View Alert

Statewide occupation search

Sort your search results or select and compare details of two occupations. Find out if an occupation is in demand or not in demand in your local area, at Learn about an occupation.

Print

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items.
    • Stock service stations with items, such as ice, napkins, or straws.
    • Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed.
    • Carry food, silverware, or linen on trays or use carts to carry trays.
    • Total checks, present them to customers, and accept payment for services.
    • Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled.
    • Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities.
    • Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments.
    • Prepare food items, such as sandwiches, salads, soups, or beverages.
    • Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items.
    • Record amounts and types of special food items served to customers.
    • Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions.
    • Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished.
    • Determine where patients or patrons would like to eat their meals and help them get situated.
    • Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed.

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    Abilities

    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    Knowledge

    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    37770/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    18.16/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    6,540
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1190

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Commercial use blenders
    • Commercial use coffee or iced tea makers
    • Commercial use cutlery
    • Commercial use dishwashers
    • Commercial use food slicers
    • Commercial use food warmers
    • Commercial use toasters
    • Desktop calculator
    • Desktop computers
    • Ice dispensers
    • Non carbonated beverage dispenser
    • Personal computers
    • Point of sale POS terminal
    • Touch screen monitors

    Technology

    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Web page creation and editing software