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The differences between food servers and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food preparer has an average salary of $27,717, which is higher than the $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for a food server include beverage orders, wine and cleanliness. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.
| Food Server | Food Preparer | |
| Yearly salary | $25,209 | $27,717 |
| Hourly rate | $12.12 | $13.33 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 125,455 | 134,113 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.
Food servers and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Server | Food Preparer | |
| Average salary | $25,209 | $27,717 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $34,000 | Between $20,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Commack, NY |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Gettysburg College | Mount Sinai Health System |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a food server and a food preparer in terms of educational background:
| Food Server | Food Preparer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food servers' and food preparers' demographics:
| Food Server | Food Preparer | |
| Average age | 42 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 7% | 8% |