Waiter Cover Letter Samples & Examples That Worked in 2024

How to write a cover letter for any Waiter job? Craft the perfect cover letter with our professional examples and templates.

Martin Poduška

Editor in Chief / Resume Writer

Last updated: Oct. 26, 2023

Average: 4.9 (79 votes)

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Average: 4.9 (79 votes)

How to craft an jaw-dropping waiter cover letter

Waiters are vital staff members at any restaurant, providing exceptional customer service to guests by taking their orders, providing them with drinks, and ensuring they have a great experience. To earn a position as a waiter, you need a compelling cover letter that showcases your best abilities.

In this guide, we will teach you 5 easy steps for creating an excellent cover letter as a waiter. Keep reading to learn all about how to:

Create visual flow on your cover letter with a header & headline
Tailor your waiter cover letter for specific employers & positions
Craft the perfect introduction for your waiter cover letter
Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a waiter
Finish your waiter cover letter with a compelling closing statement

1. Create visual flow on your cover letter with a header & headline

Unlike a resume, a cover letter is not broken into many different sections with dedicated titles and purposes. As such, to give your cover letter a sense of structure and flow, you must create a well-formatted header and headline.

Your cover letter header comes first, listing key details such as:

Your name and professional title
Your professional contact information
The name of the restaurant you are applying to
The address of the restaurant (especially important if there are multiple locations)

Here is an example of a well-formatted waiter header

Jane Smith, Waitress

(123) 456-7890 | janesmith@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jane-smith

To: Cracker Barrel
Hiring Department
1234 Street Address
Chattanooga, TN 37405

Following your header is your cover letter headline. This is a brief title statement used for hooking an employer’s attention as quickly as possible.

When writing your headline, you should always use a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise to the employer that indicates the letter is written specifically for them.

Here is an example of a strong waiter cover letter, followed by a quick explanation of its main components

My 3 Best Customer Service Skills as a Waiter & How They Can Benefit Your Restaurant’s Guests

Trigger Word/Number: 3 Skills
Keyword: Customer Service, Waiter
Adjective/Verb: Best, Benefit
Promise: Your Restaurant’s Guests

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2. Tailor your waiter cover letter for specific employers & positions

Once you have completed your cover letter header and headline, it’s time to move on to the body text of the cover letter. Before you can do this, however, you should consider tailoring your cover letter to the exact employer and position you are applying to.

Tailoring a cover letter means making it as specific and relevant to a particular employer as possible. To accomplish this, you must thoroughly research the company and its values and needs beforehand.

As you complete this research, an important detail to search for is who at the restaurant is responsible for reviewing job applications and cover letters. Using this information, you can create a personalized greeting that addresses this specific person by name.

Here are 3 examples of personalized cover letter greetings

Dear Mr. John Doe,
Dear Hiring Manager John Doe,
Dear Manager John Doe,

3. Craft the perfect introduction for your waiter cover letter

As a waiter, it is crucial to attract an employer’s attention as quickly as possible with the details you include in your cover letter.

To make your introduction as compelling as possible, make sure to include:

A brief overview of your professional history
A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
A mutual acquaintance (when possible)

Pro Tip: Always include a mutual acquaintance when you can, as this builds rapport with an employer. If you lack a mutual acquaintance, use a professional platform like LinkedIn to start expanding your professional network.

Here is an example of a well-written waiter introduction

Dear Hiring Manager John Doe,

I am a professional waiter with 3+ years of experience working in the local dining industry. As a long-time patron of your restaurant, I was excited to hear that you currently have openings in your waitstaff to fill. My friend and peer, Ms. Mary Joe, is currently a valued member of your waitstaff and can attest to my relevant skills and qualifications for this position.

4. Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a waiter

Now that you have your introduction in place, your next step is to write the body paragraphs of your cover letter. A good cover letter will contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that answer key questions, such as:

What excites you about working at this company?
What do you hope to learn from working at this company?
What accomplishments or qualifications make you stand out as an applicant?
What key skills do you possess that are relevant to the position?

As you describe your skills and accomplishments as a waiter, make sure the information you include is as specific and quantifiable as possible. This will help you show the employer the real-life value you can bring to their restaurant.

Here are 6 examples of waitstaff skills to describe in a cover letter

Exceptional verbal communication
Physical stamina and strength
Upselling techniques
Excellent menu memorization abilities
Customer conflict management and problem resolution
Friendly and welcoming demeanor

Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a waiter’s cover letter

As a waiter at [Former Employer], I was honored with the Front of House MVP award by my former employer for my exceptional customer service and sales. I earned this award in part thanks to my excellent upselling techniques, which resulted in my weekly sales being an average of 20% higher compared to the other waitstaff’s.

5. Finish your waiter cover letter with a compelling closing statement

You’ve made it to the end of your cover letter – now all that is left is to write a compelling conclusion. Your closing statement needs to convince the employer to contact you by including key information, such as:

An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
A formal sign-off

Here is an example of a compelling conclusion from a waiter’s cover letter

I am eager to get to know your guests and staff better if brought on to your waitstaff team. I hope to hear from you soon and am available to meet any day between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The best way to reach me is a (123) 456-7890 or at janesmith@email.com after hours. If I have not heard back by next Tuesday, I plan to follow up that afternoon.

Appreciatively,

[Applicant Name]

If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.

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Martin Poduška

Editor in Chief / Resume Writer

Martin is a resume expert and career advice writer at Kickresume. In his five years at Kickresume, he has written hundreds of in-depth, painstakingly researched resume advice articles and, as chief editor, he has also edited and revised every single article on this website. Tens of thousands of job seekers read Martin’s resume advice every month. He holds a degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Amsterdam.