Fast food server vs food service/cashier

The differences between fast food servers and food service/cashiers 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 $28,481 average annual salary of a food service/cashier.

The top three skills for a fast food server include cleanliness, food orders and food handling. The most important skills for a food service/cashier are food service, POS, and cleanliness.

Fast food server vs food service/cashier overview

	Fast Food Server	Food Service/Cashier
Yearly salary	$30,266	$28,481
Hourly rate	$14.55	$13.69
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	182,816	247,779
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Fast food server vs food service/cashier salary

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

	Fast Food Server	Food Service/Cashier
Average salary	$30,266	$28,481
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Montclair, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Aspen School District
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between fast food server and food service/cashier education

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

	Fast Food Server	Food Service/Cashier
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fast food server vs food service/cashier demographics

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

	Fast Food Server	Food Service/Cashier
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%	Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%
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 food service/cashier 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.

Food service/cashier example responsibilities.

Cashier, serve food, manage calls, drawer counting, heavy lifting, heavy use of POS system and filing.
Greet guests, take food and drink orders, prepare and assemble food items, maintain the cash drawer and POS system
Time management while delivering patients orders and providing exceptional customer service in a fast pace environment.
Order and receive supplies for culinary needs of the fleet.
Maintain food safety and quality by applying HACCP principles throughout service.
Load and unload commercial dishwashers.

Fast food server vs food service/cashier skills

Common fast food server skills

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

Common food service/cashier skills

Food Service, 17%
POS, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Math, 7%
Customer Complaints, 7%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Fast Food Server
Fast Food Server vs Food Service/Cashier

Updated January 8, 2025

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