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The differences between servers and banquet servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server has an average salary of $29,901, which is higher than the $29,017 average annual salary of a banquet server.
The top three skills for a server include wine, customer service and guest satisfaction. The most important skills for a banquet server are wine, cleanliness, and food service.
| Server | Banquet Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,901 | $29,017 |
| Hourly rate | $14.38 | $13.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 162,734 | 125,381 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A server is a restaurant employee assigned to the main dining area of the restaurant to primarily attend to the customer's needs. Servers assist guests to their tables, wait for the guests to be ready with their orders, and take the guests' orders. They should be knowledgeable about the restaurant's offerings since they should be able to answer any questions asked by the guests regarding the menu. They communicate the guests' orders to the kitchen crew and serve the orders once they are ready. Once the guests are finished eating, servers provide their bills upon their request and clean up the table when they leave. Servers should have excellent customer service skills and hospitality management skills.
A banquet server is responsible for assisting guests in food catering events. Banquet servers' duties include arranging tables as the client desires, preparing the catering setup, refilling foods and beverages, managing guests' inquiries and possible complaints, keeping the food area clean, and maintaining the highest sanitation standards for the guests' best banquet experience. A banquet server should have excellent communication and time-management skills, especially on serving guests that would require utmost care and safe handling.
Servers and banquet servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server | Banquet Server | |
| Average salary | $29,901 | $29,017 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $42,000 | Between $20,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Dell | Endicott College |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Professional |
There are a few differences between a server and a banquet server in terms of educational background:
| Server | Banquet Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between servers' and banquet servers' demographics:
| Server | Banquet Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 28 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.2% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |