Cook and waitress/waiter vs banquet server

The differences between cook and waitresses/waiter and banquet servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a banquet server has an average salary of $29,017, which is higher than the $27,271 average annual salary of a cook and waitress/waiter.

The top three skills for a cook and waitress/waiter include food handling, customer service and waiter. The most important skills for a banquet server are wine, cleanliness, and food service.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs banquet server overview

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Banquet Server
Yearly salary	$27,271	$29,017
Hourly rate	$13.11	$13.95
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	268,608	125,381
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs banquet server salary

Cook and waitresses/waiter and banquet servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Banquet Server
Average salary	$27,271	$29,017
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $36,000	Between $20,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Endicott College
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and banquet server education

There are a few differences between a cook and waitress/waiter and a banquet server in terms of educational background:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Banquet Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs banquet server demographics

Here are the differences between cook and waitresses/waiter' and banquet servers' demographics:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Banquet Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and banquet server duties and responsibilities

Cook and waitress/waiter example responsibilities.

Enter orders into a POS system to be send to the kitchen.
Assist in cashier duties using POS system to make all monetary transactions of food items.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Service of drinks, cocktails and food in a busy, members only VIP environment.

Banquet server example responsibilities.

Provide professional bartending and hospitality services to optimize customer service experiences for private, corporate, and public events.
Create PowerPoint food presentations for training purposes.
Gain skills in customer dining service, hospitality and compassion.
Analyze BEOs to ensure rooms are prepare each day for schedule events.
Organize and run every event book through cold calling or past guests.
Review BEOs in order to ensure proper room setup and A/V requests are meet.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs banquet server skills

Common cook and waitress/waiter skills

Food Handling, 58%
Customer Service, 14%
Waiter, 5%
Food Orders, 3%
Food Service, 2%
Food Preparation, 2%

Common banquet server skills

Wine, 12%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Service, 9%
Customer Service, 6%
Professional Appearance, 5%
Beverage Service, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook And Waitress/Waiter
Cook And Waitress/Waiter vs Banquet Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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