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The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server has an average salary of $29,901, 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 are wine, customer service, and guest satisfaction.
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Server | |
| Yearly salary | $24,354 | $29,901 |
| Hourly rate | $11.71 | $14.38 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 3,660 | 162,734 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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 server is a restaurant employee assigned to the main dining area of the restaurant to primarily attend to the customer's needs. Servers assist guests to their tables, wait for the guests to be ready with their orders, and take the guests' orders. They should be knowledgeable about the restaurant's offerings since they should be able to answer any questions asked by the guests regarding the menu. They communicate the guests' orders to the kitchen crew and serve the orders once they are ready. Once the guests are finished eating, servers provide their bills upon their request and clean up the table when they leave. Servers should have excellent customer service skills and hospitality management skills.
Informal waiter/waitresses and servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Server | |
| Average salary | $24,354 | $29,901 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $36,000 | Between $21,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saratoga Springs, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Aspen Snowmass | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an informal waiter/waitress and a server in terms of educational background:
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between informal waiter/waitresses' and servers' demographics:
| Informal Waiter/Waitress | Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |