As the owner or operator of a restaurant, you know how important quality of service is to diner experience. That’s why staffing is so important—right down to hiring the best busser.
Your staff can make the difference in what brings customers back to your restaurant. But how do you write a great busser job description to attract the right candidate?
When we think about which roles in the restaurant business deliver smiles to customers, we rarely think about bussers. Bussers are an integral part of your restaurant team, working diligently to ensure cups are filled, dishes are delivered, and clean plates are quickly collected.
Bussing requires a certain combination of hard and soft skills that can be challenging to find in a candidate. But with the right busser job description, you can attract the right people and land your next superstar employee.
Let’s take a closer look at what a busser does and how you can create the perfect busser job description for your restaurant.
What does a busser do?
In dine-in restaurants, bussers are responsible for keeping eating spaces neat, clean, and presentable. That usually includes making sure that tables are set, with silverware and glassware placed correctly on the tables.
They are also often responsible for refilling water glasses, delivering food, and clearing tables between courses and when a party leaves. Other than that, they’re expected to support waitstaff in any way needed.
A few other tasks that a busser might have to do include:
- Wiping down tables
- Polishing glassware and silverware
- Cleaning menus
- Cleaning and storing dining room furniture
- Vacuuming or sweeping floors
- Refilling condiment dispensers (salt and pepper shakers, ketchup bottles, etc.)
Even though this is an entry-level job, bussers play one of the most critical roles in maintaining sanitation and safety standards, particularly in the front of the house.
What are a busser’s responsibilities?
When hiring a busser, it’s important to consider their ability to work in a fast-paced environment, their attention to detail, and their physical stamina. Bussers are the backbone of the restaurant, ensuring that tables are cleared and cleaned efficiently, dishes are transported to the kitchen, and that the dining area is well-maintained.
Seek out candidates who demonstrate strong teamwork and communications skills, as they will need to coordinate with waitstaff and kitchen staff to keep everything running smoothly. Additionally, a good busser will have excellent customer service skills, as they often interact with customers and will contribute to the overall dining experience.
Remember, a great busser plays a key role in ensuring that guests enjoy themselves at your restaurant. And happy guests mean repeat customers!
Key interview questions to ask a busser.
Although the hard skills needed to be an effective busser are generally easy to learn, bussers often need soft skills to contribute to your restaurant’s success. Even if a candidate doesn’t have a ton of experience, getting to know them as a person will help you determine if they’re a good match for the role and your restaurant’s culture.
Similar to a host/hostess, bussers need strong communication and people skills. Deducing a person’s people skills takes some finesse. Asking the right questions in the interview is key to identifying the right person for the job.
Here are a few things you might ask during an interview to help you make the best choice when hiring a busser.
Describe an experience you had with a difficult customer.
Working with challenging or demanding customers is par for the course in the restaurant business. Understanding how a candidate handles themselves when faced with these customers will help you know if they’re a good match.
How do you handle high-stress situations?
Working under pressure is a daily occurrence at most restaurants. You want someone who can stay focused on the tasks at hand while bombarded by requests from customers and coworkers at the same time.
If a customer complains about something, how would you handle it?
Oftentimes, customers will flag down the nearest person to complain about something—a dirty glass, a problem with their meal, or a neighboring table that’s being too loud. And because bussers are often the most visible, they’re often on the front lines to receive customer complaints.
No matter the situation, bussers need to be able to handle customer complaints either by resolving the problem or escalating it to the right staff member in a timely manner.
Have you ever worked on a team? What did you do to contribute to the team’s success?
It’s always good to get a sense of how well a candidate works with their coworkers. Do they like to be independent and just do what they want? Or are they a team player who responds quickly to requests for help and can anticipate co-worker and customer needs?
Bussers need to work with both front-of-house and back-of-house staff, so being able to communicate clearly and effectively while helping to make a shift run smoothly is an essential skill.
The perfect busser job description.
Attracting the right candidates for a busser job will greatly rely on posting a detailed job description. We’ve provided an example busser job description below to inspire you and help you find the best bussers in your area.
Feel free to use this job description, but remember to customize it to fit your own restaurant and needs!
Example Busser Job Description
Our family-friendly restaurant is on the hunt for a dedicated Busser to bolster our service team and prepare our cozy dining spaces. As a Busser, your tasks will include setting up our dining area, putting out glasses and cutlery, topping up beverages, and maintaining clean tables.
If you thrive in a fast-paced work environment and are ready to jumpstart your career in the restaurant business, we’re excited to get acquainted. Your contributions will help us keep customers smiling and provide an enjoyable dining experience.
Responsibilities
- Prepare dining areas before guests arrive
- Decorate tables with candles, napkins, linens, and flowers
- Refill condiments and place on tables
- Serve water and welcome snacks
- Refill beverages as needed
- Remove dirty utensils and replenish, as needed
- Provide special silverware sets to families with young children
- Clean and reset tables after guests leave
- Maintain health and safety regulations in all kitchen and dining areas
Skills
- Experience as a busser, food runner or other entry-level role in a restaurant is a plus
- Flexibility to work in shifts, including weekends, evenings and holidays
- Understanding of hygiene and food safety rules
- Physical ability and stamina to carry heavy trays and stand for long hours
- Ability to multitask and remain calm and professional in a fast-paced environment
- Must have a can-do attitude and be able to proactively address customer concerns
- Excellent customer service and communications skills
- A great eye for detail
- Ability to work as part of a team
Education Requirements
List any educational requirements you have here.
Compensation
List compensation here, including salary, days off, health benefits, etc.
Homebase helps you hire the best bussers.
Hiring in today’s job market is often like bobbing for apples: You don’t know if you’ve got a good one until you’ve picked it.
Luckily, Homebase is here to make hiring easier, faster, and more successful. With Homebase, you can not only track all applicants in a single place, but you can also ask screening questions to weed out the people who aren’t a good fit for your company. Plus, you can message candidates and schedule interviews, all in the same place.
Once you’ve decided on the right candidate, you can send them an offer letter right through Homebase. When they accept, you’ll be able to start the onboarding process from our app, too.
Best of all, the Homebase scheduling app makes working at your restaurant a piece of cake (or pie, if that’s what you prefer). By automating a lot of the scheduling work and allowing team members to easily communicate with each other and with management, your new bussers will likely find working at your restaurant easy and fun.
Hire the best bussers you can find.
Bussers are an integral part to any dine-in restaurant team. That’s why getting it right when you hire them is as important as finding a head chef.
Taking the time to better understand what kind of person makes a great busser is the first step to building an incredible restaurant team. When you use Homebase to make the search process easier, you’re taking a great second step, too.
Go ahead and make work easier. Give Homebase a try.
Remember: This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.
