Banquet waiter/waitress vs head server

The differences between banquet waiter/waitresses and head servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head server has an average salary of $111,194, which is higher than the $27,386 average annual salary of a banquet waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for a banquet waiter/waitress include food handling, cleanliness and customer service. The most important skills for a head server are customer service, new servers, and POS.

Banquet waiter/waitress vs head server overview

	Banquet Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Yearly salary	$27,386	$111,194
Hourly rate	$13.17	$53.46
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	15,365	64,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Banquet waiter/waitress vs head server salary

Banquet waiter/waitresses and head servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Banquet Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Average salary	$27,386	$111,194
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $37,000	Between $51,000 And $238,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between banquet waiter/waitress and head server education

There are a few differences between a banquet waiter/waitress and a head server in terms of educational background:

	Banquet Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Banquet waiter/waitress vs head server demographics

Here are the differences between banquet waiter/waitresses' and head servers' demographics:

	Banquet Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3%	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 50.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 9.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between banquet waiter/waitress and head server duties and responsibilities

Banquet waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Start bartending for a short period of time here as well.
Maintain cleanliness of work area (before, during, and end of work period).
Specialize in individual service techniques including French, Russian, family style, buffets and plait.
Set up and tear down all cater functions, such as wedding, conferences and buffets.
Recommend and present numerous champagne and wine selections while providing excellent bottle service.

Head server example responsibilities.

Train and manage all BOH employees.
Manage all servers' end of night cash out and prepare host and bartending tip out.
Manage opening and closing duties, including restocking items and insuring the FOH are clean and shut down correctly.
Manage technical support, business analysis, project management, application development and support, training, and facilitation.
Help drive and increase restaurant sales by upselling and highlighting off menu items.
Train new employees on operating the micros system and on self-presentation and customer service.

Banquet waiter/waitress vs head server skills

Common banquet waiter/waitress skills

Food Handling, 50%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Banquet Events, 6%
Food Service, 4%
Buffets, 3%

Common head server skills

Customer Service, 33%
New Servers, 9%
POS, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Bartending, 4%
Safety Procedures, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Banquet Waiter/Waitress
Banquet Waiter/Waitress vs Head Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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