Informal waiter/waitress vs server and certified trainer

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and server and certified trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server and certified trainer has an average salary of $30,423, 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 server and certified trainer are customer service, new servers, and POS.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server and certified trainer overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server And Certified Trainer
Yearly salary	$24,354	$30,423
Hourly rate	$11.71	$14.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	131,460
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
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 server and certified trainer do?

A server and certified trainer is a wait staff position who takes orders and serves food and beverages to customers dining in the restaurant. Often known as the lead server, a server and certified trainer provides training to new server trainees to serve customers and handle payments. A server and a certified server should maintain a professional attitude in order to ensure guest satisfaction. He/She or she should also be highly knowledgeable about anything related to the computer system.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server and certified trainer salary

Informal waiter/waitresses and server and certified trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server And Certified Trainer
Average salary	$24,354	$30,423
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
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 server and certified trainer education

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server And Certified Trainer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs server and certified trainer demographics

Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and server and certified trainers' demographics:

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server And Certified Trainer
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8%
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, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 8.3% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and server and certified trainer 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.

Server and certified trainer example responsibilities.

Shape potential employees into becoming quality salespeople by increasing sales through upselling and providing excellent customer service.
Train and execute all aspects of restaurant depending upon need, including cooking, bartending, etc.
Task of serving guess needs and training the new hire at bartending if do not know how to.
Train new employees in wine and food knowledge, use of POS computer systems, handling cash/reports, and guest service etiquette
Develop variety of menu items catering to customers with food allergies and diet restrictions such as gluten free or vegetarian options.
Collaborate POS operation-training sessions for new employees.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server and certified trainer skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

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

Common server and certified trainer skills

Customer Service, 29%
New Servers, 14%
POS, 7%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Fine Dining, 3%
Safety Procedures, 3%

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Informal Waiter/Waitress
Informal Waiter/Waitress vs Server And Certified Trainer

Updated January 8, 2025

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