Waiter and cashier vs head server

The differences between waiter and cashiers and head servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head server has an average salary of $111,194, 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 head server are customer service, new servers, and POS.

Waiter and cashier vs head server overview

	Waiter And Cashier	Head Server
Yearly salary	$24,818	$111,194
Hourly rate	$11.93	$53.46
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	133,966	64,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	-	-

Waiter and cashier vs head server salary

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

	Waiter And Cashier	Head Server
Average salary	$24,818	$111,194
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $33,000	Between $51,000 And $238,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between waiter and cashier and head server education

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

	Waiter And Cashier	Head Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Waiter and cashier vs head server demographics

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

	Waiter And Cashier	Head Server
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 9.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between waiter and cashier and head 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.

Head server example responsibilities.

Train and manage all BOH employees.
Manage all servers' end of night cash out and prepare host and bartending tip out.
Manage opening and closing duties, including restocking items and insuring the FOH are clean and shut down correctly.
Manage technical support, business analysis, project management, application development and support, training, and facilitation.
Help drive and increase restaurant sales by upselling and highlighting off menu items.
Train new employees on operating the micros system and on self-presentation and customer service.

Waiter and cashier vs head server skills

Common waiter and cashier skills

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

Common head server skills

Customer Service, 33%
New Servers, 9%
POS, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Bartending, 4%
Safety Procedures, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Waiter And Cashier
Waiter And Cashier vs Head Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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