Waiter/Waitress Cover Letter Examples & Template

A tantalising waitress cover letter, coming right up!

Getting the best serving jobs requires more than a smile and the ability to carry three plates on one arm. Every restaurant has a pile of CVs in a drawer somewhere. There’s a reason—they’re as bland as nachos without the dip. After you apply our advice, the manager reading your server cover letter will feel like he’s ordering off the secret menu.

In this guide you'll get:

• Two waitress cover letter examples: one fine dining waitress cover letter, and one for someone with little to no experience.
• Everything there is to know on formatting your restaurant cover letter. 
• A walkthrough of all the elements of a successful waiter cover letter. 
• A fill-in-the-blanks template you can have ready in 15 minutes.

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For starters, have a look at these two waitress cover letter examples. See how they make the best of their strengths.

Waitress Cover Letter Examples

First, is a fine dining restaurant cover letter by Molly, a waitress with several years of experience. 

Molly is applying for a job which apart from the usual serving responsibilities asks for special proficiencies in holding up high hospitality standards while serving guests, being able to provide extensive knowledge of dishes, combinations, and upsell on this basis.

This waitress cover letter conveys that perfectly: 

Example #1: Experienced Restaurant Waitress Cover Letter

You can bet that Molly is going to be one of the waitstaff manager’s picks. 

Did this waitress cover letter example seem overwhelming? Do you not have that much experience, or does the job simply not require it?

No big deal. Even if you have no serving experience, we will help you write a waiter cover letter that will set the table. For your job interview.

This is Greta, a candidate with zero relevant experience. She’s writing a cover letter for a waitress position at a big chain restaurant. The position requires a positive attitude, communication skills, and being familiar with food handling and preparation.

Example #2: Entry-Level Waitress Cover Letter

These are two waitress cover letters that will definitely stand out. Let’s work on your own waiter cover letter now.

Write a Glowing Waiter Cover Letter Step by Step 

Here’s how to ace your waiter cover letter:

1. Set The Table—with Our Server Cover Letter Format

The restaurant floor can be chaos. If you can’t write an organised waiter/waitress cover letter, how will you be trusted to juggle serving a dozen tables at a time?

Let’s let the waitstaff manager know that you are a professional.

Key formatting tips for your server cover letter format:

• Keep the text aligned to the left. Don’t justify. Indent only if you have space. 
• Make things square with 1-inch+ margins on all sides.
• Use an easily readable font—Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman.
• Space your lines out in 1.15 increments. Leave a line between each section and paragraphs.
• One page cover letters are more than enough.

Expert Hint: Many jobs are declining, but not this one. Your waiter cover letter will be relevant for a long time—the Bureau of Labour Statistics reports that server jobs will grow by 170 thousand, or 6% in the next decade. Not a server yet? Check out our career change CV guide. 

2. Include Your Contact Information in Your Waiter Cover Letter Header

People sometimes put their contact details on their CV, but forget to do it on the cover letter too. And your restaurant cover letter header must match your CV header 100%. 

Below, list the city and date, and then the contact details of the hiring manager.

Just like this:

Waitress Cover Letter Header 

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

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

3. Tell Them What Position You’re Applying For, And Why 

Restaurants are busy—on the customer side and on the employee side. You aren’t going to be the only candidate for that waitress job. You can be the best one, though—

Show that you mean business right away—and in your cover letter, address the hiring manager by name. 

Most people won’t take the time to find this information out, which will make your waiter cover letter stand out.

At the start of your cover letter make clear which position you’re applying for, and describe in short why you are the right person. 

You can use this fill-in-the-blanks template based on our restaurant waiter cover letter examples:

Restaurant Cover Letter Sample: Introduction

4. Describe What Your Strengths Are

Don’t serve a bland dish. When writing a cover letter for restaurant waiter positions, after you introduced yourself, get into why they should hire you. Look at the description of the job advertised. Out of the list of the skills, duties and responsibilities, think about which ones are the most important to the employer, and which ones set you apart from the crowd.

Describe yourself as their perfect candidate, and back it up with your achievements in those things.

If you’re in a rush, start with this template.

Waiter/Waitress Cover Letter: Second Paragraph

Expert Hint: Want to increase your chances? Get certified as a waiter. The more certifications on a CV you have, the better your chances.

5. Show That You Want To Work There

The last paragraph of your waiter cover letter should explain exactly why you want to work there.

Of course, you’ll be applying to many places, but it doesn’t take long to make every one of them feel special.

Take a little time to find something distinctive about your employer, be it through their website, or just going to have a look around. This will set your waiter cover letter apart from the copy-and-pasted rest.

Check out how we personalise our restaurant cover letter examples:

Cover Letter For Restaurant Waiter Example: Your Motivation

6. Secure The Result: Call To Action 

You’re almost there. Right at the end of your cover letter. 

A good waiter doesn’t slouch in the last hour of their shift. If the reader got this far in your waiter cover letter, don’t leave anything to chance. Be bold and ask for an interview or at least call, and justify it with your biggest strength or achievement in their most desired skill.

See this fill-in-the-blanks waitress cover letter: 

Waiter/Waitress Cover Letter: Call to Action & Sign Off

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Key Points

When composing your restaurant cover letter, remember to: 

• Make sure your header matches the one on your CV—and remember to address the hiring manager directly.
• Copy what suits you from our server cover letter examples—or check out our other cover letter templates from ResumeLab.
• Make clear the position you’re looking for, and give a short rundown of why you’re the best person for this job—in the first paragraph. 
• In the second paragraph—show you can fulfil the key requirements and duties of the position, backed up by your achievements and skills. 
• Research something distinctive about your employer—and show them real interest this way in the third paragraph. 
• Don’t leave anything to chance—request an interview, and sign. 

Any questions left unanswered about waiter cover letters? Need further help with writing your cover letter for waitress positions? Drop a comment, we’ll help!

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