Waiter & Service Crew
Hospitality & Tourism
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Collect payments from customers.
- 2Check patrons' identification to ensure that they meet minimum age requirements for consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- 3Write patrons' food orders on order slips, memorize orders, or enter orders into computers for transmittal to kitchen staff.
- 4Check with customers to ensure that they are enjoying their meals, and take action to correct any problems.
- 5Take orders from patrons for food or beverages.
- 6Prepare checks that itemize and total meal costs and sales taxes.
- 7Remove dishes and glasses from tables or counters, and take them to kitchen for cleaning.
- 8Clean tables or counters after patrons have finished dining.
- 9Serve food or beverages to patrons, and prepare or serve specialty dishes at tables as required.
- 10Perform cleaning duties, such as sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming carpet, tidying up server station, taking out trash, or checking and cleaning bathroom.
- 11Present menus to patrons and answer questions about menu items, making recommendations upon request.
- 12Prepare tables for meals, including setting up items such as linens, silverware, and glassware.
- 13Stock service areas with supplies such as coffee, food, tableware, and linens.
- 14Roll silverware, set up food stations, or set up dining areas to prepare for the next shift or for large parties.
- 15Inform customers of daily specials.
- 16Explain how various menu items are prepared, describing ingredients and cooking methods.
- 17Assist host or hostess by answering phones to take reservations or to-go orders, and by greeting, seating, and thanking guests.
- 18Fill salt, pepper, sugar, cream, condiment, and napkin containers.
- 19Garnish and decorate dishes in preparation for serving.
- 20Prepare hot, cold, and mixed drinks for patrons, and chill bottles of wine.
- 21Perform food preparation duties, such as preparing salads, appetizers, and cold dishes, portioning desserts, and brewing coffee.
- 22Escort customers to their tables.
- 23Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
- 24Describe and recommend wines to customers.
- 25Provide guests with information about local areas, including directions.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Busser
- Carhop
- Server
- Waiter
- Waitress
- Bar Waiter
- Club Waiter
- Food Runner
- Food Server
- Bar Waitress
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
Typical entry
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Customer and Personal Service79%
- English Language72%
English
- Sales and Marketing65%
BusinessEconomics
- Food Production52%
AgricultureHome Science (SRT)
- Mathematics52%
Additional MathematicsMathematics
- Administration and Management50%
BusinessEconomics
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
- Time spent sittingAlmost none
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Check with customers to see if they want to apply any rewards to their purchase.
- Perform routine tasks, such as refilling syrups, sanitizer bottles, and other essential supplies.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Waiters and Waitresses
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org