Waiters and Waitresses
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
Also called: Banquet Server · Busser · Cocktail Server · Food Runner · Food Server · Restaurant Server
Median pay (national)
$33,760
$18,500–$62,510 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
2,302,690
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-0.7%
~456,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for waiters and waitresses shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $62,510 versus $18,500 at the bottom 10% — 3.4x. The median of $33,760 leaves roughly 85% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -0.7% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 456,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Vermont pays the most for this role (median $60,910, +80% vs the national median), while Louisiana sits lowest at $16,880 — a 261% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
- Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
- Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
- Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
- Collect payments from customers.
- Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
- Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
- Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
Tools & technology
- Blink
- Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation
- Compris software
- Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale
- Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale
- MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series
- NCR Advanced Checkout Solution
- NCR NeighborhoodPOS
- The General Store
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Food Production
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Education and Training