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The differences between restaurant associates and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a restaurant associate has an average salary of $29,195, which is higher than the $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.
The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.
| Restaurant Associate | Food Runner | |
| Yearly salary | $29,195 | $25,536 |
| Hourly rate | $14.04 | $12.28 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 64,419 | 240,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 37 | 23 |
| 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.
Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen. Furthermore, Food Runners need to ensure that all deliveries are accurate according to what is ordered by a customer. It is essential to stay presentable and helpful at all times as the main priority is customer satisfaction.
Restaurant associates and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Restaurant Associate | Food Runner | |
| Average salary | $29,195 | $25,536 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $37,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Vermont |
| Best paying company | - | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a restaurant associate and a food runner in terms of educational background:
| Restaurant Associate | Food Runner | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and food runners' demographics:
| Restaurant Associate | Food Runner | |
| Average age | 37 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% | Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |