Top food server skills needed to get the job.

What are the top 3 traits or skills every food server must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your food server expertise?

If you eventually want to go "fine dining" (REAL money) learn wine. The more knowledge you have the easier it will be to sell high end wine. Otherwise I would say top 3 things...

1. Organization skills: Have a place for every last part of your uniform (spefic pockets for lighter [for birthdays], wine key, pens, extra paper, change etc... Get in the habits of putting them in the exact same place everyday..every shift...every time. It may seem small and stupid but each little second you trim off here and there puts you "less in the weeds" and allows you to focus more on providing a positive dining expierience and not be searching all over the place for things.

2. Being preparred. Those who succeed most in high volume places (a step you need to take before you go fine dining) are very well prepared. Go to office max and buy a 48 pack of their cheap pens (they are like $5 I think) and keep tons of extra's on you. I never went to work with less than 12-15 pens. You always need them and customers always take/lose them. Also, bring a "change purse" to work. It will allow you to "turn" tables faster by getting them up and out as quickly as possible. Instead of having to go to the bar or track down another server to make change for a $20 you will have it on you already.

3. Know your product. Get as involved with this one as you can. When you get a serving job learn as much about every dish as you possibly can. What's on the sandwich? What kind of roll? What kind of sauce? What are the side options? If you want to bring it to another level learn the ingredients of the sauces..this helps out HUGE in allergy situations. Again...yet another way to save time. You know everything that comes on each dish so there is no need to constantly go to the kitchen everytime someone something

Host said: What are the top 3 traits or skills every food server must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your food server expertise?

#1 Personable (neat,clean & friendly)
#2 Knowledge of your complete menu.(including wine & all beverages)
#3 Organized(make sure you are well prepared & stocked for your shift!)

Host said: What are the top 3 traits or skills every food server must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your food server expertise?

hospitality and food sevice are 2 seperate skills you need to aquire in this industry. But they go hand in hand. make the customer feel welcome almost as if you were enviting them into you own home. taking the order acuratly and expediting the food promptly and hot. Everything else will fall in place. They will leave happy and you will be happy with the generous tip.