Operations & Staffing
Server Training Checklist
A five-day training plan for new servers, written as a checklist the trainer and manager sign off: orientation, menu and allergens, steps of service, alcohol service, and trail shifts. Pair it with the server job description you hired from.
New hire name
Server Training Checklist — Monday, October 19, 2026 — trainer: ________
Trainer sign-off: ______________________ Manager sign-off: ______________________
Pre-filled with a five-day server training plan for a full-service restaurant. Print one per new hire, tick tasks as the trainer signs them off, and edit the steps to match your service style.
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Day 1: Orientation
Manager-led, off the floor
- Tour front and back of house, including exits, fire extinguishers and first-aid kit
- Walk through the employee handbook and sign the acknowledgement
- Set up POS login and practice clocking in and out
- Explain the tip policy, tip pool or tip-out, and how tips are paid
- Uniform, phone policy, shift-swap and call-out rules
- Hand-washing, glove use and when to stay home sick
Day 2: Menu and allergens
Chef or kitchen lead
- Taste every dish and say what is in it
- Learn which dishes contain each of the nine major allergens
- Practice the allergy order flow: ask, ring the allergy modifier, tell the kitchen, run it yourself
- Learn modifiers, sides and what the kitchen will and won't change
- Pass a written menu test
Day 3: Steps of service and POS
Trainer on the floor
- Greet within the house standard and explain specials
- Ring orders by seat number; fire courses on time
- Check back after the first bites; pre-bus between courses
- Present the check, run cards and close out correctly
- Handle a complaint: listen, apologize, fix, tell a manager
Day 4: Beverage and responsible service
Bar manager
- Learn the wine list, beer list and cocktail specs at a tasting
- Check ID for anyone who looks under the house age threshold
- Recognize signs of intoxication and how to cut off service
- Complete any alcohol-server training your state requires before serving
- Practice suggesting a drink and a dessert without pushing
Day 5: Trail shifts and sign-off
Trainer and manager
- Shadow a trainer for a full lunch or dinner
- Take a two- or three-table section with the trainer watching
- Run a full close: side work, check-out and tip report
- Manager reviews notes and signs off, or schedules another trail shift
Why a Written Training Checklist
Most servers are trained by whoever is working that shift, which means every new hire learns a slightly different job. A checklist fixes the content: every server hears the same allergy procedure, the same steps of service and the same rules about alcohol, and a manager signs off that they did. That sign-off matters when something goes wrong — an allergic reaction or an over-served guest — because it shows what the server was taught.
Day Two Is the Day That Matters Most
Under the FASTER Act, sesame joined milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy as the nine major food allergens in U.S. law. Servers do not need to memorize every recipe, but they do need to know which dishes contain each of the nine, and to follow one allergy procedure every time: ask, ring the modifier, tell the kitchen out loud, and run the plate themselves. Print the food allergy chart for the menu test.
Responsible Alcohol Service
Several states require alcohol-server training before anyone pours or serves — California's Responsible Beverage Service certification, Washington's MAST permit and Oregon's service permit among them — and many cities and insurers ask for it elsewhere. Check what your state requires and finish it on day four, before the server takes a section. The legal reason is spelled out in our dram shop liability guide: in most states the restaurant can be held responsible for harm caused by a guest it over-served.
Explain Tips on Day One
New servers should never learn how tips work from their first paycheck. Explain the tip pool or tip-out on day one: who is in it, how it is split and when it is paid. Federal law limits who can share in a mandatory tip pool — managers and supervisors cannot keep any part of employees' tips — and our tip distribution calculator walks through the rules and the math.
How to Use This Checklist
- Print one copy per new server and write the trainer's name at the top.
- Tick each task as the trainer sees the server do it, not when it is explained.
- Hold the manager sign-off until the trail shifts are clean.
- File the signed sheet with the server's handbook acknowledgement.
Related Tools & Guides
Server Job Description
Hire against the duties you train to
Restaurant Interview Questions
Screen for service instincts before day one
Food Allergy Chart
The allergen matrix servers study on day two
Employee Handbook Template
The policies covered at orientation
Dram Shop Liability
Why responsible alcohol service is on the list
Front of House vs Back of House
How the floor and kitchen teams split the work