A waitress is a woman who works in a restaurant, taking customers' orders and bringing food and drinks to their tables. The male equivalent is waiter, though today many restaurants use the gender-neutral term server for anyone doing this job.

A good waitress remembers orders accurately, carries heavy trays without spilling, and stays friendly even when the restaurant gets hectic during the dinner rush. She might recommend menu items, refill water glasses, and make sure diners have everything they need. The job requires physical stamina (waitresses spend hours on their feet), a good memory, and the ability to handle multiple tables at once.

Waitresses typically earn tips in addition to their hourly wages. Tips are extra money customers leave to thank someone for good service, usually calculated as a percentage of the bill. This means a waitress's income depends partly on how well she does her job and how satisfied customers feel with their experience.

While being a waitress is often considered entry-level work, it teaches valuable skills: multitasking, customer service, staying calm under pressure, and working as part of a team. Many successful people worked as waiters or waitresses early in their careers, learning lessons about hard work and treating people well that stayed with them throughout their lives.