Dining car server vs waitstaff

The differences between dining car servers and waitstaffs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dining car server has an average salary of $26,623, which is higher than the $25,104 average annual salary of a waitstaff.

The top three skills for a dining car server include exceptional dining, fine dining and meal service. The most important skills for a waitstaff are food service, beverage orders, and culinary.

Dining car server vs waitstaff overview

	Dining Car Server	Waitstaff
Yearly salary	$26,623	$25,104
Hourly rate	$12.80	$12.07
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	89,453	130,467
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Dining car server vs waitstaff salary

Dining car servers and waitstaffs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dining Car Server	Waitstaff
Average salary	$26,623	$25,104
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $34,000	Between $19,000 And $32,000
Highest paying City	-	Falmouth, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Mayo Clinic
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between dining car server and waitstaff education

There are a few differences between a dining car server and a waitstaff in terms of educational background:

	Dining Car Server	Waitstaff
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dining car server vs waitstaff demographics

Here are the differences between dining car servers' and waitstaffs' demographics:

	Dining Car Server	Waitstaff
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 9.8% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between dining car server and waitstaff duties and responsibilities

Dining car server example responsibilities.

Manage POS systems, cash register processes and packing food.
Demonstrate knowledge of each culinary dish, from farm to table.
Maintain cleanliness and conditional issues for the front and back of the house.
Communicate to the kitchen additional requirements, allergies, dietary needs, and special requests for meals.
Provide guests of internationally acclaim Japanese fusion restaurant with exceptional service and culinary expertise.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.

Waitstaff example responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Assist with stocking of pantry when groceries arrive.
Cater private events and perform light bartending duties.
Increase total restaurant sales by upselling specials and top-shelf liquors.
Work regularly on the pass as well as a waiter.
Offer meal suggestions base on diverse culinary repertoire and expert food knowledge.

Dining car server vs waitstaff skills

Common dining car server skills

Exceptional Dining, 18%
Fine Dining, 15%
Meal Service, 10%
Genuine Hospitality, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Bus Tables, 5%

Common waitstaff skills

Food Service, 23%
Beverage Orders, 19%
Culinary, 19%
Team Work, 16%
Meal Orders, 8%
Wine, 3%

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Dining Car Server
Dining Car Server vs Waitstaff

Updated January 8, 2025

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