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Food and beverage attendant vs waitress

The differences between food and beverage attendants and waitresses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food and beverage attendant has an average salary of $25,569, which is higher than the $24,770 average annual salary of a waitress.

The top three skills for a food and beverage attendant include cleanliness, food handling and culinary. The most important skills for a waitress are food orders, food preparation, and customer orders.

Food and beverage attendant vs waitress overview

Food And Beverage AttendantWaitress
Yearly salary$25,569$24,770
Hourly rate$12.29$11.91
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs203,74787,315
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%High School Diploma, 36%
Average age2828
Years of experience--

What does a food and beverage attendant do?

Going to a restaurant to meet a smiling face is one of the world's greatest delights. When visiting a restaurant, the first smiling face that greets you is often that of a food and beverage attendant. Naturally, the role of a food and beverage attendant involves more than just smiling. They seat customers comfortably, address any complaints, and take customer orders. Their primary role is simply to keep restaurant customers satisfied.

What does a waitress do?

Waitresses are responsible for ensuring that guests are given proper attention during their visit to the restaurant. They guide guests to their table, provide menu boards, answer any questions the guests may have, take the guests' order, and communicate the order to the kitchen. Once the order is ready, waitresses collect the food from the kitchen and serve it to the guests. They then give guests time to finish their meal. Upon the guests' request, waitresses bring them their bill and wait for them to finish paying up. Once the guests leave, waitresses are responsible for ensuring that the table is ready for the next guests.

Food and beverage attendant vs waitress salary

Food and beverage attendants and waitresses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Food And Beverage AttendantWaitress
Average salary$25,569$24,770
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $32,000Between $17,000 And $35,000
Highest paying CityHighland, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyTargetNew York Institute of Technology
Best paying industryGovernmentHospitality

Differences between food and beverage attendant and waitress education

There are a few differences between a food and beverage attendant and a waitress in terms of educational background:

Food And Beverage AttendantWaitress
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%High School Diploma, 36%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Food and beverage attendant vs waitress demographics

Here are the differences between food and beverage attendants' and waitresses' demographics:

Food And Beverage AttendantWaitress
Average age2828
Gender ratioMale, 33.9% Female, 66.1%Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between food and beverage attendant and waitress duties and responsibilities

Food and beverage attendant example responsibilities.

  • Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
  • Operate POS terminals to input customer orders, swipe credit cards and enter amounts receive.
  • Place plates, spoons, and bowls on the bar.
  • Keep the buffet stock with food, plates, and spoons.
  • Act as main bartender during schedule bartending shifts.
  • Wait tables, checking customer preferences and upselling specials.
  • Show more

Waitress example responsibilities.

  • Manage a recurring book of business of top VIP clients secure through networking.
  • Relay orders to bar and kitchen by quickly and accurately recording guest selections and keying them into the POS computer system.
  • wait tables, handle money, exceed guest expectations, serve food and drinks, micros, clean, side work.
  • Increase store sales by upselling merchandise.
  • Enter order/payment information into micros system, deliver receipt and change to the customer.
  • Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.
  • Show more

Food and beverage attendant vs waitress skills

Common food and beverage attendant skills
  • Cleanliness, 21%
  • Food Handling, 12%
  • Culinary, 10%
  • Guest Service, 6%
  • Math, 5%
  • Wine, 5%
Common waitress skills
  • Food Orders, 13%
  • Food Preparation, 9%
  • Customer Orders, 8%
  • POS, 7%
  • Drink Orders, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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