Informal waiter/waitress vs server manager

The differences between informal waiter/waitresses and server managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server manager has an average salary of $61,639, 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 manager are customer service, payroll, and POS.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server manager overview

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server Manager
Yearly salary	$24,354	$61,639
Hourly rate	$11.71	$29.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	3,660	153,999
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	28	39
Years of experience	-	4

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 manager do?

As the name entails, server managers are responsible for managing and overseeing the serving areas in restaurants. This role is associated with several tasks, including checking the appearance of servers, checking a server's knowledge of the restaurant's daily specials and menu items, and greeting the customers. Additional tasks may include assisting new serving crews and evaluating their self-reliance and capabilities, managing the schedule of servers, and organizing staff training. The skills needed for this position may include excellent customer service skills, leadership skills, and communication skills.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server manager salary

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server Manager
Average salary	$24,354	$61,639
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $23,000 And $162,000
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 manager education

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server Manager
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Informal waiter/waitress vs server manager demographics

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

	Informal Waiter/Waitress	Server Manager
Average age	28	39
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.6% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between informal waiter/waitress and server manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Manage operations of a successful restaurant/hotel business including leadership of client and supplier relationships.
Manage technical support, business analysis, project management, application development and support, training, and facilitation.
Supervise all areas within the restaurant and train all FOH staff in policies and procedures.
Monitor food distribution and restaurant maintenance of FOH and BOH -Handling of financial duties and perform administrative activities
Provide server duties by seating, taking orders and serving guests food and beverage orders using a POS computer service.
General serving and bartending responsibilities.

Informal waiter/waitress vs server manager skills

Common informal waiter/waitress skills

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

Common server manager skills

Customer Service, 21%
Payroll, 7%
POS, 6%
Customer Complaints, 6%
Fine Dining, 4%
Food Orders, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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