Waitress Vs Waitstaff

The differences between waitresses and waitstaffs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a waitstaff has an average salary of $25,104, 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 waitstaff are food service, beverage orders, and culinary.

Waitress vs waitstaff overview

	Waitress	Waitstaff
Yearly Salary	$24,770	$25,104
Hourly rate	$11.91	$12.07
Growth Rate	10%	10%
Number Of Jobs	87,315	130,467
Job Satisfaction	-	-
Most Common Degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average Age	28	28
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 waitstaff do?

The waitstaff takes responsibility for tasks like recommending dishes based on the tastes and preferences of guests, accepting payments, and taking orders. Waitstaff delivers food to tables, ensures outstanding guest experience, and accepts payments. They work with diligence to get outstanding service quality and work with the other staff. It is part of their job to show customers their seats and provide menu options. They attend to tables for food service and guarantee cleanliness standard compliance.

Waitress vs waitstaff salary

Waitresses and waitstaffs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Waitress	Waitstaff
Average Salary	$24,770	$25,104
Salary Range	Between $17,000 And $35,000	Between $19,000 And $32,000
Highest Paying City	Washington, DC	Falmouth, MA
Highest Paying State	New York	Massachusetts
Best Paying Company	New York Institute of Technology	Mayo Clinic
Best Paying Industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between waitress and waitstaff education

There are a few differences between a waitress and a waitstaff in terms of educational background:

	Waitress	Waitstaff
Most Common Degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most Common Major	Business	Business
Most Common College	-	-

Waitress vs waitstaff demographics

Here are the differences between waitresses' and waitstaffs' demographics:

	Waitress	Waitstaff
Average Age	28	28
Gender Ratio	Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1%	Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between waitress and waitstaff 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.

Waitstaff Example Responsibilities.

Set up, work in, and manage the private room events as both bartender and waiter.
Assist with stocking of pantry when groceries arrive.
Cater private events and perform light bartending duties.
Increase total restaurant sales by upselling specials and top-shelf liquors.
Work regularly on the pass as well as a waiter.
Offer meal suggestions base on diverse culinary repertoire and expert food knowledge.

Waitress vs waitstaff skills

Common Waitress Skills

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

Common Waitstaff Skills

Food Service, 23%
Beverage Orders, 19%
Culinary, 19%
Team Work, 16%
Meal Orders, 8%
Wine, 3%

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Waitress vs Waitstaff

Updated January 8, 2025

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