Fast food server vs cook/server

The differences between fast food servers and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fast food server has an average salary of $30,266, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a fast food server include cleanliness, food orders and food handling. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Fast food server vs cook/server overview

	Fast Food Server	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$30,266	$29,716
Hourly rate	$14.55	$14.29
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	182,816	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Fast food server vs cook/server salary

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

	Fast Food Server	Cook/Server
Average salary	$30,266	$29,716
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	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 fast food server and cook/server education

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

	Fast Food Server	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fast food server vs cook/server demographics

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

	Fast Food Server	Cook/Server
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%	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 fast food server and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Fast food server example responsibilities.

Describe menu items and daily specials in detail and provide recommendations including wine pairing options.
Preform equipment maintenance to ensure proper tolerances for precise mowing conditions.

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.

Fast food server vs cook/server skills

Common fast food server skills

Cleanliness, 33%
Food Orders, 24%
Food Handling, 9%
Safety Standards, 8%
Drive-Thru, 7%
Customer Complaints, 5%

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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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Fast Food Server
Fast Food Server vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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