Waiting staff

Waiting staff (BrE),[1] waiters (MASC) / waitresses (FEM), or servers (AmE)[2][3] are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested.

Waiting staff carry out many different tasks, such as taking orders, food-running, polishing dishes and silverware, helping bus tables, entertaining patrons, restocking working stations with needed supplies, and handing out the bill.

In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that, as of May 2023[update], there were about 2.2 million people employed as servers in the country.

In large luxury establishments, there are often multiple ranks of waiting staff in the dining room:[15] In such restaurants, the captain is typically responsible for interacting with the diners and overseeing waiters.

Such duties of typical waiters include the following: preparing a section of tables before guests sit down (e.g., changing the tablecloth, putting out new utensils, cleaning chairs, etc.

The server will be trained to provide good customer service, learn food items and drinks, and maintain a neat and tidy appearance.

Working in a role such as captain in a top rated restaurant requires disciplined role-playing comparable to a theater performance.

However, to serve alcoholic beverages in Canada, servers must undergo their province's online training course within a month of being hired.