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The differences between servers and line 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 $28,300 average annual salary of a line server.
The top three skills for a server include wine, customer service and guest satisfaction. The most important skills for a line server are customer service, quality customer service, and exceptional guest.
| Server | Line Server | |
| Yearly salary | $29,901 | $28,300 |
| Hourly rate | $14.38 | $13.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 162,734 | 246,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| 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 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.
Servers and line servers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Server | Line Server | |
| Average salary | $29,901 | $28,300 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $42,000 | Between $21,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | Dell | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a server and a line server in terms of educational background:
| Server | 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 servers' and line servers' demographics:
| Server | Line Server | |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% |
| 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, 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% |