Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🍽️ A table cleaner 💋 A kisser
busser

busser

1 4.3
A person who clears plates and sets tables in a restaurant
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌsər/
  • US
: limpiador de mesas
  • When asked why, Kim went on to explain that as bussers, or any low-level position at a restaurant, Sri Lankans are willing to put up with harder times, be willing to be paid less, and also have a work ethic that is second to none.
  • bussers and runners
  • bussers and servers
  • bussers and bartenders

But I imagine the bussers today are savages like that 'cause that's what's required of a busboy in my time and a busser today.

Examples

  • In the evenings, the restaurant becomes table service, with waiters and bussers handling the service.

    Blog text (33)

  • In the background, two bussers mop up.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Most restaurants that I have worked for tip out to bussers, food runners, bartenders, etc. based on sales.

    Blog text (9)

  • Servers, bartenders, bussers, housemen, dishwashers, hosts, etc.

    Blog text (33)

  • The busser quickly cleared the dirty dishes from the table after the customers left.

  • After the customers finished their meal, the busser set the table for the next diners.

  • In a busy restaurant, the busser constantly moved between tables to ensure cleanliness.

Synonyms

busboy
vsbusser
  • US
43 3.0

A person who clears and sets tables and helps waiters in a restaurant

is the same role but without indicating gender
restaurant attendant
vsbusser
1 2.5

A person who serves guests and shows them to their table in a restaurant

is narrower, focusing on clearing and setting tables not general service
dining-room attendant
vsbusser
1 3.5

A person who serves food and helps guests in a dining room

is limited to clearing and setting tables rather than broader dining service
waiter's assistant
vsbusser
1 3.0

A person who helps waiters by setting tables, serving customers and clearing dishes

focuses mainly on clearing and setting tables rather than broad serving

How Clean

cleaner
61 1.0
busser
  • US
1 4.3
crumber
  • US
1 9.3
headwaiter
1 4.2
server
56 2.0

Surface Forms

busser singular
bussers plural

Morphology

busser = bus (semi-transparent) = bus + er

The word is formed regularly from the verb 'bus' plus the agentive suffix '-er', but the restaurant-specific verb is not highly familiar to many learners.

Etymology

Busser comes from the job name busboy and the short verb bus, which means 'to clear tables' in restaurants, so a busser is the person who clears and sets tables.