Barfender waiters automate taking customer orders, running drinks to tables, delivering bills, and clearing away empty glassware in Proto Division's co-op bar simulator. They cannot mix drinks, pour beer from kegs, wash glassware, or collect payment from tables. Because waiters are currently the only hireable staff role in Early Access, setting clear walking paths and assigning specific tables is essential to keeping shifts running smoothly.
How to Hire Waiters in Barfender
Hiring staff requires visiting town rather than recruiting pedestrians directly off the street.
- Walk into the town outside your bar and head to the local Print Shop.
- Print out a job advertisement flyer for bar staff.
- Place the printed job ad onto the board located right next to your bar entrance.
- Open the bar for service and wait for interested applicants to approach during your shift.
- Interact with the applicant, review their stats and traits, and accept the hire.
Staff traits and base stats such as Capacity and Speed are fixed upon recruitment. According to developer feedback on the Steam forums, raising an employee's wage does not improve their operational stats or work performance.
Waiter Capabilities and Task Limits
Waiters handle service routines between the bar and dining floor, but solo players and co-op crews must still handle beverage preparation and sanitation.
| Task Category | Can Waiters Perform? | Mechanical Details |
|---|---|---|
| Take Customer Orders | Yes | Takes orders exclusively from tables assigned to that specific waiter. |
| Deliver Drinks and Food | Yes | Picks up prepared drinks from the counter that match active assigned orders. |
| Clear Empty Glassware | Yes | Busses empty mugs, glasses, and snack trash from cleared tables. |
| Deliver Guest Checks | Yes | Brings the bill to tables once patrons finish their rounds. |
| Collect Cash Payments | No | Players must collect cash left on tables or at the counter manually. |
| Pour Draft Beers and Mix Cocktails | No | Players must tap kegs, shake cocktails, and bottle drinks behind the bar. |
| Wash Dishes at the Sink | No | Dishwashing remains a manual player task in the current Early Access build. |
| Stop Bar Fights and Eject Troublemakers | No | Waiters do not fight back; players must defend the venue or drag knockouts away. |
Developer announcements confirm that dedicated Cleaners, Bartenders, and Bouncers are planned for future updates to relieve dishwashing, pouring, and security duties.
Assigning Tables, Trays, and Managing Employee Traits
Waiters only service customers seated at furniture linked directly to them. To set up an employee:
- Assign Tables: Interact with your hired waiter and select the specific tables they are responsible for. An employee can handle multiple tables depending on their individual capacity stat. If a table is not assigned, the waiter will ignore orders and bills sitting at that spot.
- Equip Serving Trays: Purchase trays from the store under the Miscellaneous category and hand one to your waiter. Without a tray, servers carry individual items, severely slowing turnover. With a tray equipped, they can transport multiple beverages and snacks in a single trip.
- Manage Traits: Waiters roll traits that influence behavior during shifts. Positive or neutral traits include generating higher tips at assigned tables or playing different tracks on the jukebox. Drawbacks include employees wandering outside to smoke, dancing instead of clearing tables, or spending extended time idle. When workers slack off, players can interact with them and issue a warning to push them back to work.
Fixing Stuck Waiters and Pathfinding Issues
Pathfinding issues are a frequent problem during busy shifts, particularly when placing high-density furniture. Several proven adjustments prevent servers from idling mid-service:
- Clear Pathways Between Counters and Tables: Avoid packing four-person tables tightly together. Leave wide corridors between the main bar counter, the drink prep station, and table clusters.
- Avoid Placing Items Around Bottlenecks: While developers addressed an NPC collision bug around drink shelves, tight clusters of bar stools, trash cans, or beer kegs still trap pathing routines.
- Box Clutter Using Keybinds: Press G on your keyboard to instantly pack up obstructive furniture into crates. Unused items can be sold off at the pawn shop in town to recover money.
- Keep Service Spaces Clear: Avoid blocking serving areas with misplaced surface items such as tabletop fridges or extra drink crates, which can confuse delivery routines.
- Resolve End-of-Shift Freezes: A known Early Access issue causes waiters to occasionally walk continuously into a wall after hours, blocking the shift closure prompt. Saving and exiting the game to the main menu before reloading resolves the loop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Barfender waiters wash dishes or clean up vomit?
No. In the current version, waiters do not operate sinks or wash glassware. They only carry empty glasses back toward the counter area. Vomit and spills must be mopped up by players, though developers have confirmed dedicated Cleaners and mop buckets are planned in future content updates.
Can you hire bartenders or security guards?
Not yet. The waiter is currently the only available employee role in Early Access. Developers have stated that dedicated Bouncers and automated Bartenders are on the development roadmap.
Does paying waiters more money make them work faster?
No. Devs confirmed on the Steam forums that Speed and Capacity are permanent values determined at the time of hiring. Higher hourly pay will not increase how fast a server walks or prevent them from triggering idle traits.
Why is my waiter standing still and ignoring drinks on the bar?
Waiters only fetch drinks that correspond to active orders at their specifically assigned tables. If a drink is meant for a table assigned to another worker, or for an unassigned table, the server will leave it on the counter. If the order matches, ensure the path between the counter and the customer is not blocked by stools or narrow gaps.
