Personal tools

Navigation

You are here: Home › Careers › New Zealand Careers › Careers Descriptions › Hospitality Careers › Waiter/Waitress

Waiter/Waitress

Waiters and waitresses serve food and drinks in restaurants, hotels, clubs or other eating places.

Tasks & duties

Waiters and waitresses may do some or all of the following:

set and prepare tables for customers
take customers to their tables
hand out menus and wine lists
answer questions about the menu and take orders
describe dishes on the menu and special dishes not on the menu
serve food and drinks
open and pour bottles of wine at the table
clear used dishes from tables
tidy and clean the restaurant
polish cutlery and glasses
re-stock food and drinks and take a daily stocktake

Skills & knowledge

Waiters and waitresses need to have:

knowledge about menu items and wine
food and drink service skills
knowledge of food health and safety
good communication and people skills
organisational skills
selling skills

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements to become a waiter/waitress.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary educational requirements, but School Certificate or NCEA equivalent English is preferred.

Tertiary education

Hospitality qualifications such as the National Certificate in Hospitality are offered by polytechnics and include courses such as food health and safety, customer service, and coffee, wine and food theory.

Training on the job

Skills such as food and drink service, dealing with customers, cash handling and working with cash registers are gained on the job. Credits towards a National Certificate in Hospitality can be gained while working.