What Are the Different Types of Serving Jobs?

Different types of serving jobs typically relate to the different businesses and environments in which people often serve food or drinks. A large number of such jobs can be found for waiters and waitresses to take orders and serve food in restaurants. There are also banquet serving opportunities in which servers may be stationary, serving food from a particular dish or section as patrons move along a service line. Other serving jobs may be available for bartenders, often in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, while some jobs may be available in non-food service oriented locations such as hospitals and grocery stores.

Serving jobs typically involve providing or serving food to clients in a number of different environments. Some of the most common jobs of this type are positions for waiters and waitresses who work in restaurants. These positions involve servers moving between different tables to take food orders from customers, and then conveying those orders quickly and accurately to cooks and chefs in a kitchen. Such serving jobs can be plentiful in various restaurants, often based on the size of the business and the number of customers served at any given time.

There are also serving jobs available at banquets and other formal dining settings, with different opportunities based on the way in which service is handled. At buffets and similar types of banquets, for example, there may be food service stations that guests can move between to select different dishes. Servers at these stations may be responsible for preparing foods, either through quickly cooking or cutting portions, and providing customers with dishes according to their preferences. Some banquets may include serving jobs similar to a restaurant, though orders might not be taken and the same dishes are instead served to each patron at the banquet.

A number of serving jobs are also available that are not involved in food service. Bartending positions, for example, are more often utilized to provide and serve drinks, often alcoholic beverages, to customers. These jobs are fairly similar to food service positions, except many bartenders not only take orders and serve drinks, but also mix the drinks at the bar.

Serving jobs can also be found in different types of environments in which food preparation or service might not be the priority. Many businesses and organizations can have a cafeteria for employees. Hospitals and schools often include such cafeterias and food service might be provided to employees or students moving along a line. Grocery stores can also offer hot or cold food service, which is often prepared at the location and sold to customers.