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The differences between servers and food 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 $25,209 average annual salary of a food server.
The top three skills for a server include wine, customer service and guest satisfaction. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.
| Server | Food Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,901 | $25,209 |
| Hourly rate | $14.38 | $12.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 162,734 | 125,455 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 28 | 42 |
| 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 Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
Servers and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server | Food Server | |
| Average salary | $29,901 | $25,209 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $42,000 | Between $18,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Dell | Gettysburg College |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a server and a food server in terms of educational background:
| Server | Food Server | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between servers' and food servers' demographics:
| Server | Food Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% |
| 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, 4.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |