Host/waiter vs beverage server

The differences between host/waiters and beverage servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a beverage server has an average salary of $25,886, which is higher than the $25,593 average annual salary of a host/waiter.

The top three skills for a host/waiter include customer service, food handling and waiter. The most important skills for a beverage server are drink orders, guest service, and beverage orders.

Host/waiter vs beverage server overview

	Host/Waiter	Beverage Server
Yearly salary	$25,593	$25,886
Hourly rate	$12.30	$12.45
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	73,399	79,100
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Host/waiter vs beverage server salary

Host/waiters and beverage servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Host/Waiter	Beverage Server
Average salary	$25,593	$25,886
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $34,000	Between $20,000 And $33,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between host/waiter and beverage server education

There are a few differences between a host/waiter and a beverage server in terms of educational background:

	Host/Waiter	Beverage Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Host/waiter vs beverage server demographics

Here are the differences between host/waiters' and beverage servers' demographics:

	Host/Waiter	Beverage Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 10.1% White, 50.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between host/waiter and beverage server duties and responsibilities

Host/waiter example responsibilities.

Manage restaurant sections in order to equalize seating arrangements for each waiter and ensure the restaurant are stocked and well maintain.
Train employees on job duties and POS system.
Edit POS system to adjust for changes in prices and new inventory to assist ease of usage for employees.
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Maximize profits by upselling food and alcoholic beverages and utilizing excellent customer service skills to ensure guests repeat business.

Beverage server example responsibilities.

Open and close the register, provide credit card and cash reports, and batches on POS.
Learned more about different liquor, cocktails and wine, drink mixes and special drink of the month.
Work with large amounts of cash as well as credit cards, and knowledge of the POS system.
Present menus to guest, answer and give information about menu items such as wine selections to pair with meal.
Maintain cleanliness in assign section utilizing a silent service approach.
Supervise daily operations to ensure food safety, product preparation, cleanliness standards are maintain.

Host/waiter vs beverage server skills

Common host/waiter skills

Customer Service, 27%
Food Handling, 21%
Waiter, 10%
Food Orders, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Customer Orders, 3%

Common beverage server skills

Drink Orders, 10%
Guest Service, 9%
Beverage Orders, 8%
Exceptional Guest, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Professional Appearance, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Host/Waiter
Host/Waiter vs Beverage Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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