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The differences between associate food scientists and food servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate food scientist has an average salary of $43,865, which is higher than the $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for an associate food scientist include quality food, food products and customer service. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.
| Associate Food Scientist | Food Server | |
| Yearly salary | $43,865 | $25,209 |
| Hourly rate | $21.09 | $12.12 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 160,215 | 125,455 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An associate food scientist is primarily responsible for developing new recipes for a company, ensuring quality and marketability. They are also responsible for improving existing recipes, performing support tasks for a head scientist, conducting market research and analysis, monitoring the progress of projects, and maintaining all recipes' data and records, including nutrition value and ingredients. Furthermore, there are instances when an associate food scientist must manage the packaging and storing processes of food, ensuring consumers' health and safety.
A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
Associate food scientists and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Food Scientist | Food Server | |
| Average salary | $43,865 | $25,209 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $54,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Emory University | Gettysburg College |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Retail |
There are a few differences between an associate food scientist and a food server in terms of educational background:
| Associate Food Scientist | Food Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between associate food scientists' and food servers' demographics:
| Associate Food Scientist | Food Server | |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.7% Female, 51.3% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |