Catering assistant vs room service server

The differences between catering assistants and room service servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering assistant has an average salary of $32,101, which is higher than the $26,717 average annual salary of a room service server.

The top three skills for a catering assistant include patients, food service and customer service. The most important skills for a room service server are guest rooms, beverage orders, and in-room.

Catering assistant vs room service server overview

	Catering Assistant	Room Service Server
Yearly salary	$32,101	$26,717
Hourly rate	$15.43	$12.84
Growth rate	2%	9%
Number of jobs	10,042	144,551
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	37	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a catering assistant do?

A catering assistant is responsible for supporting catering operations, especially on outdoor gatherings and social events. Catering assistants prepare the buffet area and ensure the adequacy of foods and beverages, and provide the best customer service for the guests' satisfaction. Catering assistants must have excellent communication skills, responding to the guests' inquiries and concerns about the dish, and resolving immediate complaints. They maintain the cleanliness of the buffet station, strictly adhering to the sanitary standards and hygienic regulations.

What does a room service server do?

A room service server is an employee employed in a hotel or lodging to provide various services to the room occupants in the hotel. They often deliver ordered food, drinks, or movies to the occupants' rooms. Their duties and responsibilities include delivery of ordered foods or drinks, taking orders, collecting dirty dishes from rooms, and maintaining supplies and orders.

Catering assistant vs room service server salary

Catering assistants and room service servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Catering Assistant	Room Service Server
Average salary	$32,101	$26,717
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $18,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Maine
Best paying company	Massachusetts General Hospital	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between catering assistant and room service server education

There are a few differences between a catering assistant and a room service server in terms of educational background:

	Catering Assistant	Room Service Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Catering assistant vs room service server demographics

Here are the differences between catering assistants' and room service servers' demographics:

	Catering Assistant	Room Service Server
Average age	37	39
Gender ratio	Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8%	Male, 51.8% Female, 48.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 7.4% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between catering assistant and room service server duties and responsibilities

Catering assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and prioritize restaurant reservations.
Monitor patients who cannot receive anything by mouth (NPO) or on liquid diets.
Assist dieticians with monitoring of patients who are NPO, on liquid diets or need to have intake record.
Run POS for student payments, including meal cards and cash.
Comply with regulator agency standards, including federal, state and JCAHO.
Adhere to HIPAA guidelines while processing menu orders with the patient information.

Room service server example responsibilities.

Clean and defrost mini bars regularly.
Train, maintain and enforce all Marriott service standards using use records, menus and appropriate reference materials.
Perform various financial activities such as cash and credit card processing, daily revenue reports, bank deposits, and payroll.
Assist in weekly payroll and scheduling responsibilities.
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Build relationships with guests -help prepare for restaurant opening -Maintain restaurant at all times -Persuasive- positive use of upselling techniques

Catering assistant vs room service server skills

Common catering assistant skills

Patients, 25%
Food Service, 21%
Customer Service, 12%
Food Safety, 7%
Food Delivery, 6%
Beverage Service, 4%

Common room service server skills

Guest Rooms, 8%
Beverage Orders, 8%
In-Room, 6%
Cash Handling, 6%
Guest Service, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Catering Assistant vs Room Service Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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