Waitress vs cook/server

The differences between waitresses and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook/server has an average salary of $29,716, which is higher than the $24,770 average annual salary of a waitress.

The top three skills for a waitress include food orders, food preparation and customer orders. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Waitress vs cook/server overview

	Waitress	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$24,770	$29,716
Hourly rate	$11.91	$14.29
Growth rate	10%	14%
Number of jobs	87,315	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	28	23
Years of experience	-	-

What does a waitress do?

Waitresses are responsible for ensuring that guests are given proper attention during their visit to the restaurant. They guide guests to their table, provide menu boards, answer any questions the guests may have, take the guests' order, and communicate the order to the kitchen. Once the order is ready, waitresses collect the food from the kitchen and serve it to the guests. They then give guests time to finish their meal. Upon the guests' request, waitresses bring them their bill and wait for them to finish paying up. Once the guests leave, waitresses are responsible for ensuring that the table is ready for the next guests.

What does a cook/server do?

Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests. They prepare ingredients, cook them according to the recipe, and serve them to guests. They are responsible for ensuring that the food is prepared and served to guests within the promised time. They are in charge of managing the pantry, ensuring that the stock is fresh, and checking whether the stock is low. They are expected to have culinary skills, precision, and time management skills.

Waitress vs cook/server salary

Waitresses and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Waitress	Cook/Server
Average salary	$24,770	$29,716
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $35,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	New York Institute of Technology	The Harley School
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between waitress and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a waitress and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Waitress	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Waitress vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between waitresses' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Waitress	Cook/Server
Average age	28	23
Gender ratio	Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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%

Differences between waitress and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Waitress example responsibilities.

Manage a recurring book of business of top VIP clients secure through networking.
Relay orders to bar and kitchen by quickly and accurately recording guest selections and keying them into the POS computer system.
wait tables, handle money, exceed guest expectations, serve food and drinks, micros, clean, side work.
Increase store sales by upselling merchandise.
Enter order/payment information into micros system, deliver receipt and change to the customer.
Bring wine selections to tables with appropriate glasses, and pour the wines for customers.

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Waitress vs cook/server skills

Common waitress skills

Food Orders, 13%
Food Preparation, 9%
Customer Orders, 8%
POS, 7%
Drink Orders, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Waitress vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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