Formal waiter/waitress vs restaurant server

The differences between formal waiter/waitresses and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a formal waiter/waitress has an average salary of $25,808, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.

The top three skills for a formal waiter/waitress include wine, fine dining and . The most important skills for a restaurant server are wine, exceptional dining, and guest satisfaction.

Formal waiter/waitress vs restaurant server overview

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Restaurant Server
Yearly salary	$25,808	$24,558
Hourly rate	$12.41	$11.81
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	141,250
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Formal waiter/waitress vs restaurant server salary

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

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Restaurant Server
Average salary	$25,808	$24,558
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $33,000	Between $15,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Sunningdale Country Club	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Real Estate	Agriculture

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and restaurant server education

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

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Restaurant Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Formal waiter/waitress vs restaurant server demographics

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

	Formal Waiter/Waitress	Restaurant Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between formal waiter/waitress and restaurant 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.

Restaurant server example responsibilities.

Demonstrate adequate culinary and Italian wine knowledge through suggestive selling.
Input orders in micros and issue guest check for each order.
Prepare the groceries for the customer in their request baggage handing.3.
Maintain clean, sanitize FOH area and ensure health & safety and hygiene procedures and standards are meet.
Work with operations manager in ordering and setting up all FOH systems need in opening a new restaurant.
Provide thorough knowledge of the restaurant's menu to make recommendations or answer questions, and enter POS charges.

Formal waiter/waitress vs restaurant server skills

Common formal waiter/waitress skills

Wine, 78%
Fine Dining, 22%

Common restaurant server skills

Wine, 28%
Exceptional Dining, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Cleanliness, 5%
POS, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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