Waiting staff ( BrE ), waiters ( MASC ) / waitresses ( FEM ), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant , a diner , or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff follow rules and guidelines determined by the manager. Waiting staff carry out many different tasks, such as taking orders, food-running, polishing dishes and silverware, helping bus tables, entertaining patrons, restocking working stations with needed supplies, and handing out the bill.
24-686: Waiting on tables is part of the service sector and among the most common occupations. In the United States , the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that, as of May 2023, there were about 2.2 million people employed as servers in the country. Many restaurants choose a specific uniform for their waiting staff to wear. Waiting staff may receive tips as a minor or major part of their earnings, with customs varying widely from country to country. An individual waiting tables (or waiting on or waiting at tables ) or waitering or waitressing
48-473: A month of being hired. Customs vary regionally regarding the payment of gratuities to waitstaff. In the United States, a tip paid in addition to the amount presented on the bill for food and drinks is customary. At most sit-down restaurants, servers expect a tip after a patron has paid the check. The minimum legally-required hourly wage paid to waiters and waitresses in many U.S. states is lower than
72-627: A role such as captain in a top rated restaurant requires disciplined role-playing comparable to a theater performance. In the United States, some states require individuals employed to handle food and beverages to obtain a food handler's card or permit. In those states, servers that do not have a permit or handler's card can not serve. The server can achieve a permit or handler's card online. No food certification requirements are needed in Canada. However, to serve alcoholic beverages in Canada, servers must undergo their province's online training course within
96-509: Is also frequently responsible for assigning seating. The head server must insure that all staff do their duties accordingly. The functions of a head server can overlap to some degree with that of the maître d'hôtel . Restaurants in North America employ an additional level of waiting staff, known as busboys or busgirls , increasingly referred to as bussers or server assistants , to clear dirty dishes, set tables, and otherwise assist
120-454: Is commonly called a waiter , server , front server , waitress , member of the wait staff , waitstaff , serving staff server , waitperson , or waitron . The last two terms are gender neutral but rarely used, and the terms waiter and server are increasingly used for women too. Archaic terms such as serving girl , serving wench , or serving lad are generally used only within their historical context, and are generally seen as rude in
144-414: Is marinated in, for how long, and what cut of beef is used in the dish. Silver service staff are specially trained to serve at banquets or high-end restaurants. These servers follow specific rules and service guidelines, which makes this a skilled job. They generally wear black and white with a long, white apron (extending from the waist to the ankles). The head server is in charge of the waiting staff and
168-418: Is not a maître d'hôtel. Such duties of typical waiters include the following: preparing a section of tables before guests sit down (e.g., changing the tablecloth, putting out new utensils, cleaning chairs, etc.), although typically this is a responsibility of bussers ; offering cocktails, specialty drinks, wine, beer, or other beverages; recommending food options; requesting the chef to make changes in how food
192-582: Is often difficult. For example, how does one choose one investment adviser over another, since they are often seen to provide identical services. Charging a premium for services is usually an option only for the most established firms, who charge extra based upon brand recognition . Economic sector One classical breakdown of economic activity distinguishes three sectors : In the 20th century, economists began to suggest that traditional tertiary services could be further distinguished from " quaternary " and quinary service sectors. Economic activity in
216-407: Is prepared; pre-clearing the tables; and serving food and beverages to customers. In some higher-end restaurants, servers have a good knowledge of the wine list and can recommend food–wine pairings. At more expensive restaurants, servers memorize the ingredients of the dishes and the manner in which the food is prepared; for example, if the menu lists marinated beef, the customer might ask what the beef
240-620: The Global Industry Classification Standard and the Industry Classification Benchmark are used to classify businesses that participate in the service sector. Unlike governmental classification systems, the first level of market-based classification systems divides the economy into functionally related markets or industries. The second or third level of these hierarchies then reflects whether goods or services are produced. For
264-735: The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE) in the EU and similar systems elsewhere. These governmental classification systems have a first-level of hierarchy that reflects whether the economic goods are tangible or intangible. For purposes of finance and market research , market -based classification systems such as
SECTION 10
