Post job

Formal waiter/waitress vs lead server

The differences between formal waiter/waitresses and lead servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead server has an average salary of $28,677, 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 lead server are customer service, new servers, and fine dining.

Formal waiter/waitress vs lead server overview

Formal Waiter/WaitressLead Server
Yearly salary$25,808$28,677
Hourly rate$12.41$13.79
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs3,660123,215
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age2828
Years of experience--

Formal waiter/waitress vs lead server salary

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

Formal Waiter/WaitressLead Server
Average salary$25,808$28,677
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $33,000Between $11,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkHawaii
Best paying companySunningdale Country ClubMicrosoft
Best paying industryReal EstateHospitality

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and lead server education

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

Formal Waiter/WaitressLead Server
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Formal waiter/waitress vs lead server demographics

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

Formal Waiter/WaitressLead Server
Average age2828
Gender ratioMale, 51.5% Female, 48.5%Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and lead 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.

Lead server example responsibilities.

  • Establish payroll policies and manage multiple areas of restaurant operations.
  • Manage technical support, business analysis, project management, application development and support, training, and facilitation.
  • Provide leadership to crew and shift managers guaranteeing great quality, customer service and cleanliness according to the public health code.
  • Train new employees on police, procedures, and micros system.
  • Take orders from customers, input orders into micros, and obtain payment and provide change.
  • Execute bartending duties and prepare service bar drinks (wine tasting flights, glass pours, cocktails, etc . )
  • Show more

Formal waiter/waitress vs lead server skills

Common formal waiter/waitress skills
  • Wine, 78%
  • Fine Dining, 22%
Common lead server skills
  • Customer Service, 22%
  • New Servers, 11%
  • Fine Dining, 9%
  • POS, 7%
  • Food Service, 6%
  • Guest Satisfaction, 4%

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs