Understanding the Food Runner Role
Primary Responsibilities
The primary focus revolves around the seamless delivery of food orders, but the role extends far beyond simply carrying plates. It’s a position demanding a blend of physical stamina, organizational prowess, and interpersonal skills.
The core responsibilities encompass a range of tasks:
Delivering Food Orders: A food runner must meticulously collect orders from the kitchen, ensuring each dish corresponds perfectly to the order tickets. They’re responsible for navigating the dining room, skillfully avoiding obstacles and delivering the food to the correct tables in a timely manner.
Ensuring Food Presentation: Food runners are often responsible for ensuring that the food arrives at the table looking its best. This may involve making slight adjustments to the plating, ensuring garnishes are in place, and generally presenting the dish in a manner that enhances the diner’s initial impression.
Clearing and Bussing Tables: After guests finish their meals, the food runner contributes to the efficient turnover of tables. This includes clearing dirty dishes, wiping down tables, and resetting them for the next diners.
Assisting Servers: Food runners frequently assist servers with tasks like refilling water glasses, bringing condiments, and anticipating guest needs.
Addressing Guest Needs: Food runners may occasionally address guest inquiries or minor complaints. They may relay requests to the server or kitchen staff or provide basic information about dishes.
Key Skills and Qualities
Beyond these primary duties, a food runner must possess a specific set of skills and qualities to excel:
Communication and Teamwork: Clear, concise communication with both kitchen and front-of-house staff is absolutely essential.
Attention to Detail and Accuracy: Orders must be delivered correctly and completely. Errors in this area can lead to customer dissatisfaction and wasted food.
Time Management and Efficiency: Restaurants are fast-paced environments. Food runners must manage their time effectively, prioritizing tasks and moving quickly between the kitchen and the dining room.
Physical Stamina: The job requires a significant amount of standing, walking, and carrying trays. Food runners must be physically capable of handling the demands of the position, including carrying multiple plates at once.
Customer Service: Basic customer service skills are helpful. Even brief interactions with guests should be polite and professional, contributing to a positive dining experience.
Ability to Handle Pressure: Restaurants, particularly during peak hours, can be stressful environments. Food runners must remain calm and composed under pressure, adapting to changing situations.
Restaurant Operations Knowledge: A basic understanding of restaurant operations, including menu layout and table numbering, can greatly enhance a food runner’s performance.
Crafting a Compelling Food Runner Job Description
A well-written job description is your first opportunity to attract the right candidates. It provides a clear outline of the role, outlining responsibilities, required skills, and the overall work environment. When writing your food runner job description, remember that clarity and precision are key.
Essential Elements
Job Title: Be specific. Use terms like “Food Runner,” “Food Expeditor,” or “Server Assistant” – whatever title best reflects the responsibilities.
Restaurant Overview: Briefly describe the restaurant – its type, style of cuisine, and overall atmosphere. Mentioning whether the establishment is a casual eatery, a fine dining establishment, or a quick-service restaurant gives the candidate a clearer idea of what to expect.
Responsibilities: Provide a detailed list of the food runner’s duties. Be specific, using action verbs to convey the tasks. Examples include “Deliver food orders to tables,” “Collaborate with kitchen staff,” “Clear and bus tables,” and “Assist servers with guest needs.”
Qualifications: Outline the essential skills and experience required. If prior experience is required, state the desired amount (e.g., “Prior experience in a restaurant environment preferred”). Emphasize skills from the section above. If a food safety certification is necessary, clearly indicate this requirement.
Reporting Structure: Specify who the food runner will report to (e.g., “Reports to the Head Server” or “Reports to the Restaurant Manager”). This clarifies lines of authority.
Physical Requirements: Clearly state the physical demands of the job (e.g., “Must be able to stand for extended periods,” “Must be able to lift and carry up to 30 pounds”). Being honest about the physical requirements helps prevent disappointment later.
Benefits: If the restaurant offers benefits, such as tips, employee meals, or opportunities for advancement, be sure to include them. Providing this information will help you attract qualified candidates.
Company Culture or Values: Briefly mention the restaurant’s core values or culture (e.g., “We are a team-oriented restaurant,” “We prioritize customer satisfaction,” “We have a friendly and supportive work environment”). This provides insight into what it’s like to work at the restaurant.
Action Verbs and Keywords
Choose action verbs carefully to describe duties. Avoid passive language. Include keywords that align with the restaurant’s unique needs.
Tailoring the Description
The “one-size-fits-all” approach simply won’t do. The job description should be tailored to the particular restaurant and the type of food runner position.
Fine Dining: Fine dining restaurants need candidates who are more polished in their customer interactions and more skilled at ensuring the presentation of the food.
Casual Dining: Stress teamwork, efficiency, and a friendly, outgoing attitude.
Quick Service: Speed and accuracy are paramount.
Creating a Standout Food Runner Resume
A well-crafted resume serves as a powerful tool for food runners looking to secure a position. It’s a snapshot of skills, experience, and qualifications, showcasing why you are the ideal candidate.
Resume Sections
Contact Information: At the very top, prominently display your name, phone number, and a professional email address.
Summary/Objective: A brief overview (two to three sentences) of your career goals and what you bring to the table. This is beneficial, especially for entry-level candidates.
Work Experience: This is where you describe your previous jobs. Use reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. For each position, include:
Restaurant Name, Dates of Employment
Responsibilities and achievements. Use strong action verbs. Focus on the responsibilities that are most relevant to the food runner role.
Quantify your achievements wherever possible.
Skills: Create a concise list of your relevant skills. Group them into hard skills and soft skills.
Education and Certifications: List your education and any relevant certifications.
Optional Sections: You could consider adding optional sections such as Awards, Volunteer work, if it seems relevant to the position you are applying to.
Highlighting Experience
Focus on Relevancy: Even if you have limited direct food running experience, emphasize any experience in customer service, food preparation, or teamwork.
Quantify Achievements: Whenever possible, provide specific numbers to demonstrate your accomplishments.
Showcase Transferable Skills: Even if your previous jobs weren’t in the food industry, highlight skills that are transferable to the role of a food runner.
Resume Formatting Tips
Clarity: Use a clear and easy-to-read font and format.
Organization: Use bullet points to list your responsibilities and skills. Make use of white space to make it easy on the eyes.
Conciseness: Aim for a one-page resume, especially if you have limited experience.
Proofread: Thoroughly proofread your resume for any spelling or grammatical errors.
Examples and Templates
Sample Job Description Template:
Job Title: Food Runner
Restaurant Name & Description: Briefly describe the establishment (cuisine, style, etc.).
Responsibilities: (Detailed bulleted list – see Section II.A)
Qualifications: (Skills, experience, and any certifications – see Section III.A)
Reports To: (Head Server/Restaurant Manager)
Benefits: (Tips, employee meals, potential for growth – if applicable)
Physical Requirements: (Standing, lifting – be specific)
Sample Resume Template:
Contact Information
Summary/Objective (Optional)
Work Experience (Reverse chronological, include restaurant name, dates, and bulleted responsibilities, emphasizing keywords from the job description)
Skills (Hard and soft skills listed concisely)
Education/Certifications
Variations of Resumes based on Experience:
Entry-Level: Focus on transferable skills from other roles, such as retail or customer service. Highlight any volunteering experience. Use a strong objective statement.
Experienced Food Runners: Emphasize accomplishments and provide quantifiable data to showcase your success. Include examples of your positive reviews, accuracy, and efficiency.
Tips for Success
Tailor your resume to each job you apply for. Review the job description carefully and highlight the skills and experience that match the requirements.
Prepare for the interview: Research the restaurant, and be prepared to answer common interview questions. Practice answering questions about your skills, experience, and how you handle stressful situations.
Dress professionally.
Follow up after submitting your application and/or interview.
Conclusion
The role of a food runner is essential to the smooth operations of any successful restaurant. By understanding the key responsibilities, skills, and qualities required, and by crafting a compelling job description and resume, you can significantly increase your chances of finding the perfect candidate or landing your ideal position. Remember to be specific, detail-oriented, and focused on showcasing your relevant experience and skills. Applying the techniques detailed here will allow you to create an application that stands out and leads to success in the fast-paced, rewarding world of restaurant service. Best of luck in your job search!
