Top 12 Restaurant Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the fast-paced and ever-shifting world of restaurants, the skills you showcase can tilt the odds in your favor. Employers want fluency with systems, strong service instincts, and the savvy to keep operations humming. This guide covers 12 high-impact skills that signal you’re ready to perform from day one.

Restaurant Skills

1. POS Systems
2. OpenTable
3. Inventory Management
4. Food Safety
5. Customer Service
6. Reservation Management
7. TouchBistro
8. Square
9. Menu Development
10. Wine Knowledge
11. Kitchen Operations
12. Clover

1. POS Systems

A POS (Point of Sale) system is the restaurant’s command center for orders, payments, inventory, menus, and guest data—connecting the front of house with the kitchen and back office in real time.

Why It's Important

POS systems reduce errors, speed up service, centralize data, and give managers the visibility they need to control costs and deliver a smooth guest experience.

How to Improve POS Systems Skills

Level up by mastering both the tech and the workflow around it:

1. Go cloud-based: Real-time reporting, remote access, and easy scalability help multi-venue teams stay aligned.

2. Enable mobile and contactless: Tap-to-pay, tableside ordering, and QR menus shrink wait times and cut ticket errors.

3. Refine the interface: Customize buttons, modifiers, and layouts to mirror your floor plan and menu logic.

4. Tie in inventory: Sync recipes and deduct stock automatically so counts remain accurate and waste goes down.

5. Use reporting deeply: Track item mix, dayparts, voids, comps, and labor-to-sales ratios to guide decisions.

6. Support multiple locations: Centralize menus, pricing, and permissions while allowing local flexibility.

7. Harden security: Enforce strong user roles, PCI-DSS compliance, encryption, and frequent password updates.

8. Build loyalty: Offer rewards, gift cards, and guest profiles to drive repeat visits.

Mastery comes from repetition: run mock services, stress-test features, and document workflows.

How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume

2. OpenTable

OpenTable is a reservation and guest management platform that helps restaurants take bookings, track preferences, and optimize seating.

Why It's Important

It expands reach to diners, automates scheduling, reduces no-shows, and delivers guest insights that elevate hospitality and revenue.

How to Improve OpenTable Skills

1. Polish your profile: Current menus, compelling photos, accurate hours, and clear policies boost conversions.

2. Use marketing features: Promote slower dayparts, run offers, and feature special experiences to fill gaps.

3. Personalize guest notes: Capture preferences, allergies, and occasions; use tags to fine-tune service.

4. Work the feedback loop: Read reviews weekly, spot themes, and fix friction points fast.

5. Train the team: Host quick refreshers on waitlists, table turns, pacing, and walk-in strategies.

6. Connect social and web: Make booking a one-tap action from your website and social channels.

Keep data clean, keep settings tight, and the platform will reward you with steadier covers.

How to Display OpenTable Skills on Your Resume

3. Inventory Management

Inventory management tracks every ingredient and supply—from delivery to plate—to keep costs in line and menus available.

Why It's Important

Done well, it curbs waste, prevents stockouts, protects margins, and stabilizes quality.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

1. Integrate with POS: Deduct by recipe and sale so counts reflect reality, not guesses.

2. Audit on schedule: Weekly counts for staples, daily for high-cost items; reconcile variances.

3. Use FIFO: First in, first out storage reduces spoilage and surprise losses.

4. Tighten supplier rhythm: Dial in par levels, delivery windows, and substitutions to avoid overbuying.

5. Adopt software: Forecast demand, automate reorders, and track theoretical vs. actual usage.

6. Train the line: Portion control, labeling, and waste logs matter more than any spreadsheet.

7. Measure waste: Log trims, spoilage, and returns; adjust prep and purchasing based on patterns.

Clarity comes from data. Discipline turns it into savings.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

4. Food Safety

Food safety encompasses the handling, storage, prep, cooking, and service standards that keep guests safe from foodborne illness.

Why It's Important

It protects health, preserves your reputation, and ensures compliance with local regulations and the FDA Food Code.

