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The differences between lead servers and beverage 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 $25,886 average annual salary of a beverage server.
The top three skills for a lead server include customer service, new servers and fine dining. The most important skills for a beverage server are drink orders, guest service, and beverage orders.
| Lead Server | Beverage Server | |
| Yearly salary | $28,677 | $25,886 |
| Hourly rate | $13.79 | $12.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 123,215 | 79,100 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A beverage server specializes in mixing and preparing drinks, serving them to customers courteously. Their responsibilities also include greeting the customers, taking orders, answering inquiries, offering recommendations when necessary, and checking the customers' identification to confirm their ages. They may also provide assistance to managers by monitoring beverage inventories, receiving and unloading deliveries, organizing supplies and equipment, and maintaining the cleanliness of work areas. Moreover, as a beverage server, it is essential to have a clear communication line with co-workers for smooth work operations.
Lead servers and beverage servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Server | Beverage Server | |
| Average salary | $28,677 | $25,886 |
| Salary range | Between $11,000 And $70,000 | Between $20,000 And $33,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | - |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a lead server and a beverage server in terms of educational background:
| Lead Server | Beverage Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lead servers' and beverage servers' demographics:
| Lead Server | Beverage Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5% | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |