As a fine dining server, articulating your experience with wine pairing and providing exemplary guest service can be a daunting challenge on a resume. Our guide offers expert tips and examples to help you eloquently communicate your skills and elevate your professional presentation in the eyes of hiring managers.
- Fine dining server resume samples that got people hired at top companies.
- How to perfect the look-and-feel of your resume layout.
- How to showcase your achievements and skills through various resume sections.
- How you could hint to recruiters why your resume is the ideal profile for the job.
If the fine dining server resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
Enhancing your fine dining server resume: format and layout tips
"Less is more" - this principle is key for your fine dining server resume design. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on why you're the ideal candidate. Simultaneously, it's crucial to select a resume design that is both clear and simple, ensuring your qualifications are easily readable.
Four popular formatting rules (and an additional tip) are here to optimize your fine dining server resume:
- Listing experience in reverse chronological order - start with your most recent job experiences. This layout helps recruiters see your career progression and emphasizes your most relevant roles.
- Including contact details in the header - make sure your contact information is easily accessible at the top of your resume. In the header, you might also include a professional photo.
- Aligning your expertise with the job requirements - this involves adding essential sections such as experience, skills, and education that match the job you're applying for.
- Curating your expertise on a single page - if your experience spans over a decade, a two-page resume is also acceptable.
Bonus tip: Ensure your fine dining server resume is in PDF format when submitting. This format maintains the integrity of images, icons, and layout, making your resume easier to share.
Finally, concerning your resume format and the Applicant Tracker System (ATS):
- Use simple yet modern fonts like Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, etc.
- All serif and sans-serif fonts are friendly to ATS systems. Avoid script fonts that look like handwriting, however.
- Fonts such as Ariel and Times New Roman are suitable, though commonly used.
- Both single and double-column resumes can perform well with the ATS.
Different markets have specific resume styles – a Canadian resume, for instance, may require a different approach.
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If you're in the process of obtaining your certificate or degree, list the expected date you're supposed to graduate or be certified.
The six in-demand sections for your fine dining server resume:
- Top one-third should be filled with a header, listing your contact details, and with a summary or objective, briefly highlighting your professional accolades
- Experience section, detailing how particular jobs have helped your professional growth
- Notable achievements that tie in your hard or soft skills with tangible outcomes
- Popular industry certificates to further highlight your technical knowledge or people capabilities
- Education to showcase your academic background in the field
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Expertise in menu and wine knowledge, including pairings and varietals
- Proven track record of delivering exceptional guest service in high-end dining environments
- Strong ability to perform tableside service and presentation with elegance
- Experience with reservation and table management software, such as OpenTable or Resy
- Detail-oriented with a focus on maintaining impeccable dining area standards and presentation
Advice for your fine dining server resume experience section - setting your application apart from other candidates
Your resume experience section needs to balance your tangible workplace achievements with job requirements.
The easiest way to sustain this balance between meeting candidate expectations, while standing out, is to:
- Select really impressive career highlights to detail under each experience and support those with your skills;
- Assess the job advert to define both the basic requirements (which you could answer with more junior roles) and the more advanced requirements - which could play a more prominent role through your experience section;
- Create a separate experience section, if you decide on listing irrelevant experience items. Always curate those via the people or technical skills you've attained that match the current job you're applying for;
- Don't list experience items from a decade ago - as they may no longer be relevant to the industry. That is, unless you're applying for a more senior role: where experience would go to demonstrate your character and ambitions;
- Define how your role has helped make the team, department, or company better. Support this with your skill set and the initial challenge you were able to solve.
Take a look at how real-life fine dining server professionals have presented their resume experience section - always aiming to demonstrate their success.
- Orchestrated a full-service fine dining experience for up to 50 guests per night, enhancing customer satisfaction and repeat patronage.
- Collaborated with the sommelier to increase wine sales by 20% through informed recommendations and pairing suggestions.
- Led a team of 5 servers in high-profile catered events, delivering tailored service to VIP clientele and dignitaries.
- Developed expertise in the nuances of haute cuisine, contributing to a 15% increase in the diner's average spending.
- Championed a new tableside service technique for signature dishes, resulting in enhanced dining spectacle and customer satisfaction.
- Managed inventory control for the dining area, reducing waste by 10% while ensuring the availability of essential service items.
- Executed personalized service for a discerning clientele, contributing to the restaurant's Michelin star retention for the fifth consecutive year.
- Initiated a guest feedback loop which improved service delivery procedures and customer satisfaction scores by 25%.
- Conducted training sessions for new servers, sharpening the team's skills in upselling and customer engagement.
- Structured an effective sequence of service that reduced table turnover times by 15%, allowing for additional reservations per night.
- Consistently achieved top sales in the restaurant's exclusive seasonal menu offerings, outperforming colleagues by 30%.
- Curated a personalized dining experience for celebrities and high-net-worth individuals, ensuring strict confidentiality and privacy.
- Spearheaded the integration of a digital ordering system, improving order accuracy and reducing wait times by approximately 20%.
- Facilitated in-house sommelier programs for staff, elevating the establishment’s reputation for wine expertise.
- Designed a seasonal cocktail menu in collaboration with mixologists that captured a 10% increase in overall beverage sales.
- Curated a harmonious atmosphere through meticulous table setting and ambiance management, receiving commendation for creating memorable experiences.
- Executed upscale dining services for groups of up to 100 people during private events, demonstrating exceptional organizational skills.
- Pioneered a customer loyalty program which successfully enhanced the frequency of return visits by 35%.
- Served as a primary liaison between guests and the kitchen, ensuring dietary restrictions and preferences were impeccably accommodated.
- Acted as a mentor for junior servers, instilling in them the ethos of excellence required for success in a high-caliber dining environment.
- Orchestrated seamless coordination of wine tastings and culinary events, contributing to a 10% uplift in related sales metrics.
- Facilitated the introduction of international themed nights, broadening the restaurant's appeal and increasing patronage by 15%.
- Played a vital role in the restaurant's quality assurance committee, ensuring meticulous adherence to food handling and service standards.
- Collaborated with the culinary team to design a feedback-informed menu adjustment strategy, greatly enhancing dish popularity.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Mention the number of dining guests served on average per shift to demonstrate volume handling capabilities.
- State the average number of fine dining courses served per meal to showcase knowledge and efficiency.
- Include the dollar value of wine and beverage sales to reflect upselling skills.
- List the number of menu items you are familiar with to show extensive product knowledge.
- Quantify the percentage increase in guest satisfaction scores if available, to highlight service improvement.
- Report the frequency of training sessions conducted for new servers to establish leadership and mentoring.
- Indicate the number of languages spoken to demonstrate communication versatility with a diverse clientele.
- Provide the size of the largest event or party you’ve served to illustrate capacity to manage large-scale service.
Action verbs for your fine dining server resume
Four quick steps for candidates with no resume experience
Those with less or no relevant experience could also make a good impression on recruiters by:
- Taking the time to actually understand what matters most to the role and featuring this within key sections of their resume
- Investing resume space into defining what makes them a valuable candidate with transferrable skills and personality
- Using the resume objective to showcase their personal vision for growth within the company
- Heavily featuring their technical alignment with relevant certifications, education, and skills.
Remember that your resume is about aligning your profile to that of the ideal candidate.
The more prominently you can demonstrate how you answer job requirements, the more likely you'd be called in for an interview.
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If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.
Creating your fine dining server resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters hiring for fine dining server roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your fine dining server resume:
- Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
- Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
- Look to the future of the industry and list all software/technologies which are forward-facing.
- Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the fine dining server job advert. Find the perfect balance between your resume hard and soft skills with our two lists.
Top skills for your fine dining server resume:
POS Systems
Wine Knowledge
Menu Development
Table Setting Techniques
Food Pairing Expertise
Reservation Management Software
Point of Sale Software
Credit Card Processing
Inventory Management Systems
Health and Safety Regulations
Communication Skills
Customer Service Orientation
Attention to Detail
Teamwork
Time Management
Problem-Solving
Adaptability
Empathy
Multitasking
Positive Attitude
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Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
Qualifying your relevant certifications and education on your fine dining server resume
In recent times, employers have started to favor more and more candidates who have the "right" skill alignment, instead of the "right" education.
But this doesn't mean that recruiters don't care about your certifications .
