Restaurant associate vs server and hostess

The differences between restaurant associates and server and hostesses 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 $28,020 average annual salary of a server and hostess.

The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a server and hostess are POS, food preparation, and food orders.

Restaurant associate vs server and hostess overview

	Restaurant Associate	Server And Hostess
Yearly salary	$29,195	$28,020
Hourly rate	$14.04	$13.47
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	64,419	97,109
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	37	28
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 server and hostess do?

A server and hostess is an employee who plays the dual role of both a hostess and a server. As implied by this, a server and hostess is in-charge of welcoming guests as they enter the restaurant, ensuring that the guests' tables are ready before leading them to their assigned tables, handing over the menu, and waiting for the guests to finalize their order. Once the guests are ready to order, the server and hostess takes on the server role by bringing the guests' order to the kitchen, waiting for the food to be ready, and bringing the food to the guests' table.

Restaurant associate vs server and hostess salary

Restaurant associates and server and hostesses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Restaurant Associate	Server And Hostess
Average salary	$29,195	$28,020
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Binghamton, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Blue Dolphin Energy
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between restaurant associate and server and hostess education

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

	Restaurant Associate	Server And Hostess
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Restaurant associate vs server and hostess demographics

Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and server and hostesses' demographics:

	Restaurant Associate	Server And Hostess
Average age	37	28
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%
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, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between restaurant associate and server and hostess 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.

Server and hostess example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Provide quality customer service, process customer transactions utilizing proprietary POS system, skillfully handle cash and credit card transactions.
Perform bartending duties during busy events or whenever require.
Coordinate with kitchen managerial staff using POS systems to ensure timely and accurate order preparation.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.
Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.

Restaurant associate vs server and hostess skills

Common restaurant associate skills

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

Common server and hostess skills

POS, 11%
Food Preparation, 10%
Food Orders, 9%
Customer Orders, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Drink Orders, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Restaurant Associate
Restaurant Associate vs Server And Hostess

Updated January 8, 2025

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