Restaurant Resume Examples, Templates, Skills to Use & More

A restaurant job resume is a document showing your kitchen or hospitality skills. It has to prove your food service mastery by focusing on your relevant restaurant achievements.

Tom Gerencer
Tom Gerencer
Career Expert
Restaurant Resume Examples, Templates, Skills to Use & More

Restaurant workers pull out all the stops to manage, cook, serve, and clean in busy dining establishments. They may handle scheduling, food prep, waiting tables, or a dozen other restaurant duties. A resume for restaurant jobs should prove food service skills with eye-opening achievements.

You need to show good food-service history in a clean, quick way. Do that, and you’ll get attention like cedar-planked salmon in a world of corn chips.

In this guide:

  • A restaurant resume sample better than most.
  • How to make a yummy restaurant job description for resumes.
  • How to write a resume for restaurant jobs employers love.
  • Why you can’t just list restaurant skills (and what to do instead).

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Browsing for specific restaurant jobs? See our guides:

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

Our research into 500,000+ resumes designed in our builder revealed that*:

- Restaurant workers report having 3 past jobs on average.
- Customer interaction, Verbal and written communication, Food safety measures, and Food preparation are the most common skills added to restaurant resumes.
- Median resume creation time for a estaurant team member on ResumeLab is just 17.8 minutes. 
* The data comes from the last 12 months (August 2023-August 2024).

Restaurant Resume Sample You Can Copy and Use

Melissa Savolina

Waitress, Manager

Personal Info

Phone: 802-490-1360

E-mail: melissazsavo@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/melissazsavo

twitter.com/melissazsavo

Summary

Efficient restaurant worker & waitstaff manager with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to provide excellent customer service and management at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Managed 17 waitstaff and bartenders at 5-star restaurant. Handled bookkeeping, ordering, & hiring. Cut turnover 20%.

Experience

Waitress, Manager

The Speckled Nymph Restaurant

2014–2019

  • Managed 17 waitstaff and bartenders in fast-paced, 5-star restaurant. Delegated and provided guidance while maintaining excellent relationships.
  • Presided over a period of 18% rise in restaurant revenue.
  • Ordered and stocked all wine and liquor, barback supplies, and coffee supplies. Saved 12% on costs through strong vendor relationships.
  • Handled bookkeeping and payroll. Maintained near-zero register errors.
  • Hired & trained 15 entry-level waitstaff. Slashed turnover 20%.

Waitress

The Mizzenmast Restaurant

2012–2014

  • Waitressed in fast-paced seafood restaurant. Scored average of 95% in customer comment cards. Assigned busiest shifts for strong work ethic.
  • Helped create schedule for waitstaff. Known for strong teamwork skills.
  • Was top-earner at tip pooling time in 95% of shifts for efficiency.

Restaurant Experience

Various

2012

  • Worked fill-in shifts for Cyr Catering. Recognized for friendliness and efficiency.
  • Food server in booths at Caledonia County Fair for 8 busy shifts.
  • Temporary hostess, Applebee's. Commended for communication skills.

Education

Mill River High

2008–2012

  • Girls cross-country team captain.
  • President, Yearbook Committee.
  • Cheer team co-captain.

Classes

  • Applications of Everyday Leadership - University of Illinois
  • Management Fundamentals - University of Pennsylvania

Additional Activities

  • Teach CrossFit 2x per week.
  • Member, American Management Association.
  • Create and sell paintings at local shows.

Conferences

  • Catersource Conference 2018
  • Restaurant Leadership Conference 2016

Volunteer Work

  • Walk and feed dogs at Brattleboro Animal Shelter 2x per month.
  • Lead 2 Toys for Tots drives per year with 25+ volunteers.

Hard Skills: scheduling, inventory, MS Office, annual reviews

Soft Skills: leadership, interpersonal skills, communication, teamwork

Here’s how to write a restaurant resume that makes them ask for seconds:

1. Select the Right Restaurant Resume Format

Does this sound familiar? You spend hours writing a restaurant resume, but then—Nobody calls.

Why does that happen? It’s probably the format of your resume. See these tips:

Restaurant Resume Format

Expert Hint: Save your restaurant resume in PDF format. ATS hiring software can translate them, and they look appetizing no matter what screen they wind up on.

2. Improve Your Restaurant Resume Objective or Summary

The restaurant manager has seven million things to do. He doesn’t have time to read your restaurant resume. Unless, you’re worth it.

How can you show that? With a tantalizing resume profile (in the form of a career objectivecareer summary, or summary of qualifications).

Add:

  1. One adjective (efficient, friendly)
  2. Job title (manager, chef)
  3. Years of experience (3+, 6+)
  4. Who and how you’ll help (provide excellent customer service)
  5. Best restaurant achievements (Cut turnover 20%)

See these restaurant resume examples:

Restaurant Manager Resume Examples [Summary]

Good Example
Efficient restaurant worker & manager with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to provide excellent customer service and management at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Managed 35 waitstaff and cooks at 5-star restaurant. Handled bookkeeping, ordering, & hiring. Cut turnover 20%.
Bad Example
Experienced restaurant worker with high-level skills in scheduling, inventory, and MS Office. Can conduct annual reviews, order supplies, and maintain good relationships with staff. Recognized for ability to work long hours and maintain a cheerful attitude and high level of efficiency.

The second of those restaurant resume examples leaves you feeling empty. The first is like a smoked Scottish salmon rillette. The skills and metrics sell it.

Next, for an entry-level resume for restaurant jobs, find something in your work history that fits.

