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The differences between servers and dining room 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 $29,540 average annual salary of a dining room server.
The top three skills for a server include wine, customer service and guest satisfaction. The most important skills for a dining room server are fine dining, food service, and cleanliness.
| Server | Dining Room Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,901 | $29,540 |
| Hourly rate | $14.38 | $14.20 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 162,734 | 99,079 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 28 | 39 |
| 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 dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously. They are also responsible for coordinating with cashiers and kitchen staff, cleaning and preparing tables for new customers, and assisting staff as needed. In some establishments, a dining room server may also participate in preparing drinks or ingredients, monitoring supply inventories, and collecting payments.
Servers and dining room servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server | Dining Room Server | |
| Average salary | $29,901 | $29,540 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $42,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Marysville, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Dell | Eastmont School District |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a server and a dining room server in terms of educational background:
| Server | Dining Room Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between servers' and dining room servers' demographics:
| Server | Dining Room Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |