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The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and lead servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead server has an average salary of $28,677, 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 lead server are customer service, new servers, and fine dining.
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Lead Server | |
| Yearly salary | $24,354 | $28,677 |
| Hourly rate | $11.71 | $13.79 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 3,660 | 123,215 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A lead server is responsible for assisting the guests' needs, responding to their inquiries, and immediately addressing their dining concerns. Lead servers ensure the timely and accurate serving of orders, offering promotional menus and other additional services. Lead servers must have excellent communication skills to interact with the guests, as well as time-management and multitasking skills to perform duties in the fast-paced environment. They also help in developing strategic procedures and food menu recommendations by researching on the latest food trends in the industry to generate revenues and attract more customers.
Informal waiter/waitresses and lead servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Lead Server | |
| Average salary | $24,354 | $28,677 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $36,000 | Between $11,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saratoga Springs, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Aspen Snowmass | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an informal waiter/waitress and a lead server in terms of educational background:
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Lead Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and lead servers' demographics:
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Lead 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |