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The differences between fine dining servers and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $32,140 average annual salary of a fine dining server.
The top three skills for a fine dining server include wine, fine dining and cleanliness. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.
| Fine Dining Server | Line Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $32,140 | $32,894 |
| Hourly rate | $15.45 | $15.81 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 77,549 | 168,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 28 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Fine dining servers the people who make your stay at a restaurant enjoyable. They deliver well-written orders for the kitchen to prepare and bring your food and beverage. Being a fine dining server is no easy task, as certain skill sets need to be met in order to become an effective dining server. An efficient server is detail-oriented, observant to the needs of the diners, and intuitive. An extensive knowledge of wines and other specific food categories may be required depending on the restaurant.
Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.
Fine dining servers and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fine Dining Server | Line Cook | |
| Average salary | $32,140 | $32,894 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $47,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Gate City Bank |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a fine dining server and a line cook in terms of educational background:
| Fine Dining Server | Line Cook | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between fine dining servers' and line cooks' demographics:
| Fine Dining Server | Line Cook | |
| Average age | 28 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |