Waiter and cashier vs food server

The differences between waiter and cashiers and food servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food server has an average salary of $25,209, which is higher than the $24,818 average annual salary of a waiter and cashier.

The top three skills for a waiter and cashier include dishes, POS and customer service. The most important skills for a food server are beverage orders, wine, and cleanliness.

Waiter and cashier vs food server overview

	Waiter And Cashier	Food Server
Yearly salary	$24,818	$25,209
Hourly rate	$11.93	$12.12
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	133,966	125,455
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	28	42
Years of experience	-	-

Waiter and cashier vs food server salary

Waiter and cashiers and food servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Waiter And Cashier	Food Server
Average salary	$24,818	$25,209
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $33,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Gettysburg College
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between waiter and cashier and food server education

There are a few differences between a waiter and cashier and a food server in terms of educational background:

	Waiter And Cashier	Food Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Waiter and cashier vs food server demographics

Here are the differences between waiter and cashiers' and food servers' demographics:

	Waiter And Cashier	Food Server
Average age	28	42
Gender ratio	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 25.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 48.1% 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%

Differences between waiter and cashier and food server duties and responsibilities

Waiter and cashier example responsibilities.

Manage restaurant sections in order to equalize seating arrangements for each waiter and ensure the restaurant are stocked and well maintain.
Maintain a POS cash drawer, collect payments, and apply discounts for orders.
Learned and aptly operate sophisticated touch-screen POS system contributing to increase efficiency and speed of service.
Operate large volume cooking equipment like buger grills, fryers, and/or griddles.

Food server example responsibilities.

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Provide outstanding customer service by communicating clearly and effectively while maintaining the cleanliness and organization of the restaurant.
Serve tables in a busy caf /bar environment.
Handle all transactions, both in person and by headset in drive-thru.
Work the Drive-Thru counter assisting numerous customers at a fast and friendly pace.
Prepare and serve delicious espresso, coffee drinks, and smoothies according to memorize recipes.

Waiter and cashier vs food server skills

Common waiter and cashier skills

Dishes, 42%
POS, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Clean Tables, 4%
Food Service, 4%
Drink Orders, 4%

Common food server skills

Beverage Orders, 10%
Wine, 9%
Cleanliness, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Guest Service, 6%
Cash Handling, 5%

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Waiter And Cashier vs Food Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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