Smashin Crab is seeking friendly, knowledgeable, and sales-focused Restaurant Servers to provide attentive, memorable service to our dine-in guests.
Servers are responsible for guiding guests through the Smashin Crab dining experience, accurately entering orders, recommending food and beverages, delivering orders, monitoring guest satisfaction, and responding quickly to service needs.
Servers are also expected to learn and support the responsibilities of our Host, Expo, Busser, and Runner team, referred to as HEBR. During slower shifts, an HEBR team member may not be scheduled, and servers must be prepared to assist with greeting, seating, food running, table maintenance, takeout support, and other front-of-house duties as needed.
- Greet each table warmly and professionally.
- Approach newly seated guests within one minute whenever reasonably possible.
- Introduce the Smashin Crab dining experience and explain the menu, ordering process, seafood boils, sauces, heat levels, add-ons, beverages, and current promotions.
- Create a welcoming, engaging, and memorable experience for every guest.
- Ask guests about food allergies or dietary concerns before submitting orders.
- Follow all company procedures for documenting and communicating allergies to the kitchen and management teams.
- Never make guarantees regarding allergens or food preparation outside of approved company guidance.
- Conduct multiple table checks throughout the meal to monitor food quality, beverage levels, timing, and overall guest satisfaction.
- Anticipate guest needs and respond promptly to requests.
- Maintain professional, positive, and attentive communication throughout the dining experience.
- Thank guests sincerely and invite them to return.
- Maintain complete knowledge of Smashin Crab’s food, beverage, promotional, and retail offerings.
- Understand menu ingredients, portions, preparation methods, sauces, heat levels, sides, add-ons, and available modifications.
- Confidently explain seafood selections and assist guests who may be unfamiliar with Cajun seafood boils.
- Make thoughtful recommendations based on guest preferences.
- Appropriately suggest appetizers, add-ons, upgrades, beverages, desserts, and retail items.
- Promote alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages responsibly.
- Work toward established sales-performance expectations, including maintaining an average liquor, beer, and wine sales mix of approximately 10% of net sales.
- Work toward maintaining an average guest gratuity of approximately 18% through attentive, accurate, and memorable service.
- Understand that gratuities are determined by guests and are not guaranteed.
- Accurately enter guest orders, modifiers, allergies, preparation requests, and seat positions into the point-of-sale system.
- Review orders before submitting them to reduce errors and delays.
- Communicate special requests clearly to the kitchen, bar, expo, and management teams.
- Monitor the progress of guest orders and communicate delays or concerns promptly.
- Present accurate guest checks and process cash, credit card, gift card, and other approved payments.
- Maintain proper control of cash, receipts, payment devices, and guest information.
- Follow all company cash-handling and point-of-sale procedures.
- Correct errors only according to company policy and with proper management authorization when required.
- Verify identification for guests purchasing or consuming alcoholic beverages according to company policy and applicable law.
- Refuse alcohol service when identification is missing, invalid, expired, altered, or otherwise unacceptable.
- Follow all TABC requirements and company alcohol-service policies.
- Monitor guest alcohol consumption and communicate potential concerns to management immediately.
- Never serve alcohol to a minor or visibly intoxicated guest.
- Follow all applicable alcohol-sale, packaging, sealing, and labeling requirements.
- Act as a front-of-house expo when assigned or when business needs require.
- Review completed orders for accuracy, presentation, sides, sauces, condiments, and guest modifications.
- Confirm that menu items follow recipe, portion, and presentation standards.
- Communicate missing, incorrect, or delayed items to the kitchen and management teams.
- Run food and beverages promptly to the correct table and guest.
- Announce dishes clearly and confirm that guests have the appropriate sauces, utensils, and accompaniments.
- Assist other servers with food running to protect food quality and ticket times.
- Handle plates, trays, and serving equipment safely.
Servers must be prepared to support Host, Expo, Busser, and Runner duties, particularly when an HEBR team member is not scheduled. These responsibilities may include:
- Greeting arriving guests and managing the restaurant entrance.
- Seating guests and assisting with the waitlist.
- Answering incoming phone calls.
- Assisting with phone, online, and walk-in takeout orders.
- Packaging, labeling, verifying, and releasing takeout orders.
- Maintaining menus, promotional inserts, kids’ menus, and crayons.
- Running food and beverages.
- Pre-bussing and bussing tables.
- Cleaning and resetting tables for the next party.
- Monitoring dining-room and restroom cleanliness.
- Stocking takeout supplies, condiments, utensils, napkins, and service stations.