Dedicate some space on your resume to list degrees and certificates by:
- Including start and end dates to show your time dedication to the industry
- Adding credibility with the institutions' names
- Prioritizing your latest certificates towards the top, hinting at the fact that you're always staying on top of innovations
- If you decide on providing further information, focus on the actual outcomes of your education: the skills you've obtained
If you happen to have a degree or certificate that is irrelevant to the job, you may leave it out.
Some of the most popular certificates for your resume include:
The top 5 certifications for your fine dining server resume:
- Certified Foodservice Professional (CFSP) - North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM)
- Certified Restaurant Server (CRS) - National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)
- Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 2 Award in Wines (WSET Level 2) - Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)
- Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier (CMS Certified Sommelier) - Court of Master Sommeliers
- TIPS (Training for Intervention ProcedureS) Certification - TIPS
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Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your fine dining server resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but an array of soft skills, like perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.
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The summary or objective: focusing on the top one-third of your resume
It's a well-known fact that the top one-third of your fine dining server resume is the make-it-or-break-it moment of your application. The resume summary and objective could help you further build up your professional profile.
- If you have plenty of career highlights behind your back, use the resume summary . The fine dining server summary immediately focuses recruiters' attention on what matters most within your experience.
- The resume objective is the perfect choice for balancing your career achievements with your vision. Use it to state precisely how you see yourself in a couple of years' time - as part of the company you're applying for.
Both the resume summary and resume objective can be your value pitch to potential employers: answering what makes your application unique and the top choice for the fine dining server role. They both have to be specific and tailored - as there's no one-size-fits-all approach to writing your fine dining server summary or objective. Use the fine dining server examples below as a starting point:
Resume summaries for a fine dining server job
- Seasoned fine dining server with over seven years of experience at Michelin-starred restaurants, skilled in wine pairing, and delivering exceptional service. Played a pivotal role in The Gourmet Haven's receipt of the 'Best Service Award' in 2021 by consistently driving guest satisfaction and repeat business.
- Dynamic professional with a 5-year tenure in luxury hospitality management, eager to transition into fine dining service. Harnessing business acumen and a deep understanding of upscale client needs, my passion for gourmet cuisine and personalized service will elevate the dining experience at prestige establishments.
- Accomplished sommelier and mixologist with 10 years in the beverage industry, aspiring to leverage extensive knowledge of spirits and wines as a fine dining server. Recognized for crafting award-winning cocktail menus at elite bars, my goal is to infuse creativity and expertise into every guest interaction.
- As a former luxury retail manager with 8 years under my belt, I am poised to bring an outstanding flair for customer service and a meticulous eye for detail to the fine dining arena. My commitment to excellence secured the 'Best Store Experience' award for my team in 2019 and 2020.
- Passionate about embarking on a career in fine dining with no prior experience but a fast-learning, dedicated mindset. My objective is to harness my extensive people skills and rapid adaptability developed through volunteer work to create unforgettable dining experiences for guests.
- With a strong background in theatrical arts and a first-time entrant to the culinary scene, my objective is to combine stellar performance skills and an enthusiastic approach to master fine dining service, aiming to surpass guest expectations and contribute to memorable dining narratives.
Taking your fine dining server resume to the next level with these four additional resume sections
Your fine dining server resume can feature a variety of skills (both hard and soft) in diverse sections. Choose those that align best with the job requirements and reflect your suitability for the company culture.
Consider these four additional resume sections recommended by our experts:
- Languages - State any languages you are proficient in and your level of proficiency. This demonstrates your commitment to communication and potential for international growth.
- Projects - Highlight up to three significant projects you've completed outside of work, showcasing skill development. Include a link to your project portfolio in the fine dining server resume header, if applicable.
- My Time - How you allocate your time outside work can indicate your organizational skills and cultural fit within the company.
- Volunteering - Detail causes you're passionate about, roles you've held, and achievements in volunteering. Such experiences likely have honed a range of soft skills crucial for your dream job.
Key takeaways
- Impactful fine dining server resumes have an easy-to-read format that tells your career narrative with highlights;
- Select a resume summary or objective, depending on what sort of impression you'd like to leave and if your accomplishments are relevant to the job;
- If you don't happen to have much industry expertise, curate additional gigs you've had, like contracts and internships, to answer how your experience aligns with the fine dining server job;
- Be specific about the hard and soft skills you list on your resume to define your niche expertise and outcomes of using those particular skills;
- Always tailor your resume for each fine dining server application to ensure you meet all job requirements.
