Your restaurant cover letter has to satisfy like cajun ribeye. It’s the appetizer for your resume, so if it doesn’t whet their appetite, you won’t get interviewed. Use your cover letter for restaurant jobs to show your resume is worth their time. Sound tough? Not if you follow this quick advice.
This guide will show you a restaurant cover letter sample and the best tips on how to write a cover letter for restaurant jobs step-by-step.
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Restaurant Cover Letter Sample
Marge Metaxas
Waitress, Manager
1632 Emily Drive
Columbia, SC 29201
803-353-2396
margezmetaxas@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/margezmetaxas
4/3/20
Naomi Munson
Restaurant Manager
Legal Seafoods
1537 Hillview Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Dear Ms. Munson,
As a dependable waitress and manager with 7 years of experience running the front-of-house in a 5-star restaurant, I was happy to see your ad for a waitstaff manager at Legal Seafoods. Legal Seafoods’ reputation for excellence is based on its passion to deliver the highest quality product and service, every time. I believe my history of training 15 waitresses and bartenders during a period of 20% revenue growth will contribute to that success.
Your job listing on LinkedIn emphasizes skills in hiring, vendor management, and bookkeeping. As waitstaff manager and waitress at The Enchanted Narwhal Cafe, I hired 9 entry-level staff while reducing turnover by 15% through excellent interpersonal and communication skills. During the same period, I built strong relationships with liquor, produce, and other vendors resulting in a 15% cost savings. Finally, I oversaw bookkeeping and payroll functions, holding overall register mistakes near zero.
You’ll find other waitstaff management accomplishments in my resume that match the duties in your ad. I’d be thrilled to guide your waitstaff to ever-higher levels of customer satisfaction. Could we set up a meeting next week to discuss how my leadership and active listening skills can translate to continued success for Legal Seafoods?
Best regards,
Marge Metaxas
Waitress, Manager
803-353-2396
margezmetaxas@gmail.com
That’s a satisfying restaurant cover letter sample.
Careers do not live on cover letters for restaurant jobs alone. See our guide: Restaurant Resume Sample
Looking for particular restaurant jobs? See these guides:
- Server Cover Letter Example
- Waitress Cover Letter Example
- Chef Cover Letter Example
- Cook Cover Letter Example
- Manager Cover Letter Example
- Bartender Cover Letter Example
- Barista Cover Letter Example
- Restaurant Manager Cover Letter Example
- Best Cover Letter Samples for All Careers
Restaurant Cover Letter Template
Here’s how to write a cover letter for a restaurant job application:
1. Choose a professional cover letter format and layout
- Margins: 1 inch on each edge.
- Paragraphs: 3.
- Line spacing: 1.15.
- Cover letter font: professional fonts only (Garamond, Book Antiqua, Cambria, Noto).
Read more: Cover Letter Format
2. Create a presentable restaurant cover letter header
- Address your cover letter in the top left.
- Start with your name, job title, and street address.
- Add your phone number, email address, and LinkedIn.
- Make your resume header identical to your cover letter header.
Read more: How and to Whom Should I Address a Cover Letter?
3. Start with a personal greeting and a big restaurant achievement
- Begin with “Dear [Restaurant Manager Name],” forget “To Whom It May Concern” cover letters.
- Identify the job you’re applying for.
- Add a Zagat-worthy restaurant accomplishment to get them reading.
Read more: How to Start a Cover Letter
4. Show you understand the restaurant’s needs
- Mention 2–3 key restaurant job duties from the online ad.
- Share your successes at performing those duties.
- Don’t make your letter a carbon-copy of your resume. Just give them a taste.
Do you need a restaurant cover letter? See our guide: Do I Need a Cover Letter? Are Cover Letters Necessary?
5. Prove you’re interested in this restaurant job
- In at least one of your paragraphs, say something that attracts you to the restaurant.
- Can’t find anything? Check their mission statement on their website.
- You can also search restaurant reviews or press releases.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points to 2.6 million server jobs in the U.S., growing by 17K a year. It’s a growth industry, but the best jobs need Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse-level letters.
6. End your restaurant cover letter with an offer
- Direct the manager to more goodies in your resume.
- Remind them that this restaurant is important to you.
- Ask for the interview.
- Promise an appetizing discussion.
Read more:The Best Cover Letter Closings
7. Include a formal sign-off at the end
- End with, “Best regards,”
- Add a digital version of your signature.
- Restate your name, title, phone number, and email address.
Don’t skip the follow-up. A brief email or phone call the next week can put your application back on the menu at the right time. Learn more: Job Application Follow-Up Email Templates
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, our easy resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
Questions? Concerns? We’re here for you. If you’re still unsure how to write a Cheesecake-Factory-worthy cover letter for restaurant jobs, drop me a line in the comments.
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