Cafe worker vs cook/server

The differences between cafe workers and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook/server has an average salary of $29,716, which is higher than the $28,625 average annual salary of a cafe worker.

The top three skills for a cafe worker include food handling, food service and customer service. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Cafe worker vs cook/server overview

	Cafe Worker	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$28,625	$29,716
Hourly rate	$13.76	$14.29
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	21,033	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Cafe worker vs cook/server salary

Cafe workers and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cafe Worker	Cook/Server
Average salary	$28,625	$29,716
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $33,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Waltham, MA	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	MHC Healthcare	The Harley School
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between cafe worker and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a cafe worker and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Cafe Worker	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cafe worker vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between cafe workers' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Cafe Worker	Cook/Server
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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, 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	8%	8%

Differences between cafe worker and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Cafe worker example responsibilities.

Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.
Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Cafe worker vs cook/server skills

Common cafe worker skills

Food Handling, 27%
Food Service, 21%
Customer Service, 13%
Cleanliness, 6%
Basic Math, 5%
BARS, 5%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cafe Worker
Cafe Worker vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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