Informal waiter/waitress vs fine dining server

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and fine dining servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fine dining server has an average salary of $32,140, 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 fine dining server are wine, fine dining, and cleanliness.

Informal waiter/waitress vs fine dining server overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Yearly salary	$24,354	$32,140
Hourly rate	$11.71	$15.45
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	77,549
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
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 fine dining server do?

Fine dining servers the people who make your stay at a restaurant enjoyable. They deliver well-written orders for the kitchen to prepare and bring your food and beverage. Being a fine dining server is no easy task, as certain skill sets need to be met in order to become an effective dining server. An efficient server is detail-oriented, observant to the needs of the diners, and intuitive. An extensive knowledge of wines and other specific food categories may be required depending on the restaurant.

Informal waiter/waitress vs fine dining server salary

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Average salary	$24,354	$32,140
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Saratoga Springs, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Aspen Snowmass	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and fine dining server education

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs fine dining server demographics

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Fine Dining Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and fine dining 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.

Fine dining server example responsibilities.

Schedule and prioritize workload while managing multiple tasks as a representative of this distinctive establishment frequent by wine enthusiasts.
Maintain Microsoft windows base computer system.
Work closely with management to implement new organizational systems to facilitate efficient wine service and inventory.
Craft featured cocktails and signature drinks when bartending.
Inform chefs if guests have any allergies or other requests.
Maintain cleanliness of work areas, china, glass, etc., throughout the day.

Informal waiter/waitress vs fine dining server skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

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

Common fine dining server skills

Wine, 27%
Fine Dining, 24%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Beverage Orders, 4%
POS, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Informal Waiter/Waitress
Informal Waiter/Waitress vs Fine Dining Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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