Bussers spend a lot of time clearing tables.
Bussers perform most of the necessary but unglamorous duties of a working restaurant. Unlike chefs, who enjoy a certain amount of prestige and authority, bussers are unsung heroes, without whom a restaurant would quickly become disorganized and filthy. Bussers (also called busboys and increasingly referred to as server assistants) spend most of their time assisting waitstaff in table preparation and cleanup.
Moving Dishes
Moving dishes is a major part of a busser's day. It is the busser's job to watch patrons and to quickly move to their table and remove their dishes as soon as the patrons have left. The busser moves the dishes to the dishwasher in the kitchen, cleans up napkins, spilled food, and any other trash that may be on or around the table, wipes the table, and if necessary cleans up the floor or rug around the table.
Setting Tables
Bussers set up tables for incoming parties. Depending on the quality of the restaurant, this can involve anything from refilling ketchup containers to laying linen tablecloths and polishing silver. In higher-end restaurants, bussers need to have a certain amount of knowledge about dining etiquette to know the proper manner of laying a table. Bussers may also be responsible for those mysteriously folded napkins that are sometimes found in fancy restaurants.
Opening and Closing
Bussers assist in the opening and closing of the restaurant. Opening involves setting up chairs, which may have been moved or placed on top of tables for cleaning, laying tables, moving food and utensils to buffets, refilling containers of salt, sugar, and other condiments and preparing cash registers, coat rooms, and bathrooms. Closing involves cleaning (in some restaurants this is done by other staff), putting away buffet food and other perishables in refrigerators or freezers, and helping waitstaff in whatever they need help to complete the day.
Assisting Customers
Although waitstaff is primarily responsible for contact with customers, customers will frequently ask a busser for assistance, because bussers spend a lot of time in the area of customers and appear, to a customer, to be more or less like a waiter. Bussers are expected to keep themselves reasonably presentable in appearance and to treat customers with courtesy. Simple requests for an extra napkin or directions to the bathroom can be fulfilled by the busser.
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