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The differences between dining room servers and beverage servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dining room server has an average salary of $29,540, which is higher than the $25,886 average annual salary of a beverage server.
The top three skills for a dining room server include fine dining, food service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a beverage server are drink orders, guest service, and beverage orders.
| Dining Room Server | Beverage Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,540 | $25,886 |
| Hourly rate | $14.20 | $12.45 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 99,079 | 79,100 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 39 | 28 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously. They are also responsible for coordinating with cashiers and kitchen staff, cleaning and preparing tables for new customers, and assisting staff as needed. In some establishments, a dining room server may also participate in preparing drinks or ingredients, monitoring supply inventories, and collecting payments.
A beverage server specializes in mixing and preparing drinks, serving them to customers courteously. Their responsibilities also include greeting the customers, taking orders, answering inquiries, offering recommendations when necessary, and checking the customers' identification to confirm their ages. They may also provide assistance to managers by monitoring beverage inventories, receiving and unloading deliveries, organizing supplies and equipment, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Moreover, as a beverage server, it is essential to have a clear communication line with co-workers for smooth work operations.
Dining room servers and beverage servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dining Room Server | Beverage Server | |
| Average salary | $29,540 | $25,886 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $20,000 And $33,000 |
| Highest paying City | Marysville, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Eastmont School District | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a dining room server and a beverage server in terms of educational background:
| Dining Room Server | Beverage Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dining room servers' and beverage servers' demographics:
| Dining Room Server | Beverage Server | |
| Average age | 39 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |