Bar waiter/waitress vs food runner

The differences between bar waiter/waitresses and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food runner has an average salary of $25,536, which is higher than the $24,853 average annual salary of a bar waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for a bar waiter/waitress include food handling, customer service and drink orders. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Bar waiter/waitress vs food runner overview

	Bar Waiter/Waitress	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$24,853	$25,536
Hourly rate	$11.95	$12.28
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	68,749	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

Bar waiter/waitress vs food runner salary

Bar waiter/waitresses and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bar Waiter/Waitress	Food Runner
Average salary	$24,853	$25,536
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $38,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Vermont
Best paying company	Compass Group USA	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between bar waiter/waitress and food runner education

There are a few differences between a bar waiter/waitress and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Bar Waiter/Waitress	Food Runner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bar waiter/waitress vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between bar waiter/waitresses' and food runners' demographics:

	Bar Waiter/Waitress	Food Runner
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.8% 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%

Differences between bar waiter/waitress and food runner duties and responsibilities

Bar waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Extend exceptional customer service to bar customers while maintaining hotel standards and Colorado state laws associate with bartending.
Handle cash money and POS machine.
Learned and used the cash register point of sale (POS) computer system/handle money.
Work in the kitchen as a grill cook, utilizing deep fryers and ovens as well.
Table service, bartending periodically, expediting & running food, at a very fast pace due to the volume.

Food runner example responsibilities.

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).
Expedite the kitchen to ensure food leaves fast and accurately.
Demonstrate strong computational skills for tendering receipt of payments from clients.

Bar waiter/waitress vs food runner skills

Common bar waiter/waitress skills

Food Handling, 50%
Customer Service, 12%
Drink Orders, 10%
Exceptional Dining, 3%
Waiter, 2%
Food Orders, 2%

Common food runner skills

Cleanliness, 20%
Wine, 9%
Culinary, 7%
Food Orders, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Handling, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Bar Waiter/Waitress
Bar Waiter/Waitress vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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