An official State of Ohio site. Here’s how you know
Language Translation
Contact

Welcome,
New User

User: New User

Date: 04/02/2025

Waiters and Waitresses

Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

View All
  • Work Activities
  • Skills
  • WorkKeys®
  • Abilities
  • Knowledge
  • Career Video
  • Pay
  • Ohio Employment Trends
  • Typical Education
  • Personality
  • Tools
  • Technology
  • Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.
  • Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
  • Describe and recommend wines to customers.
  • Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
  • Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.
  • Inform customers of daily specials.
  • Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
  • Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
  • Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
  • Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
  • Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
  • Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
  • Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
  • Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
  • Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.
  • Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom.
  • Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
  • Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
  • Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.
  • Collect payments from customers.
  • Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
  • Roll silverware, set up food stations, or set up dining areas to prepare for the next shift or for large parties.
  • Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
  • Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
  • Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.
  • Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
  • Escort customers to their tables.
  • Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
  • Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions.

Work Activities

Work Activities

  • Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.
  • Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
  • Describe and recommend wines to customers.
  • Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
  • Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.
  • Inform customers of daily specials.
  • Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
  • Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
  • Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
  • Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
  • Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
  • Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
  • Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
  • Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
  • Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.
  • Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom.
  • Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
  • Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
  • Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.
  • Collect payments from customers.
  • Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
  • Roll silverware, set up food stations, or set up dining areas to prepare for the next shift or for large parties.
  • Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
  • Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
  • Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.
  • Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
  • Escort customers to their tables.
  • Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
  • Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions.

Skills

  • Science

    Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

  • Coordination

    Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

  • Active Listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • Complex Problem Solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • Technology Design

    Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

  • Equipment Selection

    Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

  • Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • Installation

    Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

  • Active Learning

    Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

  • Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

  • Repairing

    Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

  • Systems Analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

  • Equipment Maintenance

    Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

  • Management of Material Resources

    Managing equipment and materials.

  • Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • Judgment and Decision Making

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

  • Management of Personnel Resources

    Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

  • Troubleshooting

    Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

  • Critical Thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • Reading Comprehension

    Reading work-related information.

  • Learning Strategies

    Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

  • Operations Analysis

    Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

  • Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

  • Social Perceptiveness

    Understanding people's reactions.

  • Quality Control Analysis

    Testing how well a product or service works.

  • Management of Financial Resources

    Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

  • Systems Evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • Time Management

    Managing your time and the time of other people.

  • Service Orientation

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • Programming

    Writing computer programs.

  • Mathematics

    Using math to solve problems.

  • Operations Monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

  • Operation and Control

    Using equipment or systems.

  • Negotiation

    Bringing people together to solve differences.

WorkKeys®

Applied Math
3
Workplace Documents
3
Graphic Literacy
4

Abilities

  • Dynamic Strength

    Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

  • Stamina

    Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

  • Gross Body Equilibrium

    Keeping your balance or staying upright.

  • Problem Sensitivity

    Noticing when problems happen.

  • Visual Color Discrimination

    Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

  • Far Vision

    Seeing details that are far away.

  • Speed of Closure

    Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

  • Extent Flexibility

    Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Oral Comprehension

    Listening and understanding what people say.

  • Explosive Strength

    Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

  • Mathematical Reasoning

    Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

  • Speech Clarity

    Speaking clearly.

  • Speech Recognition

    Recognizing spoken words.

  • Memorization

    Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

  • Manual Dexterity

    Holding or moving items with your hands.

  • Multilimb Coordination

    Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • Dynamic Flexibility

    Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Gross Body Coordination

    Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

  • Deductive Reasoning

    Using rules to solve problems.

  • Control Precision

    Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • Wrist-Finger Speed

    Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

  • Selective Attention

    Paying attention to something without being distracted.

  • Written Comprehension

    Reading and understanding what is written.

  • Finger Dexterity

    Putting together small parts with your fingers.

  • Auditory Attention

    Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

  • Night Vision

    Seeing at night or under low light.

  • Written Expression

    Communicating by writing.

  • Originality

    Creating new and original ideas.

  • Glare Sensitivity

    Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

  • Sound Localization

    Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

  • Information Ordering

    Ordering or arranging things.

  • Reaction Time

    Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

  • Perceptual Speed

    Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • Rate Control

    Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

  • Number Facility

    Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

  • Near Vision

    Seeing details up close.

  • Depth Perception

    Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

  • Fluency of Ideas

    Coming up with lots of ideas.

  • Oral Expression

    Communicating by speaking.

  • Speed of Limb Movement

    Quickly moving your arms and legs.

  • Static Strength

    Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

  • Visualization

    Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • Hearing Sensitivity

    Telling the difference between sounds.

  • Category Flexibility

    Grouping things in different ways.

  • Peripheral Vision

    Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

  • Inductive Reasoning

    Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

  • Spatial Orientation

    Knowing where things are around you.

  • Trunk Strength

    Using your lower back and stomach.

  • Flexibility of Closure

    Seeing hidden patterns.

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness

    Keeping your arm or hand steady.

  • Response Orientation

    Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

  • Time Sharing

    Doing two or more things at the same time.

Knowledge

  • Transportation

    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

  • Biology

    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

  • Customer and Personal Service

    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

  • Building and Construction

    Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

  • Psychology

    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

  • Sociology and Anthropology

    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

  • Education and Training

    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • Food Production

    Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

  • Foreign Language

    Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • Chemistry

    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

  • Economics and Accounting

    Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

  • Mathematics

    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

  • Medicine and Dentistry

    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

  • History and Archeology

    Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

  • Law and Government

    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

  • Public Safety and Security

    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

  • Therapy and Counseling

    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

  • Production and Processing

    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

  • Engineering and Technology

    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

  • Physics

    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

  • Design

    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • Telecommunications

    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • Philosophy and Theology

    Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

  • Sales and Marketing

    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • Administrative

    Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

  • Communications and Media

    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

  • Computers and Electronics

    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • English Language

    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • Personnel and Human Resources

    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

  • Fine Arts

    Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • Geography

    Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

  • Administration and Management

    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

  • Mechanical

    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Career Video

Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

Pay

  • Typical Salary
  • $50,830
    $28,950
    $21,400
    Ohio
    US
    $60,100
    $31,940
    $18,600
  • Typical Hourly Wage
  • $24
    $14
    $10
    Ohio
    US
    $29
    $15
    $9

Ohio Employment Trends

  • Currently Employed 68,440
  • Yearly Projected Openings 14170

Typical Education

Personality

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.They do well at jobs that need:
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Self Control
  • Cooperation
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Social Orientation

Tools

  • Bar code reader equipment
  • Cash registers
  • Commercial use cutlery
  • Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
  • Paging controllers
  • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
  • Point of sale POS receipt printers
  • Point of sale POS terminal
  • Touch screen monitors

Technology

  • Instant messaging software
  • Point of sale POS software
  • Web page creation and editing software
Need help on researching occupations and careers? Download the Guide to Researching Occupations (PDF).

Need help on how to research education and training programs? Download the Guide to Higher Education (PDF).

Budget Calculator

Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

Lifestyle Calculator

Answer a few questions to determine your target salary. Use this target salary to help choose the right occupation for you.

Workforce Supply Tool

The Workforce Supply Tool provides statistics for the occupations in highest demand throughout Ohio.

You can view statewide statistics as well as more region specific information.

Visit Site
Powered By:
Powered By: