Waiter

A waiter takes food and beverage orders in restaurants, cafes, or other hospitality venues, delivers meals and drinks to tables, and processes payments. The role requires attention to detail, knowledge of menu items, and the ability to manage multiple tables efficiently whilst maintaining courteous service and compliance with food safety standards.

Greet customers upon arrival and seat them at appropriate tables according to reservation systems and floor management. Present menus and describe dishes, specials, and beverages including ingredients, allergens, and preparation methods. Take accurate food and drink orders using point-of-sale (POS) systems or order pads and relay orders to kitchen and bar staff. Serve food and beverages according to house standards, using correct glassware, cutlery, and plating protocols. Clear tables promptly and reset them with clean linen, cutlery, and glassware for incoming customers. Process payments via POS terminals, handle cash and card transactions, and process refunds or adjustments. Maintain knowledge of menu items, pricing, preparation times, and current promotions to answer customer queries accurately. Follow food safety practices including proper handling of plates, awareness of allergen protocols, and adherence to temperature control standards.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The pay is low and capped. You're also on your feet for 6 to 8 hour shifts, often nights and weekends, dealing with tired or rude customers. The physical toll adds up.

Jobs concentrate in major cities where there are more restaurants, cafes, and hotels. Smaller towns have fewer venues. Hospitality work is heavily metro-based. Remote work doesn't exist in this role.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4315, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Advise guests on menus for special eventscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Check dining room cleanlinesscore
• Complaint Handlingcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Multitaskingcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Clean surfaces
• Conflict De-escalation
• Feedback Collection and Actioning
• Incident Reporting
• Invoicing and Billing Administration
• Policy and Procedure Adherence
• Upselling and Cross-Selling
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Waiter workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026