Written by Kara Detwiller
When you go for a meal out at your favorite restaurant, your server will likely introduce themselves by giving their name and saying “I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” Skilled front of house servers are hospitality wizards, providing excellent service and meeting customers’ needs — all with a smile and a positive attitude.
Finding the right talent for your front of house roles can be challenging, and you’ll need to vet applicants carefully to find the perfect talent that will improve the odds that patrons will return.
Most Important Skills for Front of House Hires
#1 – Connects with Guests
Strong people skills are a must for hospitality hires like hosts and servers. Successful servers will be friendly and relatable, able to quickly connect with a wide variety of clientele. When you’re hiring front of house staff, look for someone who is able to carry on a conversation with enthusiasm and excitement. It feels good to be welcomed to the establishment in that way. Anyone can prepare for common interview questions, but you want to find exceptional talent who can effortlessly connect with customers.
#2 – Calmly Resolves Conflicts
Conflict is unavoidable in hospitality spaces. Guests have certain expectations when they visit, and mistakes occasionally happen because we’re all human. A requested cheese-less cheeseburger can come out with a melty piece of cheddar on accident and how a server handles that in the moment is crucial. Conflict resolution is an important skill for any good server. A good server can satisfy customers’ requests and respond to complaints while maintaining a calm demeanor.
#3 – Memorizes and Multitasks
These two skills are equally important to success in a front of house serving job. Serving is fast paced, and there is a constant demand to juggle multiple special requests from numerous tables. In order to provide a great experience for customers, a good server should have a sharp memory and the ability to keep track of many tasks and responsibilities at the same time. A few signs of successful multitasking are never letting water glasses get below half empty, ensuring food comes out in a timely manner, and making frequent and meaningful table touches.
QuickHire’s Matching Technology Helps You Hire Great Front of House Servers
Finding exceptional hospitality hires can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but there are gems out there. QuickHire’s proprietary matching technology helps employers find quality talent based on key employee attributes. We can help you find — and retain — employees who match the qualities you’re looking for. Contact us today to learn more!