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The differences between line cooks and servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $29,901 average annual salary of a server.
The top three skills for a line cook include culinary, sanitation standards and food handling. The most important skills for a server are wine, customer service, and guest satisfaction.
| Line Cook | Server | |
| Yearly salary | $32,894 | $29,901 |
| Hourly rate | $15.81 | $14.38 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 168,993 | 162,734 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 38 | 28 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.
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.
Line cooks and servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Line Cook | Server | |
| Average salary | $32,894 | $29,901 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $21,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Gate City Bank | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a line cook and a server in terms of educational background:
| Line Cook | Server | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between line cooks' and servers' demographics:
| Line Cook | Server | |
| Average age | 38 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |