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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a busser. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a busser.

 

Who is a Busser?

A busser is a professional tasked with carrying orders from the kitchen to restaurant clients in a timely and efficient manner. Throughout the dining experience, they assist Waiters and Waitresses in keeping the restaurant clean for customers.

A busser (also called a “busboy” or “busgirl”) is an entry-level position in the restaurant industry. Together with the kitchen and wait staff, bussers guarantee that the tables are clean and ready for the next customer. Bussers are responsible for establishing a clean and pleasant dining environment by cleaning, sanitizing, and resetting tables, as well as ensuring that the dining room is well-stocked and organized.

A Busser is an employee of a restaurant responsible for ensuring that tables are set, silverware is properly arranged, and glasses are always full. They aid the wait staff in rapidly arranging and cleaning tables. These kitchen attendants assist servers in meeting the needs of dine-in customers and preserving the cleanliness and visual attractiveness of dining areas. They stack and clear dishes for the kitchen to shorten the time between parties and prepare tables for arriving customers. Bussers also refill salt and pepper shakers, fold napkins, and polish silverware, in addition to wiping off menus and sweeping under tables. Attending as many tables as possible is intended to facilitate speedy service and boost revenue. They also assist with food and beverage delivery to tables.

In the back of restaurants, a Busser is responsible for cleaning dishes and clearing tables. In addition to ensuring that cutlery is constantly available, they store supplies for teammates who serve customers directly and ensure that flatware is always available.

 

Busser Job Description

Below are the busser job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a busser job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

• Ensuring that each order is delivered accurately and in full by facilitating communication between the kitchen and dining room staff.
• Developing unique communication skills through interaction with both staff and visitors.
• Maintaining consumer connection and recalling their preferences and past orders.
• Utilizing teamwork and communication to create a positive work environment.
• Discussing specials and menu items, answering questions, and making ideas.
• Providing ingredients for coolers and dishes.
• Answering all questions on menu items, food allergies, and operating hours to deliver great customer care to all customers.
• Greeting guests and making them feel at ease, as well as knowing the cuisine and being able to transmit it well.
• Anticipating and responding to clients’ needs; resolving customers’ questions and recommending menu items.
• Contributing to the establishment of all morning routines.
• Contributing to the restaurant’s cleanliness.
• Providing exceptional customer service.
• Conducting an inventory count in the storage area.
• Preparing food following the rules of the Department of Health, and thorough customer service.
• Providing great customer service, accurately processing drink orders, and swiftly serving beverages.
• Assisting waiters and bartenders in delivering outstanding customer service.
• Providing rapid service while handling various responsibilities.
• Wiping, cleaning, and resetting the dining tables after each meal.
• Loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
• Participating in the preparation of food and services for guests.
• Participating in new employee orientation and training.
• Contributing to the preservation of high standards of customer service.
• Training new employees on customer service policies and standards.
• Keeping the workplace clean and organized.
• Complying with the restaurant’s service requirements when serving and assisting customers and guests.
• Assisting with event set-up and take-down, as well as house calls.
• Utilizing a point-of-sale register to total and itemize orders.
• Ordering food and beverages for the kitchen staff.
• Utilizing a POS system effectively and attempting to improve the customer’s experience will encourage them to return.
• Sterilizing the table, wiping the chairs, and sweeping or vacuuming the surrounding floor if required.
• Replacing and shining silverware and glasses retrieved from the dishwasher.
• Facilitating a fast-paced and productive work atmosphere through effective communication with other culinary staff members.
• Possessing the communication and interpersonal skills necessary to develop teamwork, as well as the ability to maintain productivity under duress.
• Maintaining constant communication between management and all other employees to ensure operations function smoothly in a high-volume environment.
• Assisting customers and helping the waiter in charge of the waiting room in the absence of the hostess.
• Upkeeping and organizing the waiting area.
• Removing and disposing of any trash and waste accumulated in restaurants and service stations according to department standards.
• Restocking and cleaning of the service station and restaurant, respectively, per the management’s instructions.
• Resetting tables following restaurant policy.
• Engaging in additional duties as assigned by the service station.
• Bar and service station stocking is performed throughout shifts.
• Aiding bartenders and waiting for personnel when needed.
• Assisting waiters in removing, sanitizing, and rearranging tables promptly, while always deferring to diners, to preserve the restaurant’s environment.
• Preparing tables with clean dishes and silverware, as well as arranging menus for customer perusal, in preparation for the arrival of customers.
• Moving furniture, setting tables, and folding linen in preparation for large events like weddings.
• Possessing strong and highly effective customer service skills and a positive view of life.
• Maintaining a pleasant attitude in a restaurant with a hectic atmosphere.
• Accepting consumers with a positive attitude.
• Focusing on Customer Service and meal delivery with a positive attitude to provide a good customer experience.
• Adding candles, napkins, tablecloths, and flowers to table settings.
• Placing plates and condiments on the table.
• Maintaining health and safety compliance in all kitchen and dining areas.
• Ensuring rapid and exact delivery of food orders from the kitchen to client tables.
• Communicating food orders to cooks while paying great attention to specific needs and priorities (e.g. food allergies)
• Serving cocktails and canapés to guests upon their arrival.
• Checking in with customers and taking additional orders or water refills as needed.
• Providing families with young children with children’s meals and appropriate utensils.
• Managing stress in a hectic environment while providing outstanding service to restaurant patrons.
• Replacing lost or empty salt and pepper shakers and condiment bottles.
• Notifying employees when a table’s clients’ glasses need to be refilled
• Maintaining the inventory and cleanliness of specified service stations.
• Providing service stations with napkins, utensils, trays, condiments, and salt and pepper dispensers for the wait staff.
• Removing guests’ soiled plates and silverware
• Delivering used dishes and cutlery to the kitchen for cleaning
• Assisting dishwashers with scraping, stacking, and loading dishes into dishwashers as needed.
• Recycling and garbage collection; replacement of trash bags
• Managing the availability of napkins, straws, salt, pepper, and other table condiments and supplies.
• Notifying the manager of any issues, damages, or shortages.
• Wrapping silverware with napkins, properly.
• Responding to consumer requests and informing management of any complaints.
• Arranging tables and chairs to accommodate greater client groups.
• Ensuring the serving station is outfitted with the proper restaurant supplies.

