Fountain server vs restaurant server

The differences between fountain servers and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fountain server has an average salary of $27,915, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.

The top three skills for a fountain server include customer service, clean tables and POS. The most important skills for a restaurant server are wine, exceptional dining, and guest satisfaction.

Fountain server vs restaurant server overview

	Fountain Server	Restaurant Server
Yearly salary	$27,915	$24,558
Hourly rate	$13.42	$11.81
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	75,201	141,250
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	42	28
Years of experience	-	-

Fountain server vs restaurant server salary

Fountain servers and restaurant servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fountain Server	Restaurant Server
Average salary	$27,915	$24,558
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $37,000	Between $15,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Agriculture

Differences between fountain server and restaurant server education

There are a few differences between a fountain server and a restaurant server in terms of educational background:

	Fountain Server	Restaurant Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fountain server vs restaurant server demographics

Here are the differences between fountain servers' and restaurant servers' demographics:

	Fountain Server	Restaurant Server
Average age	42	28
Gender ratio	Male, 33.5% Female, 66.5%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	7%	6%

Differences between fountain server and restaurant server duties and responsibilities

Fountain server example responsibilities.

Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Develop credibility and confidence with VIP guests by maintaining confidentiality and complying with company standards.

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.

Fountain server vs restaurant server skills

Common fountain server skills

Customer Service, 51%
Clean Tables, 40%
POS, 9%

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
Fountain Server
Fountain Server vs Restaurant Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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