TL;DR
- A busser, once called a busboy, is the restaurant team member who clears and resets tables, keeps the dining room stocked and clean, and supports the servers so that guests are seated quickly and served without delay.
- The job has six duties: setting up, clearing and resetting tables, running dishes to the kitchen, restocking service stations, keeping the floor safe and clean, and helping servers and closing down. It is a first job for many people and a route into serving.
- Employers look for pace, awareness, stamina, teamwork and care with allergens and safety. In the UK, food businesses must train staff on allergens, and hospitality team members are expected to work safely and minimise waste.
Watch a busy restaurant and the servers seem to be everywhere. Look again and someone else is clearing plates, wiping tables, refilling water and reappearing with clean cutlery before the next party sits down. That person is the busser. The tables turn because of them.
This busser job description explains what the job involves, gives the meaning of the older title busboy, sets out six duties, separates the busser from the server and the runner, lists the skills employers look for, gives a template that you can adapt and suggests how to describe the work on a CV.
Bussers are often new to work, and their first week decides whether they stay for the season. See how New Dynamics onboarding brings tasks, early goals and manager conversations into a clear path for a new starter.
What is a busser?
A busser is the restaurant team member who clears and resets tables, keeps the dining room clean and stocked and supports the servers, so that guests can be seated quickly and served without delay. The older American title is busboy, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as “a person who works in a restaurant removing dirty dishes and bringing clean ones”. Busser is now the usual title because it covers everyone in the role. Other titles for the same work include table clearer, dining room assistant and, in some restaurants, commis waiter or front of house assistant.
In England the work sits within the hospitality apprenticeship standards. The retired Hospitality team member standard, published by Skills England, expects every hospitality team member to “Work with integrity in a safe, honest and trustworthy manner putting personal safety and that of others first” and to work in a way that minimises negative effects on the environment, “for example by managing wastage in line with business procedures”. Both sentences describe a busser's day.
Three things define the job.
- It is the engine of table turnover. A table that is cleared and reset in two minutes seats the next guests two minutes sooner.
- It is mostly unseen. Good bussers work around guests without interrupting them.
- It is a first step. Many servers, hosts and supervisors started here.
Busser duties: six responsibilities
- Set up. Before service, lay tables to the restaurant's standard, polish glassware and cutlery, fill water jugs and condiments and stock the service stations.
- Clear and reset tables. Remove used plates, glasses and cutlery between courses and after guests leave, wipe and sanitise the table, and reset it for the next party, fast and quietly.
- Run dishes to the kitchen. Carry cleared items to the dish area, scrape and sort them, and return clean items to the stations.
- Restock. Keep stations supplied with cutlery, napkins, glassware, condiments, bread and water through the shift, so that servers never leave the floor to fetch them.
- Keep the floor safe and clean. Deal with spills at once, keep walkways clear, empty bins and keep the dining room, toilets and entrance presentable.
- Support servers and close down. Refill water, deliver bread, help carry plates when asked, and at the end of the night clear, clean and reset the whole room for the next service.
Some restaurants add food running, greeting or basic drink service. The advert should say which. Our guide to the waiter and server job description covers the role the busser supports.
Busser, server and runner
- Busser. Clears, resets, restocks and cleans. Little direct interaction with guests beyond water, bread and a greeting.
- Runner. Carries finished dishes from the kitchen pass to the right guest at the right table. Sits between kitchen and floor.
- Server. Owns a section of tables: greeting, orders, advice, service, payment. See our restaurant host job description for the role at the door.
In smaller restaurants one person does all three. In larger ones the split lets servers stay with their guests while bussers and runners keep the plates moving. Bussers often share in tips where a pooling or tronc arrangement exists. GOV.UK's page on tips at work states: “By law, all tips must be given to workers without deductions.” The advert should say how tips are shared.
Skills and qualities employers look for
- Pace and stamina. On your feet for the whole shift, moving quickly, carrying loads.
- Awareness. Seeing the table that needs clearing, the guest who needs water and the spill on the floor before anyone asks.
- Care with allergens and hygiene. Bussers handle used crockery and reset tables where allergens may be present. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses, which applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, states: “Food businesses must make sure that staff receive training on allergens.”
- Teamwork. Taking direction from servers and the supervisor, and offering help before being asked.
- Discretion. Working around guests without interrupting conversations.
- Reliability. Turning up, on time, for every shift on the rota.
No formal qualifications are needed. Most restaurants train bussers on their standards, hygiene, allergens and manual handling in the first week.
Busser job description template
Adapt the template to your restaurant. Keep every line true.
Job title: Busser (dining room assistant)
Reports to: Restaurant supervisor or floor manager
Hours: [Part-time or full-time], including evenings and weekends
Purpose of the role: To keep the dining room ready, clean and stocked, so that guests are seated quickly and servers can stay with their tables.
Main duties:
- Set tables, polish glassware and cutlery and stock service stations before service
- Clear and reset tables between courses and after guests leave
- Carry used items to the dish area and return clean items to the stations
- Keep stations stocked throughout service
- Deal with spills at once and keep walkways, toilets and the entrance clean
- Refill water and bread and help servers when asked
- Clear, clean and reset the room at close
Skills and experience:
- Quick, observant and comfortable on your feet for a full shift
- Works well in a team and takes direction
- Careful with hygiene, allergens and safe lifting
- Reliable and punctual
- Experience welcome but not required; training provided
We provide: Training on our standards, allergens and safe lifting, a share of tips under our written tipping policy, meals on shift and a clear route to server roles.
Say whether the role includes food running or drink service, and how tips are shared. Our job description template explains the structure.
How to describe busser work on a CV
Employers want evidence of pace, reliability and teamwork. The lines below are invented examples, to show the form.
- State the scale. “Cleared and reset tables in a 120-cover restaurant across evening and weekend shifts.”
- Show reliability. “Completed a full summer season with no missed shifts.”
- Show awareness. “Kept four service stations stocked through peak service for a team of six servers.”
- Name the training. Food hygiene, allergens and manual handling.
If you have no restaurant experience, describe any work where you kept an area clean and stocked under time pressure.
Common mistakes in busser job adverts
Treating the role as unskilled. A busser who anticipates is worth two who wait to be told. Advertise for awareness.
Silence on tips and hours. Whether bussers share in tips, and which evenings and weekends the job needs, decide whether people apply.
No safe lifting training. Bus tubs and stacks of plates are heavy. Train people before their first shift.
No route onward. Say that bussers who do well are trained as runners and servers, and mean it.
Frequently asked questions
What does a busser do?
A busser clears and resets tables, carries used items to the kitchen, keeps service stations stocked, deals with spills and keeps the dining room clean, and supports servers with water, bread and carrying plates. At the end of service the busser helps clear, clean and reset the room.
What is a busboy?
Busboy is the older American title for the same role. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a person who works in a restaurant removing dirty dishes and bringing clean ones. Busser is now the usual title, because it covers everyone who does the job.
What is the difference between a busser and a server?
The server owns a section of tables: greeting guests, taking orders, serving and taking payment. The busser supports the whole floor by clearing, resetting, restocking and cleaning, with little direct service beyond water and bread. In small restaurants one person does both.
Do bussers get tips?
Often, through a pooling or tronc arrangement, but it depends on the restaurant. In the UK, employers must pass all tips to workers without deductions and should have a written tipping policy that says how tips are shared. Ask before you accept the job.
What skills does a busser need?
Pace and stamina, awareness of what needs doing next, care with hygiene and allergens, teamwork, discretion around guests and reliability. No qualifications are needed; restaurants train bussers on their standards in the first week.
Is busser a good first job?
Yes. It needs no experience, teaches how a restaurant runs and is the usual route into running, serving and supervising. The hours include evenings and weekends, so it also suits people studying or working around other commitments.
Your next step
If you are hiring, write down what a busser in your restaurant does on a Saturday night, including tips and lifting, and turn that into the advert. If you are applying, rewrite one line of your CV with a number in it.
For a plan that turns a new busser's first week into a confident first month, read and download our onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want every new starter in your restaurant to get the same clear start? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current approach. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
