Server Resume Examples [Guide & Tips]

As a restaurant server your job is to take care of your guests’ experience and well-being in the restaurant, in the bar or in the café where you work. That’s a lot of responsibility. 

In this article you will learn how to describe a server job on your resume and also how you convey the responsibilities of a server for a resume. We have created several server resume examples that you can use freely and adapt to your own server skills. 

How to write a server resume

• Start your server resume with a concise resume summary
• Focus on your results, and explain how you achieved them
• Match your professional and technical skills list with the skills required in the job ad description
• Only add relevant information to your bullets
• Always tailor each server resume you send to the requirements of the job description

Restaurant server resume example using our Designer resume template

Restaurant server resume example you can copy and use

Justin Jensen
Guest-focused restaurant server with 4+ years of experience

justin.jensen@email.com - Tel: 443 343 3434 - 32034, Jacksonville, FL
JustinJensen

Profile

Accomplished restaurant server with 4+ years of experience working in a fast-paced restaurant in downtown Jacksonville. Guest-focused and with proven people skills with the highest customer satisfaction among the restaurant’s staff. Served for up to 50 guests per night and ensured all meals are served on time. Handled the restaurant’s payment transactions with 99% accuracy. Seeking to make guests happy at Fisher's Paradise.

Employment History

Restaurant server - Jacksonville Fish & Steak
Jacksonville, FL
January 2021 - Present

Key responsibilities

• Ensured quality service of up to 50 guests per night with no order mistakes.
• Provided weekly menu items training to waitresses, waiters, and bartenders.
• Mediated problematic situations and managed to solve all issues of this kind.
• Coordinated the kitchen-service flow of orders and constantly monitored guest satisfaction.

Part time restaurant server - Jack's BBQ and Ribs
Jacksonville, FL
February 2019 - December 2020

• Significantly increased guest check averages by promoting appetizers, specialty items, and wine selections.
• Collaborated in creating attractive front-of-house displays to market new products.
• Boosted the restaurant’s earnings by 20% by designing decorative and welcoming window displays.
• Trained 5 new staff members and created a new hire onboarding process.

Education

Diploma in Restaurant Hospitality - Institute of Culinary Schooling
Jacksonville, FL
September 2017 - June 2021

Relevant courses

• Hospitality management
• Guest communication
• Wine and glass pairing

Professional skills

• POS operation
• Order taking
• Dining room setup
• Cash and credit transactions
• Food safety procedures
• Knowledge of wine pairings
• Stocking

Languages

• English - Native
• Danish - Fluent

Certifications

• Certified Food Manager (CFM)
• Food Safety Manager Certification
• Certified Food and Beverage Executive (CFBE)

How to structure your server resume

We recommend using the reverse-chronological resume format. 

The structure of your server resume should resemble this: 

• Header (title, name, contact info)
• Profile (introduction)
• Employment history and job experience
• Education
• Skills
• Any relevant additional sections

Header

Your resume’s header consists of your name, title (use the title of the job position you’re applying for), and your personal details such as contact information. This part is pretty straightforward.

Profile

Your profile text (or summary as it’s sometimes called) is there to grab attention and make the recruiter curious to know more about you. That’s why this part is extremely important and needs to be ultra sharp. Sometimes it’s better to leave this one till the end of your writing process since you’ll have a better overview of the content of the rest of your resume.

Example of a server resume summary: 

“Accomplished restaurant server with 4+ years of experience working in a fast-paced restaurant in downtown Jacksonville. Guest-focused and with proven people skills with the highest customer satisfaction among the restaurant’s staff. Served for up to 50 guests per night and ensured all meals are served on time. Handled the restaurant’s payment transactions with 99% accuracy. Seeking to make guests happy at Fisher's Paradise.”

Employment history

When you add your previous server job descriptions to your server resume we strongly recommend you to use the reverse-chronological resume format. Why? This is the format that recruiters are most familiar with and thus it’s easier for them to know what you’ve been doing in your career. The reverse-chronological resume format means that you begin your resume with your most recent employment and work your way backwards from there.