#1732780726246288-468: The service sector , is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector ( raw materials ) and the secondary sector ( manufacturing ). The tertiary sector consists of the provision of services instead of end products . Services (also known as " intangible goods ") include attention, advice, access, experience and affective labour . The tertiary sector involves
312-525: The United States, 70 per cent of the workforce works in the service sector; in Japan, 60 per cent, and in Taiwan, 50 per cent. These are not necessarily busboys and live-in maids. Numerous of them are in the skilled category. They are earning as much as manufacturing employees, and often more. Economies tend to follow a developmental progression that takes them from heavy reliance on agriculture and mining, toward
336-459: The customers rather than transforming the physical goods. The production of information has been long regarded as a service, but some economists now attribute it to a fourth sector, called the quaternary sector . It is sometimes hard to determine whether a given company is part of the secondary or the tertiary sector. It is not only companies that have been classified as part of a sector in some schemes, since governments and their services (such as
360-610: The development of manufacturing (e.g. automobiles, textiles, shipbuilding , steel) and finally toward a more service-based structure. The first economy to follow this path in the modern world was the United Kingdom . The speed at which other economies have made the transition to service-based (or " post-industrial ") economies has increased over time. Historically, manufacturing tended to be more open to international trade and competition than services. However, with dramatic cost reduction and speed and reliability improvements in
384-401: The hypothetical quaternary sector comprises information- and knowledge-based services, while quinary services include industries related to human services and hospitality . Economic theories divide economic sectors further into economic industries . An economy may include several sectors that evolved in successive phases: Even in modern times, developing countries tend to rely more on
408-482: The last 100 years, there has been a substantial shift from the primary and secondary sectors to the tertiary sector in industrialized countries. This shift is called tertiarisation . The tertiary sector is now the largest sector of the economy in the Western world , and is also the fastest-growing sector. In examining the growth of the service sector in the early nineties, the globalist Kenichi Ohmae noted that: In
432-415: The minimum wage employers are required to pay for most other forms of labor to account for the tips, which form a significant portion of the server's income. If wages and tips do not equal the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 per hour during any week, the employer is required to increase cash wages to compensate for the difference. Service sector The tertiary sector of the economy , generally known as
456-434: The modern vocabulary. In large luxury establishments, there are often multiple ranks of waiting staff in the dining room: In such restaurants, the captain is typically responsible for interacting with the diners and overseeing waiters. There are also specialists, notably a sommelier for wine service, and occasionally a maître fromager for the cheese service. A host or hostess may be responsible for seating diners if there
480-478: The police or military), as well as nonprofit organizations (such as charities or research associations), can also be seen as part of that sector. To classify a business as a service, one can use classification systems such as the United Nations ' International Standard Industrial Classification standard, the United States ' Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code system and its new replacement,
504-446: The provision of services to other businesses as well as to final consumers. Services may involve the transport , distribution and sale of goods from a producer to a consumer, as may happen in wholesaling and retailing , pest control or financial services . The goods may be transformed in the process of providing the service, as happens in the restaurant industry. However, the focus is on people by interacting with them and serving
SECTION 20
#1732780726246528-514: The transportation of people and the communication of information, the service sector now includes some of the most intensive international competition, despite residual protectionism . Service providers face obstacles selling services that goods-sellers rarely face. Services are intangible, making it difficult for potential customers to understand what they will receive and what value it will hold for them. Indeed, some, such as consultants and providers of investment services, offer no guarantees of
552-419: The value for the price paid. Since the quality of most services depends largely on the quality of the individuals providing the services, "people costs" are usually a high fraction of service costs. Whereas a manufacturer may use technology, simplification, and other techniques to lower the cost of goods sold, the service provider often faces an unrelenting pattern of increasing costs. Product differentiation
576-402: The waiting staff. Emotional labour is often required of waiting staff. Some waitstaff keep or consult blacklists of rude customers. Restaurant serving positions require on-the-job training that would be held by an upper-level server in the restaurant. The server will be trained to provide good customer service, learn food items and drinks, and maintain a neat and tidy appearance. Working in
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