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waitstaff

waitstaff

4 2.8
People who serve food and drinks to customers in a restaurant
  • noun
  • /ˈweɪtˌstæf/
  • US
translation icon : personal de servicio
  • Yes, of course there are rude and unprofessional waitstaff, but lately it seems that the nasty customers far outnumber them.
  • waitstaff in a restaurant
  • the rest of the waitstaff

Examples

  • On Fridays, the assistant manager had a mandatory meeting for the waitstaff.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Around 20 people in the restaurant, which by my count makes it an almost 1:1 customer to waitstaff ratio.

    Blog text (9)
  • Do you realize most waitstaff are college students working their way through college?

    Blog text (4)
  • Keeping the minimum wage low for waitstaff is unacceptable.

    Blog text (33)
  • An out-of-control party table dominated the tiny dining room and all the attention of the waitstaff.

    Blog text (4)
  • The waitstaff at the restaurant delivered our meals quickly and efficiently.

  • The friendly waitstaff made sure we had everything we needed during our dinner.

  • After ordering, we saw the waitstaff bring out our dishes with a smile.

How Large

waitstaff
  • US
4 2.8
server
60 2.0

Surface Forms

waitstaff singular
waitstaff plural

Morphology

waitstaff = wait + staff (transparent) = wait + staff

A straightforward compound: 'wait' (serve) + 'staff' (employees) directly denotes employees who wait on customers.

Etymology

Waitstaff is a simple combination of two common English words: wait, which here means 'to serve' customers, and staff, which means a 'group of workers'. So waitstaff means the group of workers who serve food and drinks in a restaurant.