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The differences between catering associates and food servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering associate has an average salary of $31,648, which is higher than the $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for a catering associate include patients, tray assembly and allergies. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.
| Catering Associate | Food Server | |
| Yearly salary | $31,648 | $25,209 |
| Hourly rate | $15.22 | $12.12 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 3,045 | 125,455 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A catering associate is in charge of serving food and beverages to guests at special events, ensuring client satisfaction. Although their duties can vary upon the tasks assigned by managers, it usually includes taking and processing orders, maintaining buffets in good condition, monitoring supplies to ensure they are adequate, refilling food and beverage stations, and assisting guests courteously. They also participate in preparing meals and venues, loading and unloading supplies from trucks, organizing tables and utensils, and maintaining the cleanliness of areas.
A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
Catering associates and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Catering Associate | Food Server | |
| Average salary | $31,648 | $25,209 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $38,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Vermont |
| Best paying company | - | Gettysburg College |
| Best paying industry | - | Retail |
There are a few differences between a catering associate and a food server in terms of educational background:
| Catering Associate | Food Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between catering associates' and food servers' demographics:
| Catering Associate | Food Server | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |