Formal waiter/waitress vs head server

The differences between formal waiter/waitresses and head servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head server has an average salary of $111,194, which is higher than the $25,808 average annual salary of a formal waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for a formal waiter/waitress include wine, fine dining and . The most important skills for a head server are customer service, new servers, and POS.

Formal waiter/waitress vs head server overview

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Yearly salary	$25,808	$111,194
Hourly rate	$12.41	$53.46
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	64,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Formal waiter/waitress vs head server salary

Formal waiter/waitresses and head servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Average salary	$25,808	$111,194
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $51,000 And $238,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Sunningdale Country Club	-
Best paying industry	Real Estate	-

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and head server education

There are a few differences between a formal waiter/waitress and a head server in terms of educational background:

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Formal waiter/waitress vs head server demographics

Here are the differences between formal waiter/waitresses' and head servers' demographics:

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Head Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 9.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and head server duties and responsibilities

Formal waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Develop expertise in wine recommendations and pairings base on extensive winereserves.
Operate large volume cooking equipment like buger grills, fryers, and/or griddles.

Head server example responsibilities.

Train and manage all BOH employees.
Manage all servers' end of night cash out and prepare host and bartending tip out.
Manage opening and closing duties, including restocking items and insuring the FOH are clean and shut down correctly.
Manage technical support, business analysis, project management, application development and support, training, and facilitation.
Help drive and increase restaurant sales by upselling and highlighting off menu items.
Train new employees on operating the micros system and on self-presentation and customer service.

Formal waiter/waitress vs head server skills

Common formal waiter/waitress skills

Wine, 78%
Fine Dining, 22%

Common head server skills

Customer Service, 33%
New Servers, 9%
POS, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Bartending, 4%
Safety Procedures, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Formal Waiter/Waitress
Formal Waiter/Waitress vs Head Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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