How to Improve Food Safety Skills

1. Train and refresh: Certify managers, onboard new hires thoroughly, and run regular refreshers.

2. Hold temps correctly: Cold at or below 41°F (5°C). Hot at or above 135°F (57°C). Monitor and log.

3. Prevent cross-contamination: Color-code boards and knives; separate raw proteins from ready-to-eat foods.

4. Sanitize with intent: Use approved sanitizers, verify concentrations, and clean high-touch areas frequently.

5. Manage allergens: Clear labeling, strict prep protocols, and precise communication with guests.

6. Verify suppliers: Use reputable vendors and track recalls; inspect deliveries on arrival.

7. Control pests: Seal entry points, maintain schedules with professionals, and keep storage tight.

8. Document everything: Logs for cooling, reheating, temps, and corrective actions prove diligence.

Culture beats checklists. Build habits that stick even on the busiest nights.

How to Display Food Safety Skills on Your Resume

5. Customer Service

Customer service is the art and system of making guests feel seen, cared for, and eager to return.

Why It's Important

Service shapes memory. It drives reviews, repeat visits, and the lifetime value that keeps restaurants afloat.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Train for moments: Greetings, menu guidance, upsells without pressure, graceful recovery when things go wrong.

2. Collect feedback: Comment cards, table touches, and short digital surveys—then act on what you learn.

3. Personalize: Note regulars’ preferences and celebrate occasions; small gestures linger.

4. Speed plus accuracy: Tight timing on courses, clear communication with the kitchen, and meticulous order entry.

5. Mind the online world: Respond to reviews professionally; invite guests back with sincerity.

Hospitality isn’t a script. It’s presence, empathy, and consistency.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

6. Reservation Management

Reservation management orchestrates bookings, walk-ins, and table turns to maximize seats without sacrificing experience.

Why It's Important

Done right, it trims waits, smooths pacing for the kitchen, and keeps the dining room full but never frantic.

How to Improve Reservation Management Skills

1. Adopt a reliable system: Platforms like OpenTable or Resy provide real-time availability and waitlist tools.

2. Design smart slotting: Stagger peak times, align with kitchen capacity, and cap large-party overlaps.

3. Train hosts deeply: Teach pacing, table mapping, overbooking buffers, and proactive communication.

4. Offer easy booking paths: Embed reservations on your website and social profiles; keep policies clear.

5. Review metrics: No-show rates, turn times, party mix—adjust strategy weekly.

The front desk sets the tone. Calm, informed hosts keep the whole shift steady.

How to Display Reservation Management Skills on Your Resume

7. TouchBistro

TouchBistro is an iPad-based POS built for restaurants, handling orders, payments, menus, reporting, and more.

Why It's Important

It speeds service, tightens accuracy, and provides insights managers can act on—without heavy hardware.

How to Improve TouchBistro Skills

1. Use integrations: Connect accounting, inventory, gift cards, online ordering, and delivery partners.

2. Dive into analytics: Track item performance, server productivity, and voids; refine menus and training.

3. Train thoroughly: Run hands-on sessions for new hires; simulate rushes to build fluency.

4. Customize layouts: Mirror your floor plan, course sequencing, and modifiers for quick taps.

5. Stay updated: Keep software current to gain stability, security patches, and new features.

The more your setup mirrors reality, the faster your team moves.

How to Display TouchBistro Skills on Your Resume

8. Square

Square provides POS hardware and software, online ordering, payments, and customer tools tailored for restaurants.

Why It's Important

It’s simple to spin up, powerful enough to grow with you, and brings payments, analytics, and guest engagement under one roof.

How to Improve Square Skills

1. Use Square for Restaurants: Configure coursing, seat numbers, kitchen routing, and service charges.

2. Launch online ordering: Offer pickup and delivery with accurate menus and clear lead times.

3. Keep menus aligned: Sync names, modifiers, and pricing across in-house and online channels.

4. Leverage insights: Study sales by item, hour, and channel; adjust staffing and prep accordingly.

5. Enable feedback: Collect post-visit comments via digital receipts and respond quickly.

6. Run loyalty and gift cards: Reward regulars and capture pre-paid revenue.

7. Coach the team: Short, frequent trainings on voids, comps, refunds, and tip handling prevent mistakes.

Clean data and consistent workflows make Square hum.

