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Tourism & Hospitality vocabulary · Food & Beverage Service

Waiter

Meaning in tourism & hospitality, with examples

/ˈweɪtər/nounCore term

In tourism & hospitality, waiter means: A person who takes orders and serves food and drinks to guests at their tables in a restaurant or bar.

In Turkish: garson, servis elemanı

How it is used

Waiters greet guests, take orders, serve, clear tables and bring the bill. Waitress is used for women, but server is now common as a neutral word, especially in the US. Hotel restaurants use titles such as commis waiter, chef de rang and head waiter.

Example sentences

  1. Your waiter tonight is Emre. He'll be with you in a moment.

  2. We need two more waiters for the wedding dinner on Saturday.

Common collocations

  • head waiter
  • call the waiter
  • tip the waiter
  • work as a waiter
  • tipAn extra amount of money that a guest gives a waiter, porter, driver or other staff member to thank them for good service.
  • F&BShort for food and beverage: everything a hotel serves to eat and drink, and the department that runs its restaurants, bars, room service and events.
  • à la carteDescribes food ordered as separate dishes from a menu, each with its own price, rather than as a set meal or a buffet.
  • room serviceA hotel service that brings food and drinks ordered by phone or app to a guest's room.

More terms: Food & Beverage Service

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