Server/barista vs restaurant server

The differences between server/baristas and restaurant servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server/barista has an average salary of $30,749, which is higher than the $24,558 average annual salary of a restaurant server.

The top three skills for a server/barista include cleanliness, wine and customer service. The most important skills for a restaurant server are wine, exceptional dining, and guest satisfaction.

Server/barista vs restaurant server overview

	Server/Barista	Restaurant Server
Yearly salary	$30,749	$24,558
Hourly rate	$14.78	$11.81
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	173,073	141,250
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	23	28
Years of experience	-	-

What does a server/barista do?

A server/barista is someone who makes and serves beverages and foods, such as coffee, tea, and sandwiches or baked goods. He/She or she should be able to explain menu items to customers to ensure customer satisfaction. Other responsibilities include knowing food and beverage quality controls and updating displays to attract customers. The core skills that a server/barista should possess include excellent listening and communication skills and the ability to cope up with a physically demanding work environment. A candidate with a high school diploma or equivalent could qualify for the position.

What does a restaurant server do?

Also called food servers, restaurant servers perform food preparation, cleaning duties, and customer service in casual dining eateries and restaurants. The food servers stock supplies, handle credit cards and the cash register, and clean restaurant counters and tables. They provide assistance to restaurant patrons to take orders, deliver food, and answer customer questions. The skills they need include trustworthiness, organization, customer relations, and communication skills.

Server/barista vs restaurant server salary

Server/baristas and restaurant servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Server/Barista	Restaurant Server
Average salary	$30,749	$24,558
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $15,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Agriculture

Differences between server/barista and restaurant server education

There are a few differences between a server/barista and a restaurant server in terms of educational background:

	Server/Barista	Restaurant Server
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Server/barista vs restaurant server demographics

Here are the differences between server/baristas' and restaurant servers' demographics:

	Server/Barista	Restaurant Server
Average age	23	28
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between server/barista and restaurant server duties and responsibilities

Server/barista example responsibilities.

Open and close the cafe, work a POS system, manage inventory, stock the cafe.
Practice organization and cleanliness while managing individual tasks.
Greet and seat customer, take orders through POS system, and deliver food and drinks to customers.
Cash handling experience, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, ensure customer satisfaction through superior customer interaction.
Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality as well as trained new team members with positive reinforcement and respectfully encouraging coaching
Maintain an organize and time sensitive backroom with various perishables.

Restaurant server example responsibilities.

Demonstrate adequate culinary and Italian wine knowledge through suggestive selling.
Input orders in micros and issue guest check for each order.
Prepare the groceries for the customer in their request baggage handing.3.
Maintain clean, sanitize FOH area and ensure health & safety and hygiene procedures and standards are meet.
Work with operations manager in ordering and setting up all FOH systems need in opening a new restaurant.
Provide thorough knowledge of the restaurant's menu to make recommendations or answer questions, and enter POS charges.

Server/barista vs restaurant server skills

Common server/barista skills

Cleanliness, 24%
Wine, 17%
Customer Service, 11%
Multitasking, 10%
Presentation Standards, 9%
POS, 4%

Common restaurant server skills

Wine, 28%
Exceptional Dining, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Cleanliness, 5%
POS, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Server/Barista
Server/Barista vs Restaurant Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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