Bus boy vs dining room server

The differences between bus boys 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 $24,432 average annual salary of a bus boy.

The top three skills for a bus boy include customer service, clean tables and dishwashers. The most important skills for a dining room server are fine dining, food service, and cleanliness.

Bus boy vs dining room server overview

	Bus Boy	Dining Room Server
Yearly salary	$24,432	$29,540
Hourly rate	$11.75	$14.20
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	17,550	99,079
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a bus boy do?

The job of busboys is to assist other staff members at a restaurant by doing varied tasks. These include greeting customers, cleaning and resetting tables, and removing dishes after customers leave. Other tasks include cleaning furniture, fixtures, and kitchen equipment, and tidying up any spills and mopping the floors. Busboys are also responsible for ensuring the availability of clean dining materials such as flatware and glasses. The requirements needed for this role may include a high school diploma, previous work experience, and excellent communication and customer service skills.

What does a dining room server do?

A dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously. They are also responsible for coordinating with cashiers and kitchen staff, cleaning and preparing tables for new customers, and assisting staff as needed. In some establishments, a dining room server may also participate in preparing drinks or ingredients, monitoring supply inventories, and collecting payments.

Bus boy vs dining room server salary

Bus boys and dining room servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bus Boy	Dining Room Server
Average salary	$24,432	$29,540
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Allen, TX	Marysville, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Las Fajitas Restaurant	Eastmont School District
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between bus boy and dining room server education

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

	Bus Boy	Dining Room Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bus boy vs dining room server demographics

Here are the differences between bus boys' and dining room servers' demographics:

	Bus Boy	Dining Room Server
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 bus boy and dining room server duties and responsibilities

Bus boy example responsibilities.

Record amount and types of special food items serve to patients.
Prepare and serve meals on a daily basis, noting any allergies or other dietary issues.
Work in a fast pace demanding environment providing assistance in the hospital cafeteria with food preparation for patients and visitors.
Be instrumental in a positive workplace environment with professional appearance and cleanliness, punctuality, and uplifting attitude towards personnel and staff
General dishwasher duties, some basic prep work, and help with the general nightly closing duties throughout the kitchen.
Take all dirty plates and utensils to the dishwasher, and bring out clean ones to the front of the lobby.

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.

Bus boy vs dining room server skills

Common bus boy skills

Customer Service, 34%
Clean Tables, 17%
Dishwashers, 13%
Bus Tables, 10%
Clean Linen, 4%
Ice Water, 3%

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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Bus Boy vs Dining Room Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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