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The differences between cafe servers and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cafe server has an average salary of $26,967, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.
The top three skills for a cafe server include cleanliness, support tasks and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a restaurant server are wine, exceptional dining, and guest satisfaction.
| Cafe Server | Restaurant Server | |
| Yearly salary | $26,967 | $24,558 |
| Hourly rate | $12.96 | $11.81 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 188,740 | 141,250 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 23 | 28 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A cafe server is responsible for serving customer orders, ensuring timeliness and efficiency. In some establishments, they are the first to greet the customers, taking their orders courteously and professionally. They also assist by answering inquiries, offering products and other services, and solving issues and concerns if there is any to ensure customer satisfaction. They coordinate directly with kitchen staff to prepare orders and relay particular requests. Moreover, a cafe server also maintains the cleanliness of different areas and prepares tables for new customers.
Also called food servers, restaurant servers perform food preparation, cleaning duties, and customer service in casual dining eateries and restaurants. The food servers stock supplies, handle credit cards and the cash register, and clean restaurant counters and tables. They provide assistance to restaurant patrons to take orders, deliver food, and answer customer questions. The skills they need include trustworthiness, organization, customer relations, and communication skills.
Cafe servers and restaurant servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cafe Server | Restaurant Server | |
| Average salary | $26,967 | $24,558 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $35,000 | Between $15,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between a cafe server and a restaurant server in terms of educational background:
| Cafe Server | Restaurant Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cafe servers' and restaurant servers' demographics:
| Cafe Server | Restaurant Server | |
| Average age | 23 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% | Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |