Working Conditions for Food and beverage serving and related workersFood and beverage service workers are on their feet most of the time and often carry heavy trays of food, dishes, and glassware. During busy dining periods, they are under pressure to serve customers quickly and efficiently. The work is relatively safe, but care must be taken to avoid slips, falls, and burns. Part-time work is more common among food and beverage serving and related workers than among workers in almost any other occupation. In 2002, those on part-time schedules included half of all waiters and waitresses, and 2 out of 5 bartenders. Food service and drinking establishments typically maintain long dining hours and offer flexible and varied work opportunities. Many food and beverage serving and related workers work evenings, weekends, and holidays. Some work split shifts—they work for several hours during the middle of the day, take a few hours off in the afternoon, and then return to their jobs for evening hours. Many students and teenagers seek part time or seasonal work as food and beverage serving and related workers as a first job to gain work experience or to earn spending money while in school. Around one-fourth of food and beverage serving and related workers were 16 to 19 years old—about 5 times the proportion for all workers. More information on Food and beverage serving and related workers from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Food and beverage serving and related workers occupation Number of Food and beverage serving and related workers in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Food and beverage serving and related workers Working conditions for Food and beverage serving and related workers Significant points for Food and beverage serving and related workers Training requirements for Food and beverage serving and related workers Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |