Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook/server

The differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses 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 $27,827 average annual salary of a bartender, cook, and waitress.

The top three skills for a bartender, cook, and waitress include food orders, customer orders and bartending. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook/server overview

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$27,827	$29,716
Hourly rate	$13.38	$14.29
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	162,319	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

What does a bartender, cook, and waitress do?

A bartender, cook, and waitress are employees who work in the food services industry and usually deal with customer orders and food preparations. Bartenders usually prepare alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks for bar and restaurant patrons and assess the customers' needs. On the other hand, cooks assist chefs in the preparation of food and manage food stations when needed. Lastly, waitresses interact with restaurant customers by taking food orders and serving them appropriately to the customers.

What does a cook/server do?

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.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook/server salary

Bartender, cook, and waitresses and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook/Server
Average salary	$27,827	$29,716
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	The Harley School
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a bartender, cook, and waitress and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Cook/Server
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 5.4% Female, 94.6%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 bartender, cook, and waitress and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Bartender, cook, and waitress example responsibilities.

General cleaning, and knowledge of POS systems.
Start off here as a cook, learned to bartend.
Operate a POS system to itemize and complete a customer purchases.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Cook waitresses cashier hostess prep cook dishwasher
Generate detail checks utilizing micros systems.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs cook/server skills

Common bartender, cook, and waitress skills

Food Orders, 16%
Customer Orders, 13%
Bartending, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Drink Orders, 5%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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