- Supporting front-of-house expo and order-accuracy procedures.
- Completing assigned HEBR opening, closing, and running side work.
- Maintain clean, stocked, and organized assigned sections and service stations.
- Pre-bus tables throughout the dining experience.
- Remove unnecessary dishes, glassware, trash, and other items promptly.
- Assist with clearing, sanitizing, and resetting tables.
- Refill condiments, napkins, utensils, cups, lids, and other service supplies.
- Follow FIFO procedures for applicable food, beverage, and condiment products.
- Complete all assigned opening, closing, running side-work, and deep-cleaning checklists.
- Assist with dining-room, server-station, entryway, takeout-area, and restroom maintenance.
- Report spills, hazards, damaged equipment, and maintenance concerns immediately.
- Follow all food-safety, sanitation, and workplace-safety procedures.
- Perform other reasonable duties necessary to support restaurant operations.
- Listen carefully and respectfully when a guest raises a concern.
- Apologize appropriately without assigning blame or making unauthorized promises.
- Notify a manager promptly regarding complaints, incorrect orders, allergy concerns, excessive delays, payment disputes, alcohol-service concerns, or other significant issues.
- Seek management assistance before offering discounts, refunds, complimentary items, or other service-recovery measures unless specifically authorized.
- Follow through to help ensure the guest’s concern has been addressed.
- Previous serving, restaurant, hospitality, or customer-service experience is preferred.
- Friendly, engaging, and professional communication skills.
- Strong menu-learning, sales, and guest-service abilities.
- Ability to explain detailed menu items and preparation methods confidently.
- Ability to manage multiple tables and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong attention to order accuracy, timing, cleanliness, and guest satisfaction.
- Comfortable using a point-of-sale system and handling guest payments.
- Ability to recommend and upsell food, beverages, add-ons, and retail products appropriately.
- Willingness to perform HEBR duties and support all front-of-house positions as needed.
- Dependable attendance and punctuality.
- Ability to follow recipes, procedures, checklists, labeling requirements, and manager instructions.
- Ability to communicate effectively with guests, servers, bartenders, HEBR team members, kitchen employees, and managers.
- Must obtain and maintain a valid Food Handler Certificate that meets all applicable state and local requirements.
- Must obtain and maintain a valid TABC Seller-Server Certification.
- Must meet all legal age requirements applicable to serving alcoholic beverages.
This position requires the ability to:
- Stand and walk for extended periods.
- Work in a fast-paced, crowded, and sometimes noisy restaurant environment.
- Bend, reach, twist, push, pull, squat, and perform repetitive motions.
- Safely lift and carry trays, plates, beverages, bus tubs, supplies, trash, and equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.
- Carry multiple plates, beverages, or food items safely through the dining room.
- Work around hot food, beverages, kitchen equipment, cleaning products, and wet surfaces.
- Move quickly and safely between the dining room, kitchen, bar, host stand, takeout area, and restrooms.
- Maintain an active pace throughout the scheduled shift.
Servers are paid $2.13 per hour plus tips.
Servers retain eligible direct tips, subject to applicable law and company policy. Servers are also responsible for the following tip-outs based on net sales:
- 1% of net sales to eligible HEBR team members
- 3% of net sales to the bar team
Tip earnings are not guaranteed and may vary based on guest participation, sales, scheduling, shift volume, service quality, and applicable tip-sharing policies.
Successful servers are expected to consistently demonstrate:
- Prompt table greetings and attentive guest communication.
- Accurate order entry and payment handling.
- Strong knowledge of ingredients, recipes, and preparation methods.
- Appropriate menu recommendations and upselling.
- Responsible alcohol service.
- Consistent food running and teamwork.
- Effective support of HEBR responsibilities when needed.
- Multiple guest check-ins throughout the dining experience.
- Timely escalation of guest concerns to management.
- An average gratuity target of approximately 18%.
- An average liquor, beer, and wine sales target of approximately 10% of net sales.
Performance expectations may be evaluated alongside other factors, including guest feedback, order accuracy, teamwork, attendance, sales opportunities, shift assignments, and restaurant volume.
The ideal Smashin Crab Server is outgoing, attentive, knowledgeable, and confident making recommendations. This person understands that great service involves more than taking an order—it requires creating a connection, monitoring the entire guest experience, supporting the team, and taking ownership from the moment guests arrive until they leave.
Successful servers are willing to step beyond their assigned section, assist with HEBR duties, run food, maintain clean tables and service areas, and involve management promptly whenever a guest experience does not meet expectations.
