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The differences between server assistants and line servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a line server has an average salary of $28,300, which is higher than the $25,654 average annual salary of a server assistant.
The top three skills for a server assistant include cleanliness, reservations and service stations. The most important skills for a line server are customer service, quality customer service, and exceptional guest.
| Server Assistant | Line Server | |
| Yearly salary | $25,654 | $28,300 |
| Hourly rate | $12.33 | $13.61 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 194,248 | 246,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 39 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A server assistant, also known as a busser, is a restaurant employee who assists food servers in providing prompt and polite service to their guests. Server assistants are responsible for the preparation of tables for their arriving guests at the same time to help deliver food to tables when the food servers are busy. Aside from entertaining guests, server assistants must ensure that beverages are refilled, menus are sanitized, and process payments. Server assistants must also possess excellent communication and customer service skills.
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.
Server assistants and line servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server Assistant | Line Server | |
| Average salary | $25,654 | $28,300 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $33,000 | Between $21,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Maine | - |
| Best paying company | Pioneer High School | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a server assistant and a line server in terms of educational background:
| Server Assistant | Line Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between server assistants' and line servers' demographics:
| Server Assistant | Line Server | |
| Average age | 39 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8% | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 6% | 8% |