Customer Service. Quick on their feet, comfortable with all types of personalities (oh, they have seen EVERYTHING), ability to communicate effectively. The soft skills on a resume easily translate from restaurant experience.
Multi-Tasking. This is a big one. Try taking care of 6 tables: 1 in need of drinks, the other needs to order and one is upset that their steak was undercooked. All the while, the ice bin in the back needs to be filled, table 64's food is up and the pop (yes POP) machine ran out of coke. Their minds are working constantly and furiously for hours at a time. Make one mistake and it could end up costing them a tip. You betcha that they know how to prioritize and deliver.
Patience. Sometimes it takes Grandma a little longer to decide what she'd like to eat. Sometimes there are 5 little kids screaming at them. They wait, they smile, they serve. Period.
They can SELL! Ever order the dinner special or the "Gingerbread Holiday Martini" ? They get rewarded for that. Often times, schedules are dictated by a server's PPA-Per Person Average. If you do not have a high PPA you won't be scheduled the "money making shifts" because after all, it's really about the restaurant profit.
Grunt Work: It's called "side-work" and it STINKS. But it's part of the job. They accept it, get it done and understand that there is no way around it.
This of course, is your ideal server with experience in a high volume restaurant. When recruiting for entry level positions, they might be 1 in 10, 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000. But definitely worth a second glance.
*PS: A life lesson for everyone-always be nice to your server. Trust me on this.
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What a great post! You are right, anyone who has waited tables can be a terrific hire. We are always nice to our waitstaff and tip high. It's a tough job.
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