When you are scouting for a job as a Banquet Server, you may need to steel yourself not to be overwhelmed by the thousands of positions being advertised on job boards every day. However, there are just as many candidates applying for these roles and it would be wise to check out our Banquet Server Resume sample and write up below, for direction on how to create a resume that will guarantee you an interview. Banquet Waiter are responsible for serving food and beverages at large events such as banquets, conferences, galas, high-profile weddings, and conventions.

Your resume needs to stand out from the rest of the application crowd, showcasing your unique abilities to serve and interact with customers (and of course the fact that you can balance multiple plates on one are while navigating through a crowd of people!) But, there is more to it than client service and performing crockery balancing acts of course.

How you may create a resume into an interview-generating application, will be unpacked in detail below with our: How to Make a Resume Guideline for Banquet Servers?

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Banquet Waiter and Server Resume Samples

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Banquet Server Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact Details: Name & Surname, Phone Number, Email Address (keep it professional). Feel free to provide alternative contact channels as well, such as your LinkedIn profile.

What to Highlight in a Banquet Server Resume

Although the job of a Banquet Server is classified as entry-level in the culinary industry, recruiters would be looking for specific skill sets, competencies and personality traits when making their shortlisting decisions. In a nutshell, the job involves working as part of a team to serve guests and patrons at events such as conventions, weddings, and product launches. However, you need to present a well-structured, professional resume detailing your exact duties for each of the jobs you have held before. In the paragraphs below, we have outlined some of the aspects you may want to highlight in your resume application.

To start with, indicate the types of working environments you have experience in. Banquet servers are typically employed by hotels, country clubs, holiday resorts, and restaurants. You may also work for a catering company specializing in events such as conferences, charity fundraisers, annual Christmas parties, corporate events, weddings, and product launches. In some instances, the venue itself does its own catering in-house, and will employ Banquet Waiters on a permanent or casual basis and facilitate holiday parties, team-building training sessions, religious affairs, or birthday parties.

Next, provide information regarding the types of food and beverages that are served at your establishment. A Banquet Server working at functions where finger dishes and cocktails are the main types of food being served has slightly different responsibilities than a banquet server at the Royal Palace, where 7-course meals are served and wine needs to be poured. Hiring Managers would want to know if you are capable of taking orders, dishing up food from the buffet station, or serving plated meals to guests individually.

Furthermore, employers want to see details regarding the nature of your working environment. Do you work shifts, during weekends, temp during seasonal holidays, or on an ad hoc basis as a freelance Banquet Waiter? Are you willing to travel to events, and do you have your own transport means to get there? What are your average daily working hours? If you are working in a permanent job at a hotel or restaurant, you may want to mention the average hours you work during a month and indicate if you work during weekends as well. All these questions should be answered in your resume to clarify to recruiters what kind of jobs would be suited to you.

If you can provide specifics regarding the types of banquets you have worked at before even better to boost your application. Let’s summarize a few of them:

Buffet Style: This set up includes: Standing, Seated, and Cafeteria Style. You gain exposure to this type of service when serving at events where there is a considerable number of attendees. Guests will pass along the buffet line with an assortment of food choices, which is in an area separate from the seating location. Banquet Servers are responsible for dishing up food portions at the buffet stations and also to deliver and refill beverages in the seating area.
Reception Style: These events have finger foods and appetizers that are presented buffet style, but often you will be responsible for walking around with plates of foods or drinks that people may pick from. Banquet servers at reception events are required to refill empty buffet booths, clear dirty cutlery and restock crockery, cutlery, and glassware.
Food Station Style: This type of banquet set-up is very popular, because chefs are assigned to each station and prepare dishes in front of guests, for example, carving meat, making pasta or desserts, and also rolling out sushi dishes.
Plated Style: As a banquet server working at an event following a plated approach, the primary purpose of your role would be to collect portioned dishes from the kitchen and serving them to customers individually. Timing is everything in this kind of set-up, because there are usually a large number of guests and the idea is to ensure everyone eats and finishes a course together before the next course is presented. Some of the menu items are served pre-set, meaning that bread rolls, salads, or entrées would be placed on tables before the guests arrive, by the Banquet Server. Uniformity is critical and you need attention to detail to make sure that no plate is spaced out of place and every spoon fork and steak knife faces the correct way.

Technical nitty-gritty that hiring managers would want to know about is your familiarity with dining table set up: where to place the silverware, serviettes, fish knives, dessert spoons, jugs of water, and centerpieces for example. You may also explain your experience with setting up banquet halls, placing tables, chairs and arranging decoration pieces. As a Banquet Server, you may also be tasked with moving objects around and you need to be physically fit to lift at least 25 – 30 pounds.

