Busser vs food runner

The differences between bussers and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food runner has an average salary of $25,536, which is higher than the $24,111 average annual salary of a busser.

The top three skills for a busser include cleanliness, work ethic and TIP. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Busser vs food runner overview

	Busser	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$24,111	$25,536
Hourly rate	$11.59	$12.28
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	14,989	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	39	23
Years of experience	-	-

What does a busser do?

Busser, also known as dining room attendants or bartender helpers, is an entry-level position in the restaurant and dining industry. The bussers help in preparing the dining areas before guests arrive and decorating tables with a set of candles, napkins, linens, flowers, or other ornaments, especially if with a special theme for the day, usually when it's a national celebration or holidays. Also, they assist in cleaning the tables, clearing plates, used utensils, drinkware, and other dishes to the kitchen to be washed, refilling diners' glasses with water, and make the tables ready for the next set of service.

What does a food runner do?

Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen. Furthermore, Food Runners need to ensure that all deliveries are accurate according to what is ordered by a customer. It is essential to stay presentable and helpful at all times as the main priority is customer satisfaction.

Busser vs food runner salary

Bussers and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Busser	Food Runner
Average salary	$24,111	$25,536
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $33,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Vermont
Best paying company	Dell	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between busser and food runner education

There are a few differences between a busser and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Busser	Food Runner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Busser vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between bussers' and food runners' demographics:

	Busser	Food Runner
Average age	39	23
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 busser and food runner duties and responsibilities

Busser example responsibilities.

Cross-Train in all kitchen culinary positions including broiler, saut, banquets and room service food production.
Perform food preparation and serving duties, such as carving meat, preparing flambe dishes, or serving wine and liquor.
Schedule reservations and place and deliver room service orders.
Maintain both FOH and BOH duties in a fast-pace dining establishment.
Clean the dirty tables and make sure the restaurant are in tip top shape and look good.
Submit food and beverage orders to kitchen staff utilizing a POS register to tabulate and itemize orders.

Food runner example responsibilities.

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).
Expedite the kitchen to ensure food leaves fast and accurately.
Demonstrate strong computational skills for tendering receipt of payments from clients.

Busser vs food runner skills

Common busser skills

Cleanliness, 24%
Work Ethic, 9%
TIP, 8%
Food Handling, 5%
Dishwashers, 5%
Bus Tables, 4%

Common food runner skills

Cleanliness, 20%
Wine, 9%
Culinary, 7%
Food Orders, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Handling, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Busser
Busser vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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