Bartender, cook, and waitress vs server and hostess

The differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses and server and hostesses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server and hostess has an average salary of $28,020, 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 server and hostess are POS, food preparation, and food orders.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs server and hostess overview

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Server And Hostess
Yearly salary	$27,827	$28,020
Hourly rate	$13.38	$13.47
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	162,319	97,109
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	28	28
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 server and hostess do?

A server and hostess is an employee who plays the dual role of both a hostess and a server. As implied by this, a server and hostess is in-charge of welcoming guests as they enter the restaurant, ensuring that the guests' tables are ready before leading them to their assigned tables, handing over the menu, and waiting for the guests to finalize their order. Once the guests are ready to order, the server and hostess takes on the server role by bringing the guests' order to the kitchen, waiting for the food to be ready, and bringing the food to the guests' table.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs server and hostess salary

Bartender, cook, and waitresses and server and hostesses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Server And Hostess
Average salary	$27,827	$28,020
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Binghamton, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Blue Dolphin Energy
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

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

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

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Server And Hostess
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs server and hostess demographics

Here are the differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses' and server and hostesses' demographics:

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Server And Hostess
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 5.4% Female, 94.6%	Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and server and hostess 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.

Server and hostess example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Provide quality customer service, process customer transactions utilizing proprietary POS system, skillfully handle cash and credit card transactions.
Perform bartending duties during busy events or whenever require.
Coordinate with kitchen managerial staff using POS systems to ensure timely and accurate order preparation.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.
Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs server and hostess 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 server and hostess skills

POS, 11%
Food Preparation, 10%
Food Orders, 9%
Customer Orders, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Drink Orders, 5%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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