Server job description template: service style, the tip credit notice, tip pools, alcohol age and minors
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"Server wanted, great tips, must have positive attitude" is the most common line in restaurant hiring, and it leaves the candidate guessing about everything that matters: the service style, how many tables per section, whether the wage is a tipped cash wage or the full minimum wage, who shares the tip pool, and whether they will be pouring wine at 17. Experienced servers read postings for exactly those details, and several of them are regulated. A useful server job description names the restaurant and service style, the shifts, the pay structure stated the way your state allows it, the tip pool, and the age rule for alcohol. Below are the service styles, the tip, alcohol and age lines with sources, a copy-ready template, screening and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For the phone screen, use restaurant server screening questions.
Not legal advice. The tip, alcohol and child labor points below were checked against 29 CFR Part 531 on Cornell's Legal Information Institute, the Department of Labor, California's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and BLS as of October 2026. State minimum wage, tip and alcohol laws often go further; check your state before posting.
Name the service style
| Service style | What the shift looks like | Line the posting needs |
|---|---|---|
| Casual or family dining | Sections of several tables, high turnover, some running and bussing, point-of-sale ordering | Section size estimate, sidework, and whether servers also bus and run food |
| Fine dining | Fewer tables, coursed service, wine service, team service with captains and backservers | Wine and menu knowledge expected, team service and how tips are shared |
| Bar and grill or brewpub | Heavy alcohol sales, ID checks, late nights, games and events | Minimum age for alcohol service in your state and any server permit |
| Banquet and catering | Events, plated or buffet service, set and strike, variable hours | How pay works: hourly, service charge distribution or tips, stated accurately |
| Hotel restaurant or room service | Breakfast-heavy shifts, room charges, in-room delivery | Shift times and room-service duties |
Then fix the details with the general manager: average covers per shift or tables per section (as an estimate), the shifts you need, sidework and closing duties, and who participates in the tip pool. If you are also hiring behind the bar, the bartender screening questions cover the extra alcohol checks.
Tips, tip credit and tip pools
The tip credit. Under the FLSA, a tipped employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may pay a cash wage of at least $2.13 an hour and take a tip credit of up to $5.12, provided wages plus tips reach $7.25 (DOL Fact Sheet #15). Before taking the credit, the employer must inform the employee of the cash wage, the amount of the tip credit, that the credit cannot exceed tips actually received, that the employee keeps all tips except under a valid pool, and that the credit does not apply to anyone not given this notice (29 CFR 531.59(b)). The tip credit applies only to hours in the tipped job.
States without a tip credit. The Department of Labor's state tipped wage table (revised July 1, 2026) lists Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, plus Guam, as requiring the full state minimum wage before tips (Montana has a lower rate for small businesses not covered by the FLSA). Other states set their own cash wage. Post the wage your state allows, not the federal minimum.
Tip pools. Employers, managers and supervisors may not keep employees' tips or receive tips from a pool, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit. If the employer takes a tip credit, only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips may be required to join the pool; if it pays the full minimum wage, it may include cooks, dishwashers and other non-tipped staff. Pooled tips must be paid out by the regular payday (29 CFR 531.54). Say in the posting who shares the pool and how it is split, as an example of the formula.
Service charges and card fees. A compulsory service charge is not a tip; if it is paid out to servers, it is wages. An employer may deduct only the card processor's fee from tips charged on a card, and some states prohibit even that (DOL Fact Sheet #15).
Alcohol age and minors
The minimum age to serve alcohol is set by each state. BLS notes that most states require workers who serve alcoholic beverages to be at least 18, and some set a higher age (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified August 27, 2026). Some states require server training: in California, on-premises alcohol servers and their managers must be certified in Responsible Beverage Service within 60 days of their first day of employment, and certification is valid for three years (California ABC).
Federal child labor rules allow 14- and 15-year-olds to do food service work, within limits of 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day); and Hazardous Occupations Order 10 bars anyone under 18 from operating power-driven meat-processing machines such as slicers (DOL Fact Sheet #43). If the open shifts are school-night closes, the age line should say so. See hiring minors and work permits for permits.
The server job description template
Server — [Restaurant name], [Casual / Fine Dining / Banquet /
Bar and Grill], [Lunch / Dinner / Weekend] Shifts
[Restaurant], [street area or neighborhood, city, state]
Pay: $[cash wage] per hour [plus tips / tip credit taken: notice
provided at hire], [tip pool shared with [roles], split by
[formula, as an example]]. [Banquet: service charge distribution
described accurately.] [Benefits summary, if required.]
SUMMARY
You will serve guests in our [N]-seat [restaurant type] with a
section of about [N] tables (an estimate). We serve about [N]
covers on a Friday night (an estimate). Shifts are [days and
times], including [weekends, holidays]. You will report to the
[floor manager / general manager].
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Greet guests, explain the menu and [specials, wine list], and
take orders accurately in [POS system].
- Check ID for alcohol orders and refuse service when required.
- Ask about allergies on every order and flag them to the kitchen.
- Run food, pre-bus and reset tables [with our support staff].
- Handle payments and close out checks at the end of the shift.
- Complete opening, running and closing sidework.
YOU MUST HAVE
- [Age line: "18 or older to serve alcohol under [state] law" /
your state's age.]
- [State server certification within [N] days of hire, which we
pay for / help schedule.]
- Availability for [N] shifts a week including [Friday and
Saturday nights].
- Ability to carry trays of up to [N] pounds and stand and walk
for a [N]-hour shift, with or without reasonable accommodation.
NICE TO HAVE
- Serving experience in a [similar] restaurant.
- Wine or cocktail knowledge.
- [Language] for guests who speak it.
New to serving? [We train / Start as a server assistant.]
[EEO STATEMENT]
To request an adjustment to apply or interview, ask any manager or
contact [contact].Pay transparency and EEO
Post the cash wage and describe tips and the pool; if your state requires a pay range, include it. Close with an EEO statement covering the characteristics the EEOC lists. Avoid appearance-based lines such as "must fit our image"; describe the dress code instead.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age for alcohol service | "Servers here pour beer and wine. Are you 18 or older?" (use your state's age) | Not scored | Knockout confirmed |
| Availability | "We need Thursday through Saturday dinners and Sunday brunch. Which can you work every week?" | Not scored | Commits to the shifts named |
| Section management | "You're sat three tables at once while one table wants their check. How do you order the next five minutes?" | Prioritization | Greets everyone quickly, drops the check, takes drink orders, asks for help if needed |
| Allergy handling | "A guest says they have a severe nut allergy and orders the pesto. What do you do?" | Guest safety | Checks ingredients with the kitchen, flags the ticket, tells the manager, never guesses |
| Refusing service | "A guest who has had several drinks orders another and is slurring. What do you do?" | Responsible service | Declines politely, offers food or water, involves the manager, follows the house policy |
| Recovery | "A steak comes out wrong and the guest is annoyed. Walk me through it." | Service recovery | Apologizes, refires quickly, informs the manager, checks back |
The interview guide for hospitality roles covers stage shifts and group interviews. If you are hiring a new manager to run the floor, the 30-60-90 day plan for restaurant managers shows what they should fix first, and the line cook job description template covers the back of house.
Common mistakes in server job descriptions
"Great tips" instead of the pay structure
Give the cash wage your state allows and explain the pool. Candidates compare pay plans, not adjectives.
Managers in the tip pool
Federal rules bar managers and supervisors from pooled tips. Do not describe a pool that includes them.
No alcohol age
If servers pour, state the age and any server permit your state requires.
Hiding banquet pay
Service charges are not tips. Describe how banquet staff are actually paid.
Before you publish
- Service style, section size estimate and shifts are named.
- Cash wage, tip credit notice and tip pool members match your state and 29 CFR 531.
- Alcohol age and server training requirements are stated.
- Any minor hiring respects federal hour limits and state rules.
- The EEO statement and accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
Can a restaurant pay servers $2.13 an hour?
Under the federal FLSA, an employer may pay a tipped employee a cash wage of at least $2.13 an hour and take a tip credit of up to $5.12, but only after giving the required notice, and only if wages plus tips reach at least $7.25 an hour. Several states, including California, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, require the full state minimum wage before tips. Check your state's rate before posting.
Can managers share in the server tip pool?
No. Under 29 CFR 531.54, employers, managers and supervisors may not receive tips from a mandatory tip pool, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit. If the employer takes a tip credit, only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, such as servers and bussers, may be in the pool; if it pays the full minimum wage, cooks and dishwashers can be included.
How old do you have to be to serve alcohol?
It is set by state law. BLS notes that most states require workers who serve alcoholic beverages to be at least 18, and some set a higher age. Some states also require server training; California, for example, requires on-premises alcohol servers to be certified in Responsible Beverage Service within 60 days of their first day of employment.
Is an automatic service charge a tip?
No. The Department of Labor says a compulsory charge, such as a percentage added to a banquet or large-party bill, is not a tip. If service charges are distributed to servers, that money is wages, not tips, and it counts in the regular rate for overtime. Describe banquet or large-party pay accurately in the posting.