How to become a Waiter

Also called: Banquet server, Dining car attendant (railway), Dining salon steward (ship), Food services server, Food services service crew, Mess steward, Railway dining car waiter, Railway dining car waitress, Waitress, Host/Hostess (Guest Relations Officer), Server (Waiter/ Waitress), Service Crew

Waiter provides guests with food and drinks as requested in restaurant, bar, hotel or other hospitality outlets. He/she prepares tables, serves food or beverages and takes payments. He/she presents guests with the menu, takes orders, answers questions on meal items and makes food recommendations when requested. He/she may take reservations over phone and/or perform cashiering duties.

Main tasks

• Setting tables with clean linen, cutlery, crockery and glassware
• Greeting customers and presenting them with menus and beverage lists
• Advising on food and beverage choices
• Taking orders for food and drinks and passing order to kitchen or bar staff manually or through Point of Sale (POS) systems and/or other software
• Serving food and beverages to clients at tables
• Clearing tables and returning dishes and cutlery to kitchen
• Presenting bills, accepting payment and operating POS machines and cash registers
• Taking reservations over phone

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $18,780 a year. The middle half earn $16,800 to $25,188 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Captain waiter/Waiter supervisor
• Sommelier
• Bartender/Mixologist
• Barista
• Bar/Lounge hostess

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Questions people ask

How much does a Waiter earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $18,780 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $16,800 to $25,188.

Will AI change the work of a Waiter?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026