Waiter and waitressing jobs are great, part or full-time, sources of income. Students, entertainers, artists and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to average over $20 dollars an hour in tips serving tables, giving them the financial support they need to pursue their other endeavors. The best servers can average $40-60 dollars an hour in tips.
Figuring out how to get a waitressing job at the best restaurants isn't easy, but, it can be easier, if you have a plan. You have to realize that not all restaurants are the same. There's good, bad, big, small, cheap, expensive yada-yada-yada. You get the idea. Serving jobs at the best restaurants are highly competitive and very exclusive. You have to learn the restaurant business and work your way up to those waitressing positions.
Don't be discouraged! With the right attitude, you can average about $15 dollars an hour in tips at smaller restaurants, with little or no experience.
In order to simplify our plan, let's classify restaurants into three categories. From there, we'll discuss the qualifications and level of experience you need to get a serving job in each of the three categories.
The mom & pops small restaurant/dinner, where the check averages about $8 to 20 dollars per person, will represent our first category. The faster paced, middle sized corporate chains, where the check averages about $20 to 50 dollars per person will represent our second category. Last, fine dinning will be our third category, where, the check averages range from $50 to 100 per person.
Mom & pops restaurants are a great place to start as a waitress or waiter because they're usually willing to give younger students and local kids a chance to learn about the restaurant business and gain work experience. The most important qualifications are, that you must display a great smile, show enthusiasm, show your desire to learn and have a great attitude. Without prior experience in the restaurant business, these attributes, will be your most important assets, when trying to get a serving job. Again, a big smile and a positive attitude can really open doors.
Depending on the restaurant, a great smile and wonderful personality aren't always enough. Some experience is always preferred. Try asking if you can start out as a busboy or dishwasher and work your way up. It's a great way to display your awesome work ethic and earn the respect of your management team. One or two years experience as a waiter or waitress is usually sufficient to get a job at a mom & pops type restaurant, if they are hiring.
I used to work at the Cheesecake Factory and would consider a waitering job there, to be in our second category of restaurants. It's a fast paced, corporate environment, with a large menu and descent to pretty good food. In order to get a job in our second category of restaurants, we need a little more polishing.
Obviously, we must be clean cut, but being well spoken is another important qualification that comes into factor. Just like in any other business, the base for a successful restaurant is longterm customers, who love your product and tell everyone they know, how much they love your product. At this level in the restaurant business, your rapport with the guest, is every bit as important, as the food.
Being sales saavy in this type of restaurant environment is also another must. They want you to sell as much as possible, and you do, too. The more you sell, the more you make in tips. In this category of restaurant serving jobs, knowledge of alcohol (beer, wine and booze) and of the cuisine you will be serving, is necessary. At some restaurants in our second category you will also be required to memorize daily specials.
I suggest researching a restaurant on-line, before you go and apply for a job. Check out their website and familiarize yourself with their food and wine list. It also impresses managers when you have good, constructive questions for them that display your desire to learn and be a part of the "team." You can't ask them a constructive question if you don't know anything about their restaurant.
To get a serving job in our second category of restaurants, serving experience is a must, preferably, a minimum of two years. There are exceptions, so don't get discouraged. Part 2 has some tips on how to write a killer resume and Part 3 has some tips on how to interview like a seasoned pro.
Our third category is the fine dinning category. This category is the most exclusive, the most demanding and the most lucrative. You're a salesperson, an educator, a friend, a hustler, a psychiatrist and a psychic all rolled up into one. You have to be quick with the tongue, yet, be smooth, graceful and tasteful, all the while, displaying the perfect manners and etiquette. It all sounds like a big contradiction, and it is. But, it's a tightrope we must walk.
The utmost knowledge of wine, hard alcohols and after dinner drinks are a must. In order to be one of the best, you have to sell, and sell expensive. In order to do that, you have to know what you're selling. "Knowledge is the key."
You must have expert knowledge of the food served at your establishment, from sauces to where the steak was raised, what it was fed and how it was killed and processed. Your guests will want to know and they will expect you to have the answer, since, they're paying $60 for that steak and $22 on that glass of wine.
At least 4 years in the restaurant business is usually the standard to get a job serving tables at restaurants of this caliber. Not only that, all 4 years should be in medium-upscale restaurants, where extensive knowledge of food and alcohol were learned, and where sales practices were taught.
Hopefully you found this article helpful and you'll give a waitressing job a thought the next time you're on the job hunt. A love of food, a great smile and a desire to learn can land you a well paying job in the restaurant business where you can average over $20 dollars an hour in tips.
Future articles, will help you get a waitressing job, by helping you polish your restaurant, food, and wine vocabulary, and others will be dedicated to teaching you how to increase your food and wine sales.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sbicca
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