Wrkio Blog

It takes a combination of things to make a wedding ceremony or party a success. First, you must have good food and drinks, the right venue adds something to the mood, the right combination of friends and loved ones to help you celebrate are equally as important. Add to this the right music and ambiance and you have set the stage for a good time. All these can be thrown into chaos however if you hire servers who are not up for the task.

Servers perform a number of roles at an event. These include:

• Helping catering staff to deliver food and drinks to guests
• Refreshing drinks and food
• Ensuring that guests are comfortable
• They are responsible for transferring communication between kitchen staff and guests. If a guest has a food intolerance, the server will communicate this to chefs and then notify the guest of available alternatives.
• Transferring any other guest feedback to the kitchen staff
• They may set tables, clear them and be responsible for ensuring that the eating areas a clean. They may for instance be responsible for wiping spills.

To perform these roles, servers will have a number of qualifications. Skills and qualities to look out for in event servers include:

• Good communication skills. They will be required to communicate with a number of guests at a time, as well as with other staff.
• Ability to stay on their feet for their shifts. This is because they will be walking up and down during the event.
• Good time management skills
• Positive attitude and teamwork skills
• Attention to detail

Photo by Kate Townsend on Unsplash

Here are a few tips for hiring servers for weddings, a party or other event.

1. Book in advance

Any time can be wedding time but peak wedding season in countries like the United States usually falls between June and September. People are excited to have a wedding when the sun is out and flowers are blooming. This adds on to the beauty of the ceremony and makes for colorful photos.

If you’re one of the many people hoping to hire servers for a wedding during this season, be sure to book them well in advance. Like you, others may also be hoping to enjoy the benefits of a spring/summer wedding. Avoid being short staffed by booking and making deposits on servers or companies that supply them well before your wedding date.

2. Have a budget

An important factor that will determine how you hire servers for a wedding is your overall event budget. It will determine how much you can afford to spend on servers, how many servers you can hire and in some cases how experienced they will be. More experienced servers may come at a higher cost.

You may want servers for cocktails, food and a given number to stand on the floor to answer the needs of your guests. However if your budget doesn’t allow this, you can still have some of your servers do multiple jobs. For instance, after food is served, the same servers can man the floor and attend to your guests.

Try and have a little extra in your budget. This will allow you to pay for overtime should it be needed, rather than remain with no staff if the event runs longer than anticipated.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

3. Be specific

When hiring servers for an event, seek out those who have experience with the specific event you are throwing. While servers are trained to work at various events, getting those with a specific expertise will add something extra special to your event.

If you are throwing a birthday party for children for instance, you will want servers who have some experience in serving children. A server who has vast experience in birthdays for adults may not bring the same amount of care to this function. For instance, children eat small portions and your servers will need to know this. And while the servers will not have to mind the children, they will have to interact with them. Some experience in working with or around children will be an added advantage.

Photo by Lidya Nada on Unsplash

In the same way, if you are throwing a cultural party or a party with a specific theme, hiring servers with some knowledge may save you some mishaps. You should brief them of what is expected but any knowledge that they have will contribute to the success of the event.

4. Let servers know what to expect

Communication between you and the servers or their team leader is of importance when you hire servers for an event such as a wedding. Make sure you let them know what to expect beforehand. If you will be having ‘unique’ foods on the menu, tell them how those names are pronounced so that they can serve your guests with ease.

They should be familiar with the menu, thus be able to offer guests alternatives. If someone doesn’t eat fish, they should be made aware of what else is available. This is where good communication skills and attention to detail come in as a key skill for servers.

They should be able to quickly communicate with the staff catering crew to know what meals are still available and be able to let guests know what has run out.

Servers should also have any other information that guests need to know. For instance, if you are offering 2 free beverages before guests have to purchase a drink, the servers should have this information.

Make it a point to communicate information like this in writing. This will give the staff a place to refer to if they have a question and you are otherwise engaged at the event.

5. Hire from reputable places

You don’t want to risk hiring servers for an event, only to find out on the big day that they are not what they said they were. Inexperienced people will not only disappoint your guests, they will cost you money.

Hire servers for weddings from platforms like wrkio.com that help people to find and fill hourly jobs. Platforms such as these can allow you to get feedback from others who have had a chance to work with the people you want to hire.

Another alternative when hiring servers is to go with a recommendation from someone who has had a first-hand interaction with the candidates. If a colleague, relative or friend was happy with their service then chances are that they are worth it.

6. Familiarize yourself with labor laws

You should be aware of any labor laws when you hire servers for an event. Different rules apply for different scenarios. In some cases, if you are hiring one or two individuals, you may be advised to sign contracts with each individual. If you are hiring a company, this may not be the case.

If yours is a destination wedding, you should familiarize yourself with the labor regulations of the area. Find out details like the minimum wage for servers as well as how many hours people are allowed to work per day.

You might be able to bypass this step if you have a wedding planner or if the catering company is responsible for the servers. You should still ask that these parties remain on top of any regulations. If the company you hired forgets about this, your event will suffer and in a worst case scenario might even be shut down. For this reason, this is a step that should be tackled early enough.

Getting the hiring regulations sorted out early enough will also give you a chance to book servers for your event ahead of schedule.

The event venue may have certain regulations as well. Some venues require that the rubbish be taken out after the event. Hiring servers who are not aware that this is part of your job may lead you to lose your security deposit after your event.

7. Outsource the hiring process

Imagine that the event that you are planning is your own wedding. There will be so many things that will need your personal input, from the cake to clothes and so much more. If possible, you can outsource the task of hiring servers for the event.

If you contract a recruiter or a company that specializes in the area, you will take a number of things off of your plate. The recruiter will take care of vetting, briefing and managing the servers on the day of the event.

They will also take care of the legal requirements as well as pay the servers after the event leaving you free to enjoy your day.

If you have a catering company, are a wedding planner or a hiring manager in the hospitality industry, there are things you can look out for when you hire servers for an event or when you hire servers for a wedding.

8. Understand clients expectations

You should take the time to understand the clients’ expectations if your company is responsible for hiring servers at the event. Once you understand the expectations, pass on this information to your team in a briefing. Give them a chance to ask questions and clarify whatever may not be clear.

When you understand the clients’ expectations, you can deploy those servers most suited to meeting them. Talk to your servers to find out who is most suited for a specific event. You can interview them in person or online.

If it is a children’s party and the client would like someone who is comfortable around children, make sure the servers you send can meet this requirement.

If the client would like each table served with champagne, you will need to hire servers who have experience in serving alcoholic beverages. Barring that, you will be able to train your staff and equip them with this skill ahead of the event.

The clients’ expectations may mean that you need to hire more servers. This will drive up the budget, something you should make your client aware of.

9. Balance experienced and new staff

Every client will want the most experienced of your staff. But your other team members will only get said experience if you actually send them out on jobs.

When you hire servers for events, pair experienced servers with fairly new ones. This will give the new workers a chance to get more on-job experience while in the company of staff who are more experienced.

If it’s a wedding, you can assign your more experienced servers to the bridal party while the other team members can focus on other guests.

To give your servers a bit more confidence, have a dry run of the event where all servers can ‘practice’ what will be required of them on the day.

Taking this approach will give you a wider pool of experienced servers to hire for events in the future.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

10. Have a debrief after the event

If you have been contracted to hire servers for an event, your work doesn’t end once the event has come to an end. Have a meeting with your servers to discuss the highs and lows of the event.

Ensure that you give servers your views but also listen to theirs. As the people who have been interacting with the guests, they will be able to offer valuable feedback. Don’t neglect feedback that only affects the servers. For instance, they may share that the shoes they had to wear that day as part of the uniform were uncomfortable. Take this feedback as it affects the team’s ability to deliver.

Doing a post event debrief will only make you and your servers better. The improvements you make will ensure that you deliver top service at the next events you will be hired for and make you a highly sought after team.

Like any job, work in the service industry is a two way street. That is, it involves an interaction between a worker and an employer. The final tip we have to offer applies after you hire servers for an event: treat them well.

Just like you can get recommendations and reviews, they too can give reviews about you. An unfair employer may find that they struggle to find servers to work jobs when they need them. Manage workers well and you will become an employer of choice.

In conclusion

Hiring servers for weddings, events, and parties is a wise decision that can help make your event a success. Professional servers can provide an elevated experience for your guests, by ensuring that food and drinks are served promptly and with care. Additionally, they can handle the cleanup and organization of the event, allowing you to focus on enjoying the occasion. When hiring servers, it’s important to consider factors such as experience, qualifications, and availability. With the right team of servers, your event can be a memorable and stress-free experience for you and your guests.