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The differences between waitresses and food runner/bussers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food runner/busser has an average salary of $28,577, 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 food runner/busser are cleanliness, wine, and excellent guest.
| Waitress | Food Runner/Busser | |
| Yearly salary | $24,770 | $28,577 |
| Hourly rate | $11.91 | $13.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 87,315 | 124,680 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A food runner or busser is an employee who works at a restaurant to provide quality food services to customers and patrons. Food runners or bussers perform food preparation and ensure that foods are delivered promptly to the appropriate customers' tables. In case the bar server is busy, food runners or bussers may take the drink orders of customers at the bar counter. They also make sure that tables are bussed, cleaned, and set up for the next paying customers.
Waitresses and food runner/bussers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Waitress | Food Runner/Busser | |
| Average salary | $24,770 | $28,577 |
| Salary range | Between $17,000 And $35,000 | Between $22,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | New York Institute of Technology | The Culinary Institute of America |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a waitress and a food runner/busser in terms of educational background:
| Waitress | Food Runner/Busser | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between waitresses' and food runner/bussers' demographics:
| Waitress | Food Runner/Busser | |
| Average age | 28 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| 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% |