 

Qualifications

• A high school diploma or General Education Degree is preferred (GED).
• A food handler license or card.
• Restaurant experience.
• Capability to do fundamental mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
• Workshift flexibility.
• Knowledge of food sanitation and safety regulations
• Capacity and endurance to move heavy trays and stand for extended durations.
• Capacity to multitask and keep cool and professionalism under duress
• A hospitality or restaurant management degree.
• Knowledge of food sanitation and safety regulations.
• Capacity and endurance to move heavy trays and stand for extended durations.
• Multi-tasking skill.
• Excellent oral communication skills

 

Essential Skills

• Efficiency and Adherence

The variety of responsibilities expected of a busser needs the ability to work quickly and an eye for the small details that reflect customer appreciation. Good bussers must have perfected the art of emptying dirty dishes without interrupting customers’ conversations or making them feel rushed, as well as efficiently setting tables to avoid seating delays. There are several ways for a busser to uphold service standards. These include watching when water glasses need to be refilled, assisting wait staff with order delivery, and offering to carry a child’s chair to the table without being asked. Time management and organization skills allow bussers to do their tasks effectively.

• Endurance and Power

Throughout your entire shift as a busser, you must have a positive attitude despite being on your feet and in constant motion. To accommodate a large group, you may need to rearrange the tables and pull chairs from other locations. To allow the kitchen and wait staff to focus on food preparation and service, you may be asked to lift, transport, and clean armloads of goods, such as garbage bags and pallets. Employers consider the ability to keep up with their business to be the defining feature of a good busser. Throughout their whole shift, bussers will be on their feet and briskly walk. Physical endurance is essential for a busser, as he or she will spend little time sitting. Often, bussers must transport multiple plates and dishes simultaneously. In addition, they may transfer full garbage bags to the dumpster or rearrange tables to provide extra seating. This ability relates to your capacity to remain active for extended periods. As a busser, you will be required to work long shifts and be on your feet during the shift. Furthermore, you may transport heavy trays of food, beverages, or dishes, necessitating physical strength and endurance.