Use this checklist: 

• Reverse-chronological resume format
• Describe each position with 4-6 bullet points (include tasks, responsibilities, and quantify your results if possible)
• Tailor your server resume to the job position by matching your skills and qualifications to what’s described in the job ad
• Use keywords and power words throughout your resume 

This is how it looks in our resume builder: 

This is how it looks like in a finished resume: 

Add measurable achievements to your previous server job descriptions wherever possible by using this formula: 

• Start your bullet point with an action verb 
• Add a quantifiable point
• Mention a specific and relevant job duty and quantifiable result if possible

Like this: 

• Ensured quality service of up to 50 guests per night with no order mistakes.
• Boosted the restaurant's earnings by 20% by designing decorative and welcoming window displays.

Education

Serving food at a restaurant or drinks in a bar does not require a lot of formal education. It is still a good idea to add your educational background to your server resume because most employers like to see that their employees have completed at least high school. Here’s how to add your education: 

• List your latest and highest education first
• Write the degree name and the name of the institution
• If you have a degree higher than high school, don’t add your high school diploma 

An example of a server’s education section could look like this:

Skills

A prospective employer at a bar or a restaurant is sure to take an extra good look at your skills section in your server resume so be sure you add all your relevant server skills in there. It’s all about shining bright. 

Adding your server skills to your server resume is also a great way to include relevant keywords. Carefully read through the job ad and highlight both the hard skills and interpersonal skills they’re seeking in their candidates. Now match them with your own server skills on your resume. 

But here’s the kicker: You shouldn’t just add all your skills in a long list. Some of them you have to incorporate into your job descriptions for instance. This way you show them how you’ve utilized your skills in the past.

Example of adding skills to your server employment history

• Ensured quality service of up to 50 guests per night with no order mistakes.
• Provided weekly menu items training to up to 16 waitresses, waiters, and bartenders.
• Mediated problematic situations and managed to solve all issues of this kind.
• Coordinated the kitchen-service flow of orders and constantly monitored guest satisfaction.

In the examples of server job descriptions above the candidate shows off several relevant server skills: 

• The ability to memorize orders
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Conflict resolution
• Problem solving
• Organization skills
• The ability to keep up in a fast paced environment

This is a great way of showing especially some of your soft skills as a server.

Example of adding skills to a skills section of your server resume

Adding your server skills in a dedicated skills section on the other hand is an excellent way to show off your hard skills. 

In a resume made with one of our resume templates, the skills section could look like this: 

This clearly shows that you have the hard skills and knowledge to perform the job well. 

Now: What would be the best skills to add to your server resume? We’ll show you. 

44 best server skills for a resume:

Server hard skills

 

Server soft skills

Additional sections

This is where you would add your language skills, certifications, and volunteer work. They make for a nice rounding finish of your resume.

For a server resume the relevant additional sections might be: 

• Language skills
• Certifications

Ready to create your server resume? 

Writing tips for your server resume

Before we move on to the actual resume examples I would like to give you some writing tips for your server resume.

Tailor each resume to the position

When you write your server’s resume (well, any professional resume actually) keep in mind to always make it relevant to the position at hand. That can never be said too often (and we say it a lot). You have to tailor your resume to each job opening. 

Read the job ad carefully, note down keywords (for instance qualifications, skills) and include these keywords in your resume.

Use the right format

Your resume format depends on your level of experience. If you have lots of relevant experience, you should always go for the reverse-chronological resume format. Alternatively, you can use a skills based resume format like the functional or the hybrid (which is a combination of the two). 

Our resume templates will let you create structured resumes where you can choose your resume format with ease.

Proofread

Make absolutely sure that you don’t have any typos or grammatical errors in your resume before you send it. Also make sure it appears professional and clean by being consistent with your formatting throughout the resume.

Server resume examples

Fine dining server resume example

Fine dining servers are typically employed at upscale hotels and restaurants where they are responsible for hospitality services. 

Experienced server resume example

As an experienced server your resume should reflect your most relevant experience.

Bartender server resume example

Focus on your bartender skills in your bartender server resume.