about the menu 

• Take orders

• Communicate with kitchen and bar staff (chefs, bartenders etc.)

• Serve food and drinks

• Manage payments from customers

• Deal with customer complaints

• Clear and clean tables

• Clean the restaurant for closing

How has COVID-19 changed server jobs?

In foodservice businesses operating under COVID-19 restrictions, servers have taken on significant responsibility to ensure health and safety guidelines are being upheld. This might include anything from more extensive cleaning of tables and restrooms, serving customers with takeout or curbside pickup, or enforcing social distancing rules and maximum table numbers. Due to capacity limitations, many foodservice businesses have had to restrict the number of servers they employ, leaving the servers that remain with more autonomy and greater responsibilities.

What key skills should I be looking for?

Here are some key skills any server should have:

●  Customer service skills

●  Verbal communication

●  Team working skills

●  Ability to work at a fast pace

●  Attention to detail

●  Cleanliness

●  Flexibility

Where can I hire a server?

As we enter the spring hiring season, our most experienced service industry staff are looking for work over the summer. There’s never been a better time to hire a server. Register now to post your job and start hiring!