Cook and waitress/waiter vs food service/cashier

The differences between cook and waitresses/waiter and food service/cashiers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service/cashier has an average salary of $28,481, 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 food service/cashier are food service, POS, and cleanliness.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs food service/cashier overview

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Food Service/Cashier
Yearly salary	$27,271	$28,481
Hourly rate	$13.11	$13.69
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	268,608	247,779
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs food service/cashier salary

Cook and waitresses/waiter and food service/cashiers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Food Service/Cashier
Average salary	$27,271	$28,481
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Montclair, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Aspen School District
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and food service/cashier education

There are a few differences between a cook and waitress/waiter and a food service/cashier in terms of educational background:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Food Service/Cashier
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cook and waitress/waiter vs food service/cashier demographics

Here are the differences between cook and waitresses/waiter' and food service/cashiers' demographics:

	Cook And Waitress/Waiter	Food Service/Cashier
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%
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, 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	6%	8%

Differences between cook and waitress/waiter and food service/cashier 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.

Food service/cashier example responsibilities.

Cashier, serve food, manage calls, drawer counting, heavy lifting, heavy use of POS system and filing.
Greet guests, take food and drink orders, prepare and assemble food items, maintain the cash drawer and POS system
Time management while delivering patients orders and providing exceptional customer service in a fast pace environment.
Order and receive supplies for culinary needs of the fleet.
Maintain food safety and quality by applying HACCP principles throughout service.
Load and unload commercial dishwashers.

Cook and waitress/waiter vs food service/cashier 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 food service/cashier skills

Food Service, 17%
POS, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Math, 7%
Customer Complaints, 7%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook And Waitress/Waiter
Cook And Waitress/Waiter vs Food Service/Cashier

Updated January 8, 2025

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