Counter server vs cook/server

The differences between counter servers and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counter server has an average salary of $32,460, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a counter server include food handling, excellent guest and basic math. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Counter server vs cook/server overview

	Counter Server	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$32,460	$29,716
Hourly rate	$15.61	$14.29
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	85,069	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Counter server vs cook/server salary

Counter servers and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counter Server	Cook/Server
Average salary	$32,460	$29,716
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	The Harley School
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between counter server and cook/server education

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

	Counter Server	Cook/Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Counter server vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between counter servers' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Counter Server	Cook/Server
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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, 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	8%	8%

Differences between counter server and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Counter server example responsibilities.

Answer telephones and enter orders into POS system.
Operate POS terminal to process customers' orders, swipe credit cards, and enter cash amounts.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.
Prepare some salads, shakes, smoothies, and juices.
Monitor guest for intoxication and immediately report concerns to management.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Counter server vs cook/server skills

Common counter server skills

Food Handling, 24%
Excellent Guest, 19%
Basic Math, 14%
Wine, 9%
Cash Handling, 6%
Culinary, 6%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Counter Server
Counter Server vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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