Also, delve into detail about your knowledge of serving etiquette: at which side should you stand when serving a plate of food, or pouring wine into a guest's glass? How would you clear plates and silverware without interrupting the guest? Are you skilled in the art of ‘’checking in’’ on guests to enquire whether they need anything without making a nuisance of yourself?

The Career Summary

Restaurant, Food, Beverage, and Catering Managers usually receive hundreds of applications for direct, temporary, and vocational Banquet Waiter positions. Make an impact with your resume by adding a kick-ass career synopsis. The aim of your career summary is to hook the hiring manager and recruiter to read through the rest of your application. Usually, you have a total of six seconds to impress, so make it count.

A compelling career summary should include years of working experience, a powerful adjective to describe your personality, one or two wow factors (achievements) or special skills, and, if applicable, your highest qualification. Look at the keywords listed in the job advertisement and mirror them in your career summary for an extra credibility boost. For instance, if the job you are applying for emphasizes experience in mega banquet events at 5-Star Hotels or the ability to carry heavy trays for buffet presentations, replicate those phrases in your resume if you have that type of skill.

Examples:

Career Summary 1

Energetic “would be” Banquet Server with two years' experience as a waitress in a busy Greek Restaurant. Knowledgeable on a variety of beverage options, including wines, beer, imported spirits and specialty cocktails. Received an average of 89% customer service ratings and also achieved the highest tips for the last six months. Fluent in Greek and Spanish and currently completing a culinary management diploma through the American Food and Beverages Association.

Career Summary 2

Energetic Banquet Server with three years part-time experience at a prestigious catering company working at high profile events, including celebrity weddings and royal banquets, Enthusiastic team player, with a proven record of providing exemplary client service and going the extra mile for guests. Familiar with various banquet settings, including plated, reception and buffet-style events. Currently completing a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management.

Career Summary 3

Professional and courteous Banquet Server with five years of working experience at Windsor Castle in London. Worked at over 50 banquets in one year and highly skilled at a banquet set up protocols for prestigious events such asm state galas and year-end functions attended by prime ministers, presidents of states, and high profile diplomats. Proficient in serving etiquette for 7-course meals and highly adept and mixing and serving specialty cocktails from numerous countries. Responsible for training and onboarding casual Banquet Servers drying season holiday periods. Completed an Associates' Degree In Culinary Management achieving a summa cum laude result.

Banquet Server Job Descriptions and Responsibilities

Your description of duties is the first touchpoint between you and the hiring manager or recruiter, where a comparison is made between the job description requirements and your experience. A well-written duties and responsibilities section will go a long way in boosting your chances to land an interview. Below we have given a comprehensive list of duties for a Banquet Waiter, which you may tweak and customize for each role that you apply to.

Examples

Job Duties of a Banquet Server:

Carry plated dishes from the kitchen are to the banquet hall
Assist with the venue set up, placing tables and chairs in the correct spots, adding décor items, and set tables following instructions from the team leader.
Set up dishes at the buffet area taking care to execute correct presentation and placement of individual food items such as bread, cheeses, appetizers, fruits and vegetable displays
Run food from the kitchen to the banquet hall on demand
Take care of sanitation and safe handling of food and beverages during the course of each event
Notify the Banquet Supervisor of any problems guests are experiencing or when there is a line build-up at the buffet station causing guests to wait longer than five minutes before their food is being dished up
Take orders from guests and patrons for beverage items such as spirits, wines,. and cocktails
Serve pre-plated meals to patrons and clear the tables between each course serving
Responsible for topping up water canisters and jugs of fruit juice and bowls for handwashing between courses
Responsible for venue clean up after each event, packing away tables, chairs, and linen as well as loading trucks with décor items and equipment
Assist in kitchen clean up after each event, soring leftover food items and washing dishes and cutlery

Responsible for assisting Buffet Manager in designing banquet layout and choosing appropriate dining cutlery and crockery that fits in with the theme of the event.
Serve food and beverages following a time schedule taking care to start each new course serving activities after all guests have finished their current course
Assist chef in plating and garnishing of bulk pre-plated items such as entrees and deserts
Work shifts of up to 12 hours during weekdays and 8 hours during weekends
Great guests and patrons in a courteous manner and show them to their assigned seats
At reception type banquets walk around between guests serving finger foods and cocktails and ensure that there e are enough side plates and serviettes plus appropriate cutlery and the various food stations
Continuously check the inventory of dry goods, cutlery, crockery, table linen and glassware before, during, and after the event
Assist in cleaning the banquet hall floors and surfaces after each event with deep cleaning chemicals also sanitizing tables and chairs
Check assigned banquet area before during and after the event for neatness, cleanliness and correct setup
Check all chairs and tables for loose parts before and after the event, and carry broken items to the hotel storeroom

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Creating a resume that draws attention to your skills and competencies is a sure-fire way to get an edge over the competition, especially if those skills are aligned and resonate with the experience required by the job advertisement. However, you can crack it up a notch by including a separate section with accomplishments and achievements to ensure that you stand out from the rest of the resume crowd.

When listing accomplishments, you need to emphasize those aspects that distinguish you from the rest of the candidates. What are you most proud of, or what you achieved in your previous roles? Write down we instances where you feel that you had made a positive contribution or solved a problematic issue before it became a disaster. Then, communicate these via engaging accomplishment statements that will grab the recruiter’s attention instantly. By including solid facts and evidence of your activities as a banquet server, you are effectively quantifying your resume showcasing your ‘’proof of work”. To assist in this quantification process, think about providing the answers to questions such as When writing your resume, think about giving numeric statements like “How many?” or “How often?”

For example:

Served an average of 100 guests per sitting at the Country Club and received a 95% customer service rating every week for the last 12 months
Received a letter of recommendation from every venue where banquet serving duties have been carried out amounting to a total of 30 written letters of recommendation and six email commendations
Able to do a 15 seater table set up from decorating to placing chairs, table linen silverware, glassware, plates and cutlery in less than 20 minutes
Worked at an Indian wedding event where the guest count exceeded 2000 people
Assist with set up and tear down for 100 functions including 30 weddings, 18 corporate year-end parties, and 26 product launches during the last 12 months

The Education Section

The education section of your Banquet Waiter resume remains essential regardless of whether you have completed certifications or post-school qualifications.

Make sure to list academic credentials by date completed, qualification title, name of the institution, and location. Remember to add self-learning, online or short course training programs, workshops or in-service training completed adding extra meat to your resume if needed.

Below is an example of what a Banquet Server’s education section listings may look like:

2018, Associate Degree in Hospitality Management, New Parkland Community College, New Parkland, CA

2018 – Alcohol Server Certified, Basset Association, Online

2016 – 2017 Wine and Food Pairing Certificate, Culinary Institute of America (CIA), San Antonio, TX

2015 – Certified Food Service Professional (CFSP), North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM), Online

Banquet Server Resume Skills Section

Although the food and beverage industry requires specific technical competencies, being a Banquet Server requires a wide range of soft skills and interpersonal qualities ranging from excellent communication and customer service skills to time management and detail orientation.

To make it easier for hiring managers, dedicate a separate section to skills and capabilities so that everything may be viewed in one place and is easily comparable to the required traits and competencies needed for the job spec.

Forget those dull and dreary lists of bullet points and present your skills repertoire a matrix format: one for hard skills and one for soft skills.

Interpersonal Skills

Organization	Empathy	Resourceful	Diplomatic
Verbal Communication	Emotional Intelligence	Collaborative	Multitasking
Eloquent	Problem Solving	Enthusiastic	Well Groomed
Time Management	Active Listening	Dexterity	Deadline Driven
Stress Tolerance	Attentive	Stamina	Energetic
Patience	Team Player	Reliable	Cooperative
Courteousness	Conscientious	Accountable	Mindful
Detail Orientated	Helpful	Trustworthy	Observant

Technical Skills

Food Handling	Food Hygiene	Taking Orders	Deliver Meals
Setting Tables	Timing Meal Delivery	Remove Cutlery	Clearing Tables
Venue Set Up	Multiple Course Serving	Replace Cutlery	Folding Napkins
Banquet Presentation	Wine Pouring	Polishing Silverware	Carry Multiple Plates
Seating Arrangements	First Aid	Health & Safet	Balancing Glassware on Trays
Décor Set Up	Mixing Cocktails	MSDS	Topping up beverages
Food Preparation	Venue Tear Down	Sanitation	TIPS
Order Assistance	Serving	Place Setting	Rolling Silverware

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Banquet Waiters & Servers

Young Apprenticeship in Hospitality	Certificate in Food Hygiene	In-Service Training
Bachelor in Culinary Arts	Certificate in First Aid	Business Management, Hospitality & Tourism Certificate
Serving it Right Certification	FoodSafe Certification	Diploma in Banqueting Fundamentals
Certified Food Manager (CFM)	Accredited Member: Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA)	ServSafe
Introductory Certificate in Food and Wine Pairing	Banquet Server: Grade 3	High School Diploma

Professional information on Banquet Servers

Sectors: Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Events Management, Entertainment, Catering,
Career Type: Functional, Task Orientated, People Orientated, Customer Service,
Person type: Worker, Assisting, Helper, Server, Crew Member
Education levels: From High School Diploma to Bachelor Degree
Salary indication: $8.02 per hour (Low), $10.94 per hour (Median), $ 16.25 per hour (Top) *Payscale
Labor market: Subject to 7% growth from 2018 – 2028
Organizations: Restaurants, Pubs, Wedding Venues, City Halls, Conference Venues, Hotels, Catering Venues, Holiday Resorts, Canteens, Diners, Country Clubs