• Teamwork

To be successful, a restaurant must provide good meals and employ a team-oriented workforce. Bussers work alongside cooks, bartenders, and servers, in addition to other bussers. The position requires a team-oriented mindset and the ability to interact successfully with all team members. A professional busser is a team player that prioritizes responsibilities according to team goals. A busser is part of a team that also comprises the host or hostess, servers, bartenders, and sommeliers. A busser must be able to execute orders, anticipate client needs, and know when to substitute for another team member during busy mealtimes.

• Communication expertise

This ability involves knowledge of workplace etiquette to effectively communicate with coworkers. It is crucial to actively listen to others to absorb their words and instructions. As a busser, you may use verbal communication with guests when serving them food during busy hours or emptying their tables of excess dishes and cutlery.

• Customer service skills

While the team focuses on customer satisfaction, the best bussers recognize that they must go the extra mile and be nice to make consumers feel welcome and valued. From directing customers to the restroom to picking up crumbs, a busser must put customer service first. A busser’s ability to respond to customer demands without misunderstandings that can detract from the eating experience is enhanced by his or her communication abilities. The majority of a busser’s shift will be spent dealing with patrons. When interacting with guests, employees must be courteous, polite, and professional.

• Attentiveness

An attentive busser is more likely to notice when a customer’s glass is empty or when a child needs a booster seat or crayons. A busser can either accommodate these requests or inform the server they are assisting. This skill also enables a busser to negotiate a congested location without colliding with anyone or spilling food or drink. Nobody wants to feel unimportant, least of all clients who are paying for your services. There will certainly be shifts during which you cannot give each customer your full attention. A busser must nevertheless master the art of balancing time and focus. A table’s appreciation can be ensured through prompt refills, consistent checks, and sensitivity to social signs.

• Professionalism

This soft talent requires attention and respect for people in the workplace, as well as the ability to adapt to challenging work settings. A busser must be professional in all client and coworker interactions. Consider using workplace-appropriate language and tone to convey your professionalism.

• Interpersonal skills

As a busser, you may spend the majority of your workday interacting with clients and coworkers, making interpersonal skills essential to your success. This depends on your relationship-building and communication skills. Empathy, respect, and the use of emotional intelligence to comprehend others are also mentioned.

• Positive attitude

Everyone has witnessed a rude table or customer towards their service. If you work as a busser, customers will take out their anger on you, which is sad. The most effective antidote to impoliteness is a positive attitude. Not only will a cheerful attitude calm the customer, but it will also allow you to manage the situation quickly without letting your emotions take over. In addition to helping you address customer service issues, a positive attitude will keep you motivated even through the most difficult shifts.

 

How to Become a Busser

• Education

Generally speaking, there are no educational requirements for bussers. In rare cases, a restaurant may need a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) certificate. A high school diploma or General Equivalency Development (GED) certificate is advantageous but not required for bussers. Most restaurants provide on-the-job training. This training may cover customer service fundamentals and cleaning procedures. The National Restaurant Association offers an incredibly essential accreditation in food safety. The candidate must complete an online course and a test. A passing grade indicates that the Busser is familiar with food preparation, safe serving, and safe storage methods.

• Certification

Bussers do not need a certification to do their duties. However, if you wish to advance your career in the food industry, you may wish to investigate certifications. This National Restaurant Association certification demonstrates your knowledge of food preparation, serving, and storage processes. This certification requires completion of an online course and a subsequent exam.

• Training

The bulk of newly hired bussers will receive on-the-job training from their managers or other kitchen employees. This training could include safety and cleanliness rules as well as principles of customer service. As bussing is an entry-level position, no experience is necessary. You can become a Busser while still in high school or after completing your education. A Busser can learn all relevant skills on the job.

 

Where to Work as a Busser

• Restaurants
• Catering businesses.
• Small restaurants.
• Upmarket bistros.
• Casual dining businesses.

 

Busser Salary Scale

In the United States, the average wage for a busser is $27,300 per year. Most experienced workers earn up to $36,025 annually, while entry-level positions begin at $22,944.

A Busser in Nigeria earns approximately 106,000 NGN per month.

Hospitality and Leisure

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