Restaurant associate vs restaurant supervisor

The differences between restaurant associates and restaurant supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a restaurant supervisor has an average salary of $39,134, 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 a restaurant supervisor are cleanliness, customer service, and restaurant operations.

Restaurant associate vs restaurant supervisor overview

	Restaurant Associate	Restaurant Supervisor
Yearly salary	$29,195	$39,134
Hourly rate	$14.04	$18.81
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	64,419	105,192
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	37	37
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 restaurant supervisor do?

A restaurant supervisor supervises all the restaurant's tasks to keep the restaurant running smoothly. Besides controlling the restaurant staff members' work schedules, restaurant supervisors also screen, interview, hire and train restaurant staff members. They inspect the restaurant kitchen from time to time to ensure the staff members maintain proper sanitation and hygiene standards. Moreover, these professionals oversee food storage, presentation, and preparation to ensure they comply with the food safety regulations and food health regulations.

Restaurant associate vs restaurant supervisor salary

Restaurant associates and restaurant supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Restaurant Associate	Restaurant Supervisor
Average salary	$29,195	$39,134
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	Vallejo, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Chili's Grill & Bar
Best paying industry	-	Utilities

Differences between restaurant associate and restaurant supervisor education

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

	Restaurant Associate	Restaurant Supervisor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Restaurant associate vs restaurant supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and restaurant supervisors' demographics:

	Restaurant Associate	Restaurant Supervisor
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%
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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between restaurant associate and restaurant supervisor 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.

Restaurant supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the bar, restaurant and in-room dinning.
Coordinate service and set-up functions base off BEO, with meeting planner, sales and kitchen, to manage events smoothly.
Maintain fine dining expectations, including diverse food and wine menu, and anticipation of customer needs.
Inventory of all bars and stock room
Supervise the restaurant, bar, and in-room dining.
Make real time edits, necessary changes, and additions to the POS system.

Restaurant associate vs restaurant supervisor skills

Common restaurant associate skills

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

Common restaurant supervisor skills

Cleanliness, 14%
Customer Service, 8%
Restaurant Operations, 7%
Guest Service, 5%
Culinary, 4%
Wine, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Restaurant Associate
Restaurant Associate vs Restaurant Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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