Counter waitress/waiter vs restaurant server

The differences between counter waitresses/waiter and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counter waitress/waiter has an average salary of $25,920, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.

The top three skills for a counter waitress/waiter include food handling, customer service and POS. The most important skills for a restaurant server are wine, exceptional dining, and guest satisfaction.

Counter waitress/waiter vs restaurant server overview

	Counter Waitress/Waiter	Restaurant Server
Yearly salary	$25,920	$24,558
Hourly rate	$12.46	$11.81
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	12,879	141,250
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	23	28
Years of experience	-	-

Counter waitress/waiter vs restaurant server salary

Counter waitresses/waiter and restaurant servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counter Waitress/Waiter	Restaurant Server
Average salary	$25,920	$24,558
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $33,000	Between $15,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Agriculture

Differences between counter waitress/waiter and restaurant server education

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

	Counter Waitress/Waiter	Restaurant Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Counter waitress/waiter vs restaurant server demographics

Here are the differences between counter waitresses/waiter' and restaurant servers' demographics:

	Counter Waitress/Waiter	Restaurant Server
Average age	23	28
Gender ratio	Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between counter waitress/waiter and restaurant server duties and responsibilities

Counter waitress/waiter example responsibilities.

Counter staff, POS systems, and telephones.Waitress, serving guests, POS systems, running the kitchen.
Answer phones, put orders in through the POS, seat guests and take orders, clean the dinning area.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.
Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.

Restaurant server example responsibilities.

Demonstrate adequate culinary and Italian wine knowledge through suggestive selling.
Input orders in micros and issue guest check for each order.
Prepare the groceries for the customer in their request baggage handing.3.
Maintain clean, sanitize FOH area and ensure health & safety and hygiene procedures and standards are meet.
Work with operations manager in ordering and setting up all FOH systems need in opening a new restaurant.
Provide thorough knowledge of the restaurant's menu to make recommendations or answer questions, and enter POS charges.

Counter waitress/waiter vs restaurant server skills

Common counter waitress/waiter skills

Food Handling, 89%
Customer Service, 5%
POS, 1%
Food Orders, 1%
Customer Orders, 1%
Customer Complaints, 1%

Common restaurant server skills

Wine, 28%
Exceptional Dining, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Cleanliness, 5%
POS, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Counter Waitress/Waiter
Counter Waitress/Waiter vs Restaurant Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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