Restaurant associate vs line server

The differences between restaurant associates and line servers 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 $28,300 average annual salary of a line server.

The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a line server are customer service, quality customer service, and exceptional guest.

Restaurant associate vs line server overview

	Restaurant Associate	Line Server
Yearly salary	$29,195	$28,300
Hourly rate	$14.04	$13.61
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	64,419	246,165
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	37	23
Years of experience	-	-

What does a restaurant associate do?

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.

What does a line server do?

A line server is responsible for assisting the guests with their needs to ensure an overall satisfying dining experience with the highest quality service. Line servers take and verify guests' orders, provide recommendation for orders, respond to the guests' inquiries regarding the menu, manage the food preparation and serving, assist guests with additional requests, and ensure strict adherence to the sanitary standards and hygienic procedures at all times. Line servers must have excellent communication and time-management skills to interact with different guests and identify their dining needs.

Restaurant associate vs line server salary

Restaurant associates and line servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Restaurant Associate	Line Server
Average salary	$29,195	$28,300
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between restaurant associate and line server education

There are a few differences between a restaurant associate and a line server in terms of educational background:

	Restaurant Associate	Line Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Restaurant associate vs line server demographics

Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and line servers' demographics:

	Restaurant Associate	Line Server
Average age	37	23
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
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%

Differences between restaurant associate and line server duties and responsibilities

Restaurant associate example responsibilities.

Manage staff by teaching them the correct procedures along with making sure they are working up to Marriott standards.
Uphold professional image, including restaurant cleanliness and appearance standards.
Develop ability to communicate to a variety of personalities of guests and employees while serving culinary indulgences
Review and evaluate HACCP documents, create corrective action documentation for HACCP errors.
Cut and chop food items and cook on a grill or in fryers.

Line server example responsibilities.

Customer-Orient fast food worker with deep experience with POS systems, food preparation and safety regulations.
Experience with making smoothies and hot beverages while making sure customers are satisfied.
Take food and drink orders and receive payment from customers, accurately process payment methods via POS system.
Establish a positive relationship with co-workers and managers through a solid work ethic, positive attitude, punctuality and dependability.
Operate a commercial dishwasher to clean and sanitize flatware, glassware, utensils, and pots and pans.
Set correct water temperature and correct amount of dish soap for dishwasher to ensure dishes are clean and sanitize.

Restaurant associate vs line server skills

Common restaurant associate skills

Food Service, 43%
Customer Service, 18%
Customer Orders, 17%
Food Handling, 10%
Cleanliness, 5%
Customer Complaints, 3%

Common line server skills

Customer Service, 21%
Quality Customer Service, 20%
Exceptional Guest, 7%
Excellent Guest, 6%
Safety Standards, 4%
Food Safety, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Restaurant Associate
Restaurant Associate vs Line Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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