Bartender, cook, and waitress vs waitstaff

The differences between bartender, cook, and waitresses and waitstaffs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a bartender, cook, and waitress has an average salary of $27,827, which is higher than the $25,104 average annual salary of a waitstaff.

The top three skills for a bartender, cook, and waitress include food orders, customer orders and bartending. The most important skills for a waitstaff are food service, beverage orders, and culinary.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs waitstaff overview

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Waitstaff
Yearly salary	$27,827	$25,104
Hourly rate	$13.38	$12.07
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	162,319	130,467
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 waitstaff do?

The waitstaff takes responsibility for tasks like recommending dishes based on the tastes and preferences of guests, accepting payments, and taking orders. Waitstaff delivers food to tables, ensures outstanding guest experience, and accepts payments. They work with diligence to get outstanding service quality and work with the other staff. It is part of their job to show customers their seats and provide menu options. They attend to tables for food service and guarantee cleanliness standard compliance.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs waitstaff salary

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

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Waitstaff
Average salary	$27,827	$25,104
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $19,000 And $32,000
Highest paying City	-	Falmouth, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Mayo Clinic
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and waitstaff education

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

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Waitstaff
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs waitstaff demographics

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

	Bartender, Cook, And Waitress	Waitstaff
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 5.4% Female, 94.6%	Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between bartender, cook, and waitress and waitstaff 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.

Waitstaff example responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Assist with stocking of pantry when groceries arrive.
Cater private events and perform light bartending duties.
Increase total restaurant sales by upselling specials and top-shelf liquors.
Work regularly on the pass as well as a waiter.
Offer meal suggestions base on diverse culinary repertoire and expert food knowledge.

Bartender, cook, and waitress vs waitstaff 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 waitstaff skills

Food Service, 23%
Beverage Orders, 19%
Culinary, 19%
Team Work, 16%
Meal Orders, 8%
Wine, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress
Bartender, Cook, And Waitress vs Waitstaff

Updated January 8, 2025

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