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The differences between restaurant associates and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $29,195 average annual salary of a restaurant associate.
The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Restaurant Associate | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $29,195 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $14.04 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | 14% | - |
| Number of jobs | 64,419 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A restaurant associate is responsible for ensuring that the guests receive the highest satisfaction for their dining experience. Restaurant associates entertain and greet guests, assist the dining staff in processing orders, respond to inquiries and concerns, and escalate complaints to the supervisor. They also help management in identifying opportunities that would attract customers by researching current industry trends to develop additional services for generating more revenues. A restaurant associate monitors the stock inventory, create purchase requests, and negotiate with trusted suppliers.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Restaurant associates and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Restaurant Associate | Associate | |
| Average salary | $29,195 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $37,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a restaurant associate and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Restaurant Associate | Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and associates' demographics:
| Restaurant Associate | Associate | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |