Informal waiter/waitress vs banquet server

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and banquet servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a banquet server has an average salary of $29,017, which is higher than the $24,354 average annual salary of an informal waiter/waitress.

The top three skills for an informal waiter/waitress include beverage orders, waiter and customer service. The most important skills for a banquet server are wine, cleanliness, and food service.

Informal waiter/waitress vs banquet server overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Banquet Server
Yearly salary	$24,354	$29,017
Hourly rate	$11.71	$13.95
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	125,381
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

What does an informal waiter/waitress do?

An informal waiter/waitress is primarily in charge of serving patrons in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and other similar dining establishments, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with kitchen and management staff, greeting and welcoming customers, providing menus and answering inquiries, offering suggestions, and serving the customers' orders promptly and accurately. They may also process payments or provide other assistance as needed. Furthermore, an informal waiter/waitress must maintain the cleanliness of tables and workspaces, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

What does a banquet server do?

A banquet server is responsible for assisting guests in food catering events. Banquet servers' duties include arranging tables as the client desires, preparing the catering setup, refilling foods and beverages, managing guests' inquiries and possible complaints, keeping the food area clean, and maintaining the highest sanitation standards for the guests' best banquet experience. A banquet server should have excellent communication and time-management skills, especially on serving guests that would require utmost care and safe handling.

Informal waiter/waitress vs banquet server salary

Informal waiter/waitresses and banquet servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Banquet Server
Average salary	$24,354	$29,017
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $20,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Saratoga Springs, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	Endicott College
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Professional

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and banquet server education

There are a few differences between an informal waiter/waitress and a banquet server in terms of educational background:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Banquet Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs banquet server demographics

Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and banquet servers' demographics:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Banquet Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and banquet server duties and responsibilities

Informal waiter/waitress example responsibilities.

Train in bartending duties, knowledgeable of preparation of alcoholic beverages.
Request and record customer orders, and totale orders using the POS system.
Help bartending when staff are short.
Fix POS computers, printers, and credit card systems above and beyond job responsibilities.
Start as a busboy and are quickly promote to a waiter when a spot are made available.
Develop relationships with regular patrons; develop an understanding of their personal needs and expectations, including preferences and food allergies.

Banquet server example responsibilities.

Provide professional bartending and hospitality services to optimize customer service experiences for private, corporate, and public events.
Create PowerPoint food presentations for training purposes.
Gain skills in customer dining service, hospitality and compassion.
Analyze BEOs to ensure rooms are prepare each day for schedule events.
Organize and run every event book through cold calling or past guests.
Review BEOs in order to ensure proper room setup and A/V requests are meet.

Informal waiter/waitress vs banquet server skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

Beverage Orders, 48%
Waiter, 18%
Customer Service, 12%
Food Service, 9%
Fine Dining, 3%
Wine, 2%

Common banquet server skills

Wine, 12%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Service, 9%
Customer Service, 6%
Professional Appearance, 5%
Beverage Service, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Informal Waiter/Waitress
Informal Waiter/Waitress vs Banquet Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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