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Server Duties, Skills & Responsibilities: a Guide for Employers

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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When hiring Servers, it’s important to properly describe the job opening with the duties, skills and responsibilities of the role. We’ve compiled a guide to Server Duties, Skills & Responsibilities using data from actual job postings on Indeed.

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Popular Server Duties and Skills

Here are some commonly found skills and other specifications in job postings for Servers.

Restaurant experience

  • Definition : Experience working in a restaurant.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 56.8% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Serving

  • Definition : Experience serving food or beverages.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 23.3% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Hospitality

  • Definition : Skill or experience in working within the hospitality industry.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 21.8% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Customer service

  • Definition : Skill or experience assisting customers before, during, and after purchases to satisfy customer needs.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 12.4% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Food Handler Certification

  • Definition : A certification for those who work in food service facilities awarded upon completing an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accredited food-handling certificate program to learn safe food-handling and sanitation practices. This certification is required by law for food handlers in some states.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 7.5% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Basic math

  • Definition : Knowledge of basic mathematical concepts.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 7.2% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Cash handling

  • Definition : Skill or experiecne with cash handling.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 5.4% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Food service

  • Definition : Experience in a food service environment.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 3% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Guest services

  • Definition : Skill or experience with guest services.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 2.3% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Upselling

  • Definition : Skill or experience in upselling.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 3-4
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1.2% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Culinary experience

  • Definition : Experience or knowledge of food ingredients, preparation and cooking techniques, and attractive food presentation.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1.1% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Math

  • Definition : Knowledge of or experience with general mathematical concepts.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 0-1
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1.1% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Time management

  • Definition : Experience or skill managing time in order to complete tasks quickly and efficiently.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 1% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Food preparation

  • Definition : Experience getting food or beverages ready for consumption which could include cutting, peeling, and washing food items.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.9% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Sanitation

  • Definition : Skill or experience in sanitation.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.8% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Kitchen experience

  • Definition : Experience working with food in a kitchen.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.6% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Sales

  • Definition : Skill or experience with sales.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2-3
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.5% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Food handling

  • Definition : Experience with preparing, serving, cooking, and storing food safely.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.4% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Guest relations

  • Definition : Skill or experience with guest relations.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.4% of Server job postings on Indeed.

POS

  • Definition : Retail and restaurant sales and inventory management software.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.3% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Micros POS

  • Definition : POS (point of sale) software and hardware.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.2% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Cashiering

  • Definition : Skill or experience with cashiering in a retail or hospitality setting.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.2% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Host/hostess experience

  • Definition : Experience working as a host or hostess in the hospitality industry.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1-2
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.1% of Server job postings on Indeed.

Food safety

  • Definition : Experience preparing, serving, and cooking food safely and hygienically.
  • Years of experience most commonly required: 1
  • How common is it? This skill is found in 0.1% of Server job postings on Indeed.
Two chefs, one wearing a red headband, review a laptop and take notes at a wooden table in a kitchen setting.

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Duties and Skills Examples

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    Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.