What does a Food Runner do?

Food Runners typically work for bars, restaurants or catering companies to make sure that patrons receive the correct orders within a timely manner. They work closely with Waiters and kitchen staff members to keep the expediting counter clear for new orders. Their job is to clean trays and tray holders in between use, transfer dishes from the expediting counter to serving trays and place food on the table in front of the appropriate diners. They may also interact with customers who need refills on drinks or additional menu items and take orders in the absence of Waiters.

Food Runner skills and qualifications

Being an effective Food Runner requires a specific set of skills and qualifications and may be slightly different from restaurant to restaurant. If you want to make sure candidates responding to your job description have the prerequisites required for the job, make sure they feature these necessary skills:

• A Food Runner must be able to multitask in order to ensure customers get their orders promptly
• Food Runners will have to possess a high degree of organizational skills to easily locate tables and bar patrons to fulfill everyone’s orders
• A Food Runner needs excellent communication skills to ensure they meet customers’ requests. Not only does the Food Runner have to listen to learn where the food needs to go, but they also have to communicate with the customers whether it’s checking on their satisfaction or taking an impromptu request.
• Food Runners spend most of their shift standing, so they need to be able to remain on their feet for several hours straight. Additionally, they should be able to carry about 35 pounds easily.

Food Runner education and training requirements

Typically, no advanced education is required to be a Food Runner. Most positions only require a high school diploma while some are comfortable hiring applicants who are still in high school. No previous training is generally required for the position. Most Food Runners can easily be taught on the job with little impact on performance, and virtually no impact on customer satisfaction in the long run.

Food Runner experience requirements

While some Food Runner positions may prefer previous experience in the industry, some don’t require any experience at all. In fact, being a Food Runner can potentially be the first job for someone just starting to enter the workforce. Being a Food Runner is often the path to becoming a waiter.

Job description samples for similar positions

If the Food Runner job description doesn’t meet your needs, see job descriptions for related positions: 

• Food Server

• Waiter