Maximum numbers of food service, bartending and waitress jobs are occupied by the youth, aged between 16 and 19 years old. By 2012, more job opportunities are expected for food servers, bartenders, waiters and waitresses. Whether it is a coffee shop, a restaurant or any other food service establishments, food and beverage servers have an important role to play while performing their jobs. It is these workers who are actually responsible for making the restaurant's or food service establishment's first impression on the customer. Basic responsibilities of food service workers include welcoming the customers, accompanying them to their seats, providing and explaining the menu to them, taking the food and beverage orders and finally bringing them what they have ordered. In addition, food servers also need to be prepared to answer customer's questions regarding the items listed on the menu.

Though candidates may face tough competition in the food service industry, job and career making opportunities are available in plenty. Bartenders, waiters and waitresses jobs can be landed at small restaurants, high end restaurants, superior dining establishments and other food service establishments. The largest number of jobs in this field is occupied by waiters and waitresses. The roles and responsibilities of food servers or other food service workers may vary a little from one food service establishment to another. Basic responsibilities of food and beverage service workers are as follows.

Welcoming the customers
Accompanying them to their seats
Providing them the menu and explaining menu items
Writing customer's orders
Serve food and drinks as per the orders
Checking customers' identifications ordering alcoholic beverages/ tobacco products
Preparing detailed checks
Accepting payments (occasionally)
Cleaning/ preparing Tables for next customers

The job responsibilities, as mentioned above, may vary depending upon the food establishments they work for. At many times, the work profile of waiters and waitresses may be similar to those of other food service workers. In high end restaurants, however, multiple professionals are hired for job positions like cashier, dining room attendants, hosts and hostesses among others.

A bartender's job is to basically prepare drinks according to the orders given by guests. Beverage and drink orders in the dining room are taken care of by waiters and waitresses. Bartending jobs also require the bartender to make sure that the customer ordering alcoholic drinks fulfills the minimum age requirement. The bartender does not only have the responsibility of preparing and serving drinks, but they should also have wide knowledge about a variety of drinks and drink recipes. Preparation of drinks and beverages also requires a lot of skill. The mixing should be done accurately and with a lot of efficiency. Responsibilities of a bar tender are not limited to preparation and serving of beverages alone. These professionals also take care of the bar supplies and cleanliness issues in the bar. Apart from that, bartenders may be required to take care of food orders for customers seated in the bar.

Interpersonal skills have an important role to play in the career of bartenders, waiters, waitresses and other food service workers. Food and beverage serving workers need to be very sociable and friendly, as they would be continuously interacting with customers. Many of the bartenders also directly interact with customers for serving the orders at the bar.

Education Requirement & Training
No formal training or education is mandatory for most of the food and beverage service industry jobs. Employers, who are looking for waiters, waitresses and bartenders, will higher candidates who have graduated from high school. Graduating from high school is not necessarily required if you are applying for job positions including fast food workers, dining room attendants and bartenders. High school students and college students can be noticed doing food service jobs in great numbers. High school students, in their late teens, see to these jobs as an immediate source of income. Education and training may be required for high paying jobs at high end restaurants or large restaurant chains. To be eligible to join as a bartender, the candidate needs to be of at least 21 years of age. There are multiple bartending schools across the nation offering short term courses in bartending.

Food Service Workers Jobs & Employment
The food and beverage service industry brings workers both full time and part time employment opportunities. Job opportunities for food service workers, waiters, waitresses and bartenders are available at places like restaurants, bars, coffee shops etc. Hotels, academic institutions, leisure industries, nursing care facilities and hospitals also provide good career and job opportunities for food service workers. Tips at restaurants form a major part of food service workers' income. Seasonal jobs like summer and winter jobs are offered by resorts.

The occupation of food servers proves to be a major attractor for the young people, as it comes with few educational requirements. As the name suggests, these professionals are involved with serving food in places other than restaurants. Non-restaurant food serves serve food in hotels, hospital rooms, cars etc. Part time jobs are easily available in this field of food service and management. Besides, a good employment growth is expected for non-restaurant food servers by the year 2016. Like in other food service jobs, food servers are also on their toes most of the time. Their work requires them to deliver room service meals in different places outside restaurants, hence the name non-restaurant food servers. They mostly deliver meals in hotels, hospital rooms or even to parked cars. Food serves also act as carhops.

As it attracts a lot of youth, most of the food servers belong to an age group varying between 16 years and 19 years old. Tips given by customers form a major part of the earning of food servers. Depending on the food establishment they join, amount of tips money may vary from place to place. Prior experience is not necessarily required, as students or candidates can learn the food serving skills on the job from experienced professionals. A career as food server may start with just a few months of training. Therefore, anyone at anytime can decide to join the food service industry working as food servers and earn.

College students and high school students join a lot of food server jobs, as the work gives a lot of flexibility. Numerous opportunities of part time jobs are available. Therefore, students can continue with their food server career, along with continuing their education. Food servers can also choose to earn extra income by working at weekends, in the evening and during holidays. While working in a hotel , food servers' tasks include taking orders from customers, helping them with the menu, take order for meals and serve them food and drinks. Food servers function as part of a team taking care of the diners and attending to their needs. Not only food serving, but these professionals also answer the food related queries of customers and keep the dining area clean and tidy.

Education & Training for Food Servers
Candidates do not need a specific academic degree to land a job in the food and beverage service industry. Though completion of high school is not a criterion for acquiring food servers' jobs, many employers prefer hiring high school graduates. Most of the young people take the job of food servers as a part time earning option and not necessarily as a career. That is why, a maximum number of food servers are in their twenties or teens. Not only high school students, but the homemakers as well find the food server's job as a source of immediate income. A number of employers give training to candidates through audio-visual presentations, online programs etc. An ability to work as a team, excellent communication skills and maintaining customer relations are a prerequisite to become successful as food servers.

Those who take the career of food servers seriously also attend classroom training offered by numerous vocational training schools. Bartenders can go to bartending technical schools to learn the skills and gain more expertise in the field of food and beverage service industry. Many times it is the skill and the personal qualities of people which play an important role in acquiring jobs. Those candidates who want a job in the beverage industry must be at least 21 year old to be eligible to work, as per in most jurisdictions. If you want to join as a bartender, you should be 25 years or older than that according to most employers' requirements.

Career Outlook & Salary in Food Service Industry
Food servers need to be very quick and efficient to match up with the job requirement. Almost half the percentage of all waiters, waitresses and bartenders are employed in part time food server jobs. The food and beverage service industry offers candidates flexible working hours. Part time jobs also include seasonal food servers' jobs, attracting a lot of teenagers. The employment growth rate of the food and drinking service industry is expected to go even higher. Around 219,000 more food server jobs are expected by the year 2016. The median annual salary of a food server is $18,090.