Restaurant Resume Objective—Example

Good Example
Hard-working server, skilled in customer service and efficiency. Seeking to enhance the dining experience at The Mizzenmast Restaurant. At Cyr Catering, recognized for efficiency and friendly attitude. Commended for communication skills at Applebee’s.
Bad Example
Entry-level restaurant worker. Haven’t held an actual restaurant job yet, but I am very hard-working and reliable. I am eager to learn the trade of waiting tables and I have a great personality.

The second of those resume for restaurant jobs examples is like an empty plate.

Expert Hint: Place your restaurant resume objective or summary underneath your header. But write it at the end. That makes it so much easier to write it well.

3. Write an On-Deck Restaurant Job Description and Skills Section

They’ll only hire one person for this job. It can be you. But you’ll need the right job description for your resume for restaurant jobs. So—

  1. Find keywords for your resume in the job ad.
  2. Add numbers to make your achievements sing.

These restaurant resume examples show the recipe:

The job ad wants these restaurant skills: (1) managing waitstaff (2) building relationships (3) bookkeeping (4) training.

Restaurant Manager Job Description for a Resume [Sample]

Good Example

Experience

Waitress, Manager

The Speckled Nymph Restaurant

2014–2019

  • Managed 17 waitstaff and bartenders in fast-paced, 5-star restaurant. Delegated and provided guidance while maintaining excellent relationships.
  • Presided over a period of 18% rise in restaurant revenue.
  • Ordered and stocked all wine and liquor, barback supplies, and coffee supplies. Saved 12% on costs through building strong vendor relationships.
  • Handled bookkeeping and payroll. Maintained near-zero register errors.
  • Hired & trained 15 entry-level waitstaff. Slashed turnover 20%.
Bad Example
  • Worked as waitstaff manager in fast-paced restaurant. Delegated and provided guidance while maintaining excellent relationships.
  • Presided over period of excellent restaurant revenue.
  • Ordered and stocked all wine and liquor, barback supplies, and coffee supplies.
  • Handled payroll. Maintained near-zero register errors.
  • Interviewed and hired & entry-level restaurant workers.

The first of those restaurant skills resume samples serves up skills with measurements. The second lists skills—but the wrong ones. And we took out all the numbers. Bland!

What about a resume for entry-level jobs? Dig into your work history. These restaurant resume examples show how:

The job ad wants these restaurant skills: (1) serving (2) friendliness (3) efficiency (4) communication.

Entry-Level Restaurant Server Resume Sample [Experience]

Good Example

Restaurant Experience

Various

2012 

  • Worked fill-in server shifts for Cyr Catering. Recognized for friendliness and efficiency.
  • Food server in booths at Caledonia County Fair for 8 busy shifts.
  • Temporary hostess, Applebee's. Commended for communication skills.

Team Member

Old Navy

2011

  • Commended 2x by manager for efficiency.
  • Recognized for communication skills.
Bad Example

Retail Associate

Old Navy 

2011

  • Worked as floor walker.
  • Restocked shelves.
  • Answered questions.

The first of those restaurant resume examples has the secret sauce. (Hint: it’s the numbers and achievements.)

But what skills to put on a resume? Use the ones from the ad online. You can use these to get started:

Key Skills for a Restaurant Resume

Hard Skills

Soft Skills

Serving Food

Interpersonal Skills

Scheduling

Communication

Mixing Drinks

Collaboration

Cooking

Dependability

Register Skills

Time Management

Knife Skills

Leadership

Vendor Management

Self-Motivation

CPR and First Aid

Detail Oriented

Restocking

Physically Fit

Inventory Management

Listening

Expert Hint: Don’t overegg your restaurant resume with too many skills. Anyone can write up a long skills list. The key ingredient is accomplishments-as-proof.

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4. Turn Boring Education to a Reason to Hire You

Does education matter in a resume for restaurant jobs? Absolutely.

The schooling section of your resume is vital. Can you tell why this restaurant resume example nails it?

Restaurant Resume Template—Education

Good Example

Education

Mill River High

2008–2012

  • Girls cross-country team captain.
  • President, Yearbook Committee.
  • Cheer team co-captain.

That shows leadership and physical fitness. Both essential in restaurant resumes.

Expert Hint: Don’t just list any old restaurant skills in your resume. Just like with your job description, use the online posting as your menu. Look for the right keywords in it.

5. Put “Bonus” Sections in Your Restaurant Resume

 

You’re not done writing your resume for restaurant jobs just yet. Choose from these “bonus” sections:

These restaurant resume examples show how:

Restaurant Resume—Extra Sections

Good Example

Classes

  • Applications of Everyday Leadership - University of Illinois
  • Management Fundamentals - University of Pennsylvania

Additional Activities

  • Teach CrossFit 2x per week.
  • Member, American Management Association.
  • Create and sell paintings at local shows.

Conferences

  • Catersource Conference 2018
  • Restaurant Leadership Conference 2016

Volunteer Work

  • Walk and feed dogs at Brattleboro Animal Shelter 2x per month.
  • Lead 2 Toys for Tots drives per year with 25+ volunteers.
Bad Example

Additional Activities

  • CrossFit
  • Painting

The first of those restaurant resume examples could be Bobby Flay. It’s all in the details.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter. Focus on the job, and not how great you are. In your restaurant cover letter talk about how much you’d love to work at the restaurant, and why you are the perfect fit.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:

Key Points

For a 5-star restaurant resume:

  • Use the restaurant resume template up top. It gives you the recipe to get more interviews.
  • Put restaurant accomplishments in your objective, job experience, education, and “bonus” sections.
  • Add restaurant keywords and responsibilities to your bullet points. Get them by reading the job ad carefully.
  • Write a restaurant cover letter. Make it all about the job and a little about you.

Got questions on how to write great resumes for restaurant jobs? Not sure how to show restaurant on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Tom Gerencer

Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages.

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