Catering & Event Staff - On Call

Job Description

Job Description

Catering & Event Staff — On Call

Servers · Bartenders · Sanitation Attendants

Great Performances | NYC and surrounding area | Part-time, on call

$24–$25/hour based on experience, with performance-based raises reviewed quarterly

Benefits:  Paid and unpaid safe and sick hours

Work the events people talk about for years. We staff Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Museum, BAM, Wave Hill, The Apollo, and hundreds of private events across the city—galas, weddings, festivals, and dinners that must be perfect.

No two shifts are the same. You pick up work around your availability, and the more you work, the more you get offered.

Event staff fill multiple roles at events:

You’re the face of the event. You’ll set and strike the room, pass hors d’oeuvres, run tray and plated service, keep buffet stations sharp, pour wine, and step in wherever the room needs you—including coat check. Attention to detail matters here: napkin folds, glass placement, and knowing when a guest needs something before they ask.

You’ll build and break down bars, pour wine and beer, and make cocktails. TIPS or ATAP certification is a plus but not required.

You keep the event running from behind the scenes—dish and glassware flow, station cleanliness, load-in and load-out, and back-of-house organization. This is fast, physical, and essential work.

All staff will be expected to perform some wait staff roles. 

• Warmth and a real interest in people
• Reliability — you show up on time, in dress code, ready to work
• Clear communication and the ability to take direction and feedback
• Comfort working independently and as part of a team
• Prior hospitality, catering, or restaurant experience

• Standing and staying active for 7–10 hours
• Lifting and carrying up to 30 pounds
• Access to a smartphone or computer to set your availability and accept shifts
• Owning or being willing to purchase required dress code pieces

• TIPS certification or NYC Food Handler’s Certificate
• Bartending or barista experience
• Valid driver’s license and comfort driving a 15-passenger van

• Flexible scheduling.  Set your availability and accept the shifts that work for you.
• Quarterly raise reviews and opportunities for advancement.
• Training opportunities.  Both on the job and in dedicated seminars, staff have the opportunity to develop several hospitality skills for various roles.

1. Apply — quick online application
2. Interview — an in-person meeting at our HQ, run by our own captains
3. Orientation — one paid in-person day covering everything you need to work your first event
4. Paired training — your first 1–3 shifts are alongside a service lead, on real events

We review applications in the order they arrive. Those selected will receive an invitation to interview.

We’ve been serving New York City for over four decades, growing from a waitress staffing agency into the leading catering, events, and hospitality company in the greater New York area. We’re the nation’s first caterer to own and operate an organic farm—Katchkie Farm in Kinderhook, NY. Our mission is to unleash joy through genuine hospitality, and our people are how that happens. We hire for craftsmanship, collaboration, sustainability, doing good through food, and above all, for people—creating fair access, opportunity, and advancement for everyone on our team.

Must be able to provide valid documentation that you are legally eligible to work in the United States.

Great Performances is an equal opportunity employer. At Great Performances, we employ qualified individuals based solely on ability, training, and experience. Great Performances does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment or promotion based on race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.