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The differences between banquet servers and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a banquet server has an average salary of $29,017, which is higher than the $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.
The top three skills for a banquet server include wine, cleanliness and food service. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.
| Banquet Server | Food Runner | |
| Yearly salary | $29,017 | $25,536 |
| Hourly rate | $13.95 | $12.28 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 125,381 | 240,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| 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.
Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen. Furthermore, Food Runners need to ensure that all deliveries are accurate according to what is ordered by a customer. It is essential to stay presentable and helpful at all times as the main priority is customer satisfaction.
Banquet servers and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Banquet Server | Food Runner | |
| Average salary | $29,017 | $25,536 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $40,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Endicott College | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a banquet server and a food runner in terms of educational background:
| Banquet Server | Food Runner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between banquet servers' and food runners' demographics:
| Banquet Server | Food Runner | |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5% | Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0% |
| 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% |