Waiter

As a waiter you could:

• greet customers, give out menus and take food and drink orders
• answer questions about the menu and give advice on ingredients
• serve food and drinks, handle bill payments and clean tables
• deal with any complaints and make sure customers are happy

• customer service skills
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• a desire to help people
• active listening skills
• a good memory
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• volunteering
• applying directly

With experience you could:

• specialise in fine dining at formal events like weddings and banquets
• progress to head waiter, restaurant supervisor or restaurant manager
• move into kitchen management or stock purchasing