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The differences between cook/servers and food 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 $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for a cook/server include customer service, customer orders and safety standards. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.
| Cook/Server | Food Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,716 | $25,209 |
| Hourly rate | $14.29 | $12.12 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 257,582 | 125,455 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.
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.
Cook/servers and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cook/Server | Food Server | |
| Average salary | $29,716 | $25,209 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellingham, WA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | The Harley School | Gettysburg College |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a cook/server and a food server in terms of educational background:
| Cook/Server | Food Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 52% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between cook/servers' and food servers' demographics:
| Cook/Server | Food Server | |
| Average age | 23 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| 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, 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 | 8% | 7% |