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The differences between banquet servers and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook/server has an average salary of $29,716, which is higher than the $29,017 average annual salary of a banquet server.
The top three skills for a banquet server include wine, cleanliness and food service. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.
| Banquet Server | Cook/Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,017 | $29,716 |
| Hourly rate | $13.95 | $14.29 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 125,381 | 257,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A banquet server is responsible for assisting guests in food catering events. Banquet servers' duties include arranging tables as the client desires, preparing the catering setup, refilling foods and beverages, managing guests' inquiries and possible complaints, keeping the food area clean, and maintaining the highest sanitation standards for the guests' best banquet experience. A banquet server should have excellent communication and time-management skills, especially on serving guests that would require utmost care and safe handling.
Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.
Banquet servers and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Banquet Server | Cook/Server | |
| Average salary | $29,017 | $29,716 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $40,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Bellingham, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Endicott College | The Harley School |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Retail |
There are a few differences between a banquet server and a cook/server in terms of educational background:
| Banquet Server | Cook/Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | High School Diploma, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between banquet servers' and cook/servers' demographics:
| Banquet Server | Cook/Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |