Waiter/Waitress Text-Only Cover Letters
Years of Experience
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Anthony Gentile
Waiter | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | 123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia PA, 12345
January 1, 2022
Pat Martin
Hiring Manager
Franko’s Italiano
(987) 654-3210
patmartin@franko’s.com
Dear Pat Martin,
As a waiter at Olive Garden, I delivered a high-quality dining experience to guests in a fast-paced, high-volume restaurant. Due to the unlimited refills for more than half of the menu items, this position required quick thinking under pressure to ensure guest satisfaction. These experiences have allowed me to develop an advanced understanding of guest relations and time management, which I believe will allow me to thrive in the server position with your restaurant.
Franko’s Italiano has a reputation for the authenticity of its cuisine that resonates with me as a hospitality professional. Having acquired my initial serving experience at a chain restaurant, I am eager for the opportunity to apply my hospitality and service skills in a fine dining establishment. I believe that I can provide valuable contributions to your team based on the following experiences from my career:
- Achieved 120%-150% of sales goals month over month by educating guests on menu items, upselling entrees, and appetizers, and providing recommendations based on guest needs
- Provided quality service to 25-40 guests per day, coordinated with hostesses, servers, and kitchen staff, and supported team members during high volume periods
- Ensured compliance with ServSafe regulations and Covid-19 safety protocols
I would like to schedule an interview to provide more insights into how my experience within the hospitality industry can be an asset to your restaurant. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your earliest convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Anthony Gentile
Allison Rosenberg
Waitress | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | 123 Bedford Avenue, New York, NY, 12345
January 1, 2022
Mr. Hector Martinez
Hiring Manager
Empellon
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Mr. Hector Martinez,
As a waitress at Casa Villa, I provided an exceptional fine dining experience to clientele at an upscale Mexican restaurant. I identified many opportunities to enhance the quality of service for our guests and supported efforts to strengthen collaboration between the front of the house and back of the house staff. I believe that my experience in fine dining and leadership skills will allow me to thrive in the waitress position with your restaurant.
Empellon’s reputation for excellence in its food quality and service standards strongly aligns with my professional background. I believe that I can provide valuable contributions to your team based on the following achievements from my professional career:
- Coordinated with the front of the house, back of the house, and management to improve guest satisfaction metrics from 78% to 92% by enhancing communication protocols and providing training to servers on effective usage of the POS system for custom items
- Upsold menu items and daily specials to guests, provided education on dishes, ingredients, and spice levels, and achieved 130% of monthly sales goals
- Provided training to 15+ new servers on restaurant service standards, daily operations, menu items, and the company POS system
I hope to speak with you further regarding how my experience within fine dining can help your restaurant continue to deliver quality service to your guests. You may contact me for more information on my background at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Allison Rosenberg
Skyler Thompson
Waitress | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | 123 Bridge Street, Boston, MA 12345
January 1, 2022
Mr. Caleb Morris
Hiring Manager
The Mariner Restaurant
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Mr. Morris,
As a waitress with over 10+ years of experience within the hospitality industry, I’ve developed an expertise in fine dining and sales techniques. At The Ocean Wind, I upsold specialty cocktails and gourmet seafood specials to generate over $90K in annual revenue. I worked collaboratively with hostesses, servers, and kitchen staff to improve daily operations and service standards. I am confident that my experience within the restaurant industry would be an asset to your team.
The Mariner Restaurant’s reputation for providing both an exquisite dining atmosphere and upscale seafood is what draws me to apply for this position. I have a strong passion for the hospitality industry, and I believe that I can help your establishment continue to grow this prestigious reputation based on the following accomplishments from my career:
- Delivered high-quality service to 45+ guests per day, upsold high-end seafood entrees and specialty cocktail beverages, generated over $95K in annual sales, achieved guest satisfaction ratings of 90%, and contributed to a five-star Google ranking
- Provided training to 17+ new hires on a complex menu with over 30 items and delivered coaching and mentorship to improve sales and communication skills
- Educated guests on a variety of seafood entrees and cuisine to achieve 150% of sales goals, including oysters, littleneck clams, cherrystone clams, quahogs, lobster, cod, and crawfish
I hope to speak with you further regarding how my experience within fine dining can help your restaurant continue to deliver quality service to your guests. You may contact me for more information on my background at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Skyler Thompson
Waiter/Waitress Cover Letter Tips
Waiter and waitress positions that require a cover letter are often high-paying opportunities at upscale establishments. To help differentiate yourself from the competition, you need to go the extra mile and permeate your cover letter with accomplishments that will resonate with the hiring manager. This is your first opportunity to make a positive impression on prospective employers. As a server, you’ll want to showcase achievements that emphasize your sales expertise, communication skills, and knowledge of the hospitality industry. Below, you’ll find some expert tips to help you build a winning cover letter:
1. Use Specific Examples to Highlight Your Serving Skills
When detailing your serving skills, you should provide tangible examples of your unique experiences within the restaurant industry. In the example below, the server wants to transition from a chain restaurant to a fine dining establishment. Although they don’t have experience working in an upscale environment, the candidate does provide key details about their time at Olive Garden that showcases their capabilities as a waiter. For example, they included that because many of the menu items are refillable without additional charge, this position can be especially challenging for even an experienced server during peak hours. By providing these insights, the candidate is able to showcase time management skills that are transferable across the hospitality space.
Example
- As a waiter at Olive Garden, I delivered a high-quality dining experience to guests in a fast-paced, high-volume restaurant. Due to the unlimited refills for more than half of the menu items, this position required quick thinking under pressure to ensure guest satisfaction. These experiences have allowed me to develop an advanced understanding of guest relations and time management, which I believe will allow me to thrive in the server position with your restaurant.
2. Quantify Your Waiter/Waitress Experience
Sales are a crucial aspect of any waiter or waitress position. To capture the hiring manager’s interest, you’ll want to leverage numbers and metrics from throughout your serving career. If you generated substantial revenue, the monetary figure should be prioritized over a percentage. If you aren’t confident that the dollar figure is high enough to impress the reader, you should focus on showcasing how much you exceeded monthly or weekly sales goals. In the example below, the applicant has experience working in a fine dining establishment and effectively showcases their sales and customer service capabilities:
Example
- Delivered high-quality service to 45+ guests per day, upsold high-end seafood entrees and specialty cocktail beverages, generated over $95K in annual sales, achieved guest satisfaction ratings of 90%, and contributed to a five-star Google ranking
3. Feature Your Leadership Abilities
Your ability to work collaboratively with both front of the house and back of the house staff is valuable to hiring managers within the restaurant industry. Communication breakdowns between servers and kitchen personnel are a frequent cause of operational issues for many establishments, which is why your leadership abilities are important to feature in your cover letter. In the example below, the candidate provides a compelling example of them coordinating with each of these teams to improve food service delivery and communication protocols:
Example
- Coordinated with the front of the house, back of the house, and management to improve guest satisfaction metrics from 78% to 92% by enhancing communication protocols and providing training to servers on effective usage of the POS system for custom items and guest requests