How to Display Square Skills on Your Resume

9. Menu Development

Menu development shapes what you serve, how it’s priced, and how guests discover it—balancing creativity with operational reality.

Why It's Important

A sharp menu attracts your target guest, boosts margins, simplifies execution, and reinforces brand identity.

How to Improve Menu Development Skills

1. Study the market: Know your neighborhood, competition, and diner preferences; test ideas before a full roll-out.

2. Engineer the menu: Categorize items by popularity and profit; spotlight stars, rework dogs, and price with intention.

3. Work seasonally: Lean into local, seasonal ingredients for better flavor and cost control.

4. Keep it tight: Trim complexity to reduce prep load, training time, and dead stock.

5. Design for decisions: Clear sections, strategic placement, and concise descriptions guide choices.

6. Test and iterate: Run limited-time offers, gather feedback, and refine recipes and pricing.

7. Train the floor: Equip servers with tasting notes and pairing tips; their guidance moves the needle.

8. Update online: Keep digital menus accurate across your website and ordering channels.

9. Think sustainability: Use whole-product cooking, reduce waste, and offer thoughtful plant-forward options.

Great menus aren’t static. They breathe with the seasons and your guests.

How to Display Menu Development Skills on Your Resume

10. Wine Knowledge

Wine knowledge covers varieties, regions, tasting, storage, service, and the pairings that make dishes sing.

Why It's Important

Smart recommendations elevate the experience, increase check averages, and build guests’ trust.

How to Improve Wine Knowledge Skills

1. Take structured courses: Programs like WSET or sommelier certifications provide solid foundations.

2. Read and review: Build a library and keep tasting notes; compare vintages and producers.

3. Taste regularly: Attend tastings, host staff lineups, and blind taste to sharpen perception.

4. Visit producers: Vineyard and cellar time cements theory with practice.

5. Use tech to track: Log bottles and ratings; tag styles, regions, and pairings you recommend often.

6. Practice pairing: Match wines to your menu’s acids, fats, spice, and texture—then teach the team.

Confidence comes from repetition and curiosity. Keep exploring.

How to Display Wine Knowledge Skills on Your Resume

11. Kitchen Operations

Kitchen operations cover everything from prep and cooking to plating, sanitation, and teamwork under pressure.

Why It's Important

Efficient kitchens deliver consistent quality, protect safety, and keep prime costs in check.

How to Improve Kitchen Operations Skills

1. Design the flow: Map stations logically—storage to prep to cook to pass—to cut steps and delays.

2. Simplify the menu: Fewer SKUs, smarter cross-utilization, tighter prep lists.

3. Upgrade communication: Use a kitchen display system (KDS) or clear ticket formatting; standardize expo calls.

4. Dial in scheduling: Staff to forecasted sales; cross-train so coverage is flexible.

5. Maintain equipment: Preventive maintenance beats emergency repairs every time.

6. Track inventory and waste: Daily prep pars, batch logs, and yield tracking reveal savings.

7. Lean into sustainability: Compost when possible, reduce single-use items, and repurpose trim.

Clear systems turn chaos into cadence, even when the board is full.

How to Display Kitchen Operations Skills on Your Resume

12. Clover

Clover is a POS platform used by restaurants to process payments, manage menus and orders, run reports, and support online ordering and loyalty—distinct from any restaurant chain with a similar name.

Why It's Important

It streamlines transactions, centralizes data, and gives operators tools to improve speed, accuracy, and guest retention.

How to Improve Clover Skills

1. Enable online ordering: Offer pickup and delivery with accurate lead times and item availability.

2. Use customer tools: Build loyalty programs, send targeted promos, and collect actionable feedback.

3. Tighten menu management: Keep items, modifiers, and pricing synchronized across channels.

4. Adopt tableside devices: Enter orders and accept payments at the table to reduce errors and speed turns.

5. Analyze sales: Review category mix, hourly trends, and server performance; adjust staffing and prep.

6. Streamline staff workflows: Use roles, permissions, and simple SOPs for comps, voids, and refunds.

Keep configurations lean, and Clover becomes a quiet force multiplier.

How to Display Clover Skills on Your Resume