Restaurant Resume Tips: How to Stand Out and Get Hired

How to Write a Restaurant Resume That Stands Out

Restaurant resume tips are easy to find, but after more than 20 years of recruiting for restaurants, I can tell you that some of the most common resume problems are also the easiest to fix.

Employment dates are missing. Jobs aren't listed in order. Several positions share the same generic description. Sometimes you include plenty of information about unrelated work, but very little about the restaurant experience that matters.

These restaurant resume tips will help you present your experience clearly, whether you're applying for your first hospitality job or your next management position.

Restaurant Resume Tips: Start With the Basics

Your resume should make it easy for someone to understand where you've worked, what you've done, and how your experience relates to the position.

Start with your name, current phone number, professional email address, and city and state.

List your employment history in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent position.

For each job, include:

• Restaurant or employer name and location

• Job title

• Month and year you started and finished

• Responsibilities specific to that position

• Relevant accomplishments or additional duties

You'd be surprised how often basic information is missing.

Choose a Format That Makes Your Experience Easy to Follow

For most restaurant employees, a chronological resume works best.

It shows where you've worked, how long you've stayed, and how your responsibilities have developed.

If you're changing careers or have employment gaps, you can emphasize transferable skills near the top. But don't leave employers guessing about your work history.

You don't need a complicated design. Clear headings, consistent formatting, and readable text are more useful than decorative elements.

Write a Summary That Actually Says Something

A short professional summary can help, especially when your experience spans several restaurants or types of service.

Avoid vague descriptions such as “hardworking team player seeking a challenging opportunity.”

Instead, tell the reader what you do.

For example:

Line Cook with five years of experience in high-volume, scratch kitchens. Skilled in station organization, prep, service execution, and training new employees.

Keep it brief and make sure it reflects your actual experience.

Show What You've Done, Not Just Your Job Duties

One of the most common problems I see is the same description repeated beneath several jobs.

If you've worked as a server at four restaurants, I already understand that you've taken orders and served guests.

What I'd like to know is how those positions differed.

Did you work in fine dining or casual service? Handle a large section? Train employees? Coordinate private events? Manage takeout alongside dining room service?

For cooks, explain the type of kitchen, stations you've worked, preparation methods, and service volume when relevant.

Specific details help employers understand where your experience fits.

Restaurant Resume Tips for Chefs and Managers

The more responsibility you've held, the more important it becomes to describe the operation behind your job title.

For restaurant managers, useful details include:

• Number of employees managed

• Approximate annual sales volume

• Restaurant seating capacity

• Type and volume of service

• Scheduling, purchasing, inventory, and training responsibilities

• POS and other systems used

For chefs and kitchen managers, consider including team size, kitchen volume, food cost responsibilities, menu development, and the type of cuisine or preparation involved.

A portfolio of your culinary work can also be helpful, particularly for chef-driven restaurants.

And here's a question I often encourage candidates to consider: If you were interviewing yourself, what would you want to know?

Much of that information should already be on your resume.

Include Skills and Certifications That Matter

Technical skills can help an employer understand how quickly you might adapt to the position.

Depending on your experience, these might include POS systems, reservation platforms, food safety training, wine knowledge, or specific cooking techniques.

List certifications you've actually earned, such as ServSafe, and identify the credential accurately.

You can review ServSafe's Food Handler program for information about that training.

Language skills can also be valuable, particularly when they help you communicate with coworkers or guests.

Don't fill the page with generic personality traits. Show reliability, communication, and teamwork through the work you've done.

Tailor Your Resume Without Reinventing It

You don't need to write an entirely new resume for every application.

But you should review the job description and make sure the most relevant experience is easy to find.

A fine-dining restaurant may want to know about wine service, pacing, and guest relationships. A busy neighborhood restaurant may place more emphasis on volume, flexibility, and managing several responsibilities at once.

Both are legitimate forms of restaurant experience. Present the experience that matches the opportunity.

And keep your descriptions accurate. There's no advantage in overstating responsibilities you haven't actually held.

When you're ready to put your resume to work, you can explore current opportunities on the Mis en Place Job Board.

Before You Send Your Restaurant Resume

Give your resume one final review.

Check that employment dates are complete, jobs appear from newest to oldest, and every position has its own description.

Make sure your contact information is correct. Remove outdated details, fix spelling errors, and check that the document is easy to read on a phone as well as a computer.

If an employer requests references, have current contact information ready and obtain permission before sharing someone's details.

A second set of eyes can also catch mistakes you've overlooked.

A Final Thought

Your resume doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to be useful.

Restaurant employers are trying to understand your experience, the environments you've worked in, and whether you might be a good fit for their team.

Make that information easy to find.

A clear, accurate resume won't guarantee an interview, but it gives your experience a much better chance of being recognized.