Buffet attendant vs dining room server

The differences between buffet attendants and dining room servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dining room server has an average salary of $29,540, which is higher than the $26,138 average annual salary of a buffet attendant.

The top three skills for a buffet attendant include cleanliness, food handling and buffet line. The most important skills for a dining room server are fine dining, food service, and cleanliness.

Buffet attendant vs dining room server overview

	Buffet Attendant	Dining Room Server
Yearly salary	$26,138	$29,540
Hourly rate	$12.57	$14.20
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	44,657	99,079
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Buffet attendant vs dining room server salary

Buffet attendants and dining room servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Buffet Attendant	Dining Room Server
Average salary	$26,138	$29,540
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Saratoga Springs, NY	Marysville, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Hyatt Hotels	Eastmont School District
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between buffet attendant and dining room server education

There are a few differences between a buffet attendant and a dining room server in terms of educational background:

	Buffet Attendant	Dining Room Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Buffet attendant vs dining room server demographics

Here are the differences between buffet attendants' and dining room servers' demographics:

	Buffet Attendant	Dining Room Server
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between buffet attendant and dining room server duties and responsibilities

Buffet attendant example responsibilities.

Manage VIP's with personal requirements and assist in their room set up and hospitality experience.
Maintain cleanliness of equipment, tables, utensils, and floors to ensure safety, and sanitation regulations are meet.
Maintain cleanliness and temperature log.
Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
Lift raw materials, finish products, and pack items, manually or using hoists.

Dining room server example responsibilities.

Schedule all reservations and plan seating arrangements with management prior to dinner service.
Contribute wine and food pairing knowledge to allow for guarantee customer satisfaction during dining experience.
Clean and polish glass shelves and doors of service bars and equipment.
Used a POS to charge members and their guests for monthly billing.
Assist in overseeing the day-to-day operations and performance of the VIP service team.
Coordinate VIP services including; greet and check in VIP's as they arrive at the hotel.

Buffet attendant vs dining room server skills

Common buffet attendant skills

Cleanliness, 21%
Food Handling, 20%
Buffet Line, 8%
Buffets, 6%
Culinary, 6%
Wine, 6%

Common dining room server skills

Fine Dining, 13%
Food Service, 12%
Cleanliness, 10%
Wine, 7%
Beverage Orders, 7%
Food Handling, 5%

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Buffet Attendant vs Dining Room Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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