Top 12 Wait Staff Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the pacey, always-on world of hospitality, a sharp resume does heavy lifting. When you’re part of the wait staff, it should broadcast the skills that keep service humming: speed without sloppiness, warm service without overstepping, and teamwork that feels almost telepathic. Put those strengths on display and you’ll stand out fast.
Wait Staff Skills
- POS Systems
- OpenTable
- Customer Service
- Time Management
- Multitasking
- Upselling Techniques
- Conflict Resolution
- Menu Knowledge
- Wine Pairing
- Table Management
- Payment Processing
- Health & Safety
1. POS Systems
A POS (point of sale) system helps wait staff take orders, send them to the kitchen, track checks, and process payments. One hub, many moving parts—kept tidy.
Why It's Important
Fast, accurate orders. Smooth payments. Cleaner communication between front and back of house. A reliable POS trims mistakes and boosts guest satisfaction in a very visible way.
How to Improve POS Systems Skills
Make the system work for you, not the other way around:
Choose intuitive layouts: Minimal taps, clear modifiers, logical menus. Think Square or Toast—simple, fast, forgiving.
Integrate everything: Kitchen displays, inventory, online orders, loyalty—one connected flow. Toast and Lightspeed Restaurant (formerly Upserve) are strong examples.
Go mobile: Tableside ordering and payments cut lag and errors. Lightspeed and Clover offer solid handheld options.
Customize menus quickly: Daily specials, 86’d items, allergy flags—edit in seconds.
Train continuously: Short refreshers, quick tips, and scenario drills. New hires learn faster, veterans sharpen speed.
Use reporting: Look at sales, turn times, and item performance. Revel Systems and others surface trends you can act on.
Dial these in and the whole floor runs smarter.
How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume
2. OpenTable
OpenTable is a reservation and table management platform that helps you seat efficiently, smooth out the rush, and keep promises to guests.
Why It's Important
It streamlines reservations, waitlists, and guest preferences so you can pace the room, reduce bottlenecks, and give guests a seamless arrival-to-checkout experience.
How to Improve OpenTable Skills
Simple tweaks. Big payoff:
Real-time updates: Share table status, quote accurate waits, and send timely seat-ready messages.
Waitlist discipline: Keep estimates honest, notes clear, and parties informed to prevent frustration.
Smart scheduling: Align staffing with reservation patterns so service never feels stretched.
Use guest profiles: Note preferences, celebrations, and service recovery history. Make it personal.
In-app training: Short tutorials and quick tips help new hosts and servers get up to speed fast.
How to Display OpenTable Skills on Your Resume
3. Customer Service
Customer service for wait staff means reading the room, anticipating needs, handling requests quickly, and making guests feel welcome without hovering.
Why It's Important
Great service brings people back. It boosts tips, online reviews, and the restaurant’s reputation—often more than decor or menu ever could.
How to Improve Customer Service Skills
Communicate clearly: Offer brief, confident descriptions. Confirm modifications. Manage expectations with honest timing.
Be observant: Scan for refills, share plates, allergen concerns, special occasions. Small touches land big.
Stay positive: Warm greetings, calm tone, steady eye contact. Professional under pressure.
Know your product: Ingredients, prep, spice levels, gluten-free options. Credible answers build trust.
Resolve issues fast: Apologize once, take ownership, fix it, follow up. Escalate to a manager when needed.
How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume
4. Time Management
Time management is the art of juggling tables, tickets, and timing without dropping the guest experience.
Why It's Important
It tightens turn times, prevents bottlenecks, and keeps food hot and accurate. Efficiency shows up in tips and in stress levels—lower is better.
How to Improve Time Management Skills
Prioritize: Seat, greet, drinks, fires, checks. Triage constantly and adjust on the fly.
Lean on tools: Use your POS, kitchen display, and scheduling app to queue tasks and avoid duplication.
Batch tasks: Refill on the way, pre-bus as you pass, drop checks when dessert lands.
Communicate: Call courses cleanly. Clarify fires and holds. Keep guests in the loop on delays.
Review your shift: After service, note wins and snags. Tweak your sequence next time.
How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume
5. Multitasking
In service, multitasking means tight task-switching—taking orders, running food, answering a question, all while keeping tables moving.
Why It's Important
Guests feel momentum. Food hits the table promptly. Fewer loose ends, fewer returned items, fewer apologies.
How to Improve Multitasking Skills
Use quick priorities: Apply an urgency/importance lens. Hot food runs beat silverware rolls.
Time-block mentally: Handle sections in passes—greet left, refill center, pre-bus right.
Stay present: One task at a time, fast transitions. Deep breaths keep focus sharp.
Organize tools: Pens, book, wine key, handheld—same pockets, same sequence every shift.
Upgrade communication: Short, specific calls to expo and teammates reduce backtracking.
Practice under pressure: Simulate a rush in training. Build the reflex, then the speed.
How to Display Multitasking Skills on Your Resume
6. Upselling Techniques
Upselling is the gentle nudge—premium pour, shareable side, dessert to split—that lifts the check while improving the meal.
Why It's Important
Done right, it increases average spend and tips without pressure. Guests leave happier because the pairings made sense.
How to Improve Upselling Techniques Skills
Know the menu: Flavor notes, portions, dietary flags. Confidence makes suggestions feel helpful, not pushy.
Ask smart questions: “Are you in the mood for something bright or richer?” Tailor the rec.
Create gentle urgency: Limited specials or seasonal items—mention once, matter-of-fact.
Bundle naturally: Offer pairings that fit—sides with mains, wine with entrees, coffee with dessert.
Use vivid language: Short, appetizing descriptors spark interest fast.
Mind the moment: Suggest after trust builds or when guests ask for guidance. Respect a “no.”
Be responsible: Follow alcohol service rules and never oversell to impaired guests.
How to Display Upselling Techniques Skills on Your Resume
7. Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution means cooling hot moments—between guests, or guests and staff—so service gets back on track without drama.
Why It's Important
Handled quickly, issues vanish. Handled poorly, they echo in reviews, morale, and repeat business.
How to Improve Conflict Resolution Skills
Listen first: Let the guest finish. Mirror back what you heard. It diffuses heat.
Show empathy: Acknowledge feelings before offering fixes. People want to feel seen.
Speak clearly: Use short, neutral language and “I” statements. Avoid blame.
Offer options: Replace, remake, comp, manager visit—solutions that fit the moment.
Close the loop: Check back after the fix. If it lingers, escalate to a manager.
Debrief: Quick team recap builds playbooks for next time.
How to Display Conflict Resolution Skills on Your Resume
8. Menu Knowledge
Menu knowledge is deeper than memorization. It’s knowing ingredients, prep methods, portions, allergens, and how dishes actually eat.
Why It's Important
It prevents mistakes, builds trust, and opens the door to better recommendations. Guests get what they expected—or something even better.
How to Improve Menu Knowledge Skills
Study regularly: Know components, spice levels, modifications, and vegetarian/gluten-free options.
Taste thoughtfully: Staff tastings—note flavors, textures, and good pairings. Authentic descriptions sell.
Talk to the kitchen: Learn techniques, sauces, and what can or can’t be changed.
Allergen awareness: Understand major allergens (including sesame) and cross-contact protocols. When in doubt, verify.
Update often: Specials, 86’d items, seasonal swaps—keep your mental menu current.
Role-play: Practice how you’d describe dishes and handle tricky questions.
How to Display Menu Knowledge Skills on Your Resume
9. Wine Pairing
Wine pairing matches a wine’s body, acidity, tannin, and sweetness with a dish so both shine.
Why It's Important
Good pairings elevate the meal. Guests notice when the flavors click—and they remember who guided them there.
How to Improve Wine Pairing Skills
Master basics: Balance intensity, match acidity, use tannins to cut fat, and watch sweetness with spice.
Know your list: By-the-glass and bottle highlights, varietal profiles, regions, and styles.
Connect to the menu: Suggest pairings for star dishes and specials. Have a safe red and white for most entrees.
Taste and take notes: Staff tastings sharpen language and confidence.
Ask preferences: Light vs. bold, dry vs. off-dry—then guide, don’t steamroll.
Serve correctly: Proper temps, clean stemware, correct pours—presentation matters.
How to Display Wine Pairing Skills on Your Resume
10. Table Management
Table management is orchestrating seating, pacing, and turns so the dining room feels calm even when it’s packed.
Why It's Important
It maximizes revenue and guest comfort. Fewer empty tables and fewer long waits—without rushing anyone.
How to Improve Table Management Skills
Use digital floor plans: Track status in real time, quote accurate waits, and seat to server strengths.
Pace courses: Coordinate fires and holds to prevent pileups. Stagger large parties’ tickets.
Pre-bus and reset: Clear and reset quickly to shorten the gap between turns.
Communicate constantly: Hosts, servers, expo—share updates so no table stalls.
Adapt seating: Combine or split tables to fit demand and reduce bottlenecks.
How to Display Table Management Skills on Your Resume
11. Payment Processing
Payment processing covers handling checks, splitting bills, adding tips, and closing out quickly and securely—at the table or the terminal.
Why It's Important
The last touch sets the tone. Smooth, secure payments end the meal on a high note and turn tables faster.
How to Improve Payment Processing Skills
Offer tableside payments: Handhelds with EMV and contactless keep guests seated and speed up departures.
Support digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and similar options cut friction.
Use reliable hardware: Systems like Toast, Clover, or Lightspeed with offline modes reduce downtime.
Replace legacy tools: Move from discontinued readers (e.g., PayPal Here) to current options like PayPal Zettle.
Train for edge cases: Split checks, partial payments, gift cards, and voids—practice prevents errors.
Protect data: Follow PCI standards, never write card numbers, and lock devices when unattended.
Streamline receipts: Offer text or email receipts and make tip entry simple and clear.
How to Display Payment Processing Skills on Your Resume
12. Health & Safety
Health & Safety means safeguarding people—guests and staff—through clean habits, safe movement, and smart handling of food and chemicals.
Why It's Important
It prevents injuries and illness, protects the brand, and keeps service uninterrupted. Compliance isn’t optional; it’s foundational.
How to Improve Health & Safety Skills
Train routinely: Cover lifting, knife and tray safety, burns, spill response, and emergency procedures.
Ergonomics matter: Slip-resistant shoes, anti-fatigue mats, and balanced trays reduce strain and accidents.
Hygiene first: Handwashing (20 seconds), glove changes between tasks, clean uniforms, and tight hair restraints.
Food safety: Avoid cross-contact, label allergens clearly (including sesame), and respect temperature controls (keep food out of the 41°F–135°F danger zone).
Chemical safety: Store properly, follow labels, and know where Safety Data Sheets live.
PPE when needed: Gloves, aprons, and masks for specific tasks or local guidance. Replace when soiled or damaged.
Stay compliant: Follow local health codes and guidance from agencies such as CDC, FDA, and OSHA. Keep food handler or alcohol server certifications current.
How to Display Health & Safety Skills on Your Resume
