We also use waiter/waitress, maître d’, and sometimes steward/stewardess (esp. on airplanes). There’s technically a difference:
waiter/waitress - brings food
server - person the customer interacts with (i.e. takes orders)
maître d’ (hotel) - head of wait staff
steward/stewardess - serving customers is usually a secondary duty
I think “server” has become more popular because it’s gender neutral, but “waiter/waitress” is still quite common and most don’t make the distinction between the two.
I personally like the overlap between computer server and restaurant server because both exist to provide things upon request. The term “wait” that “waiter” comes from is pretty archaic.
We also use waiter/waitress, maître d’, and sometimes steward/stewardess (esp. on airplanes). There’s technically a difference:
I think “server” has become more popular because it’s gender neutral, but “waiter/waitress” is still quite common and most don’t make the distinction between the two.
I personally like the overlap between computer server and restaurant server because both exist to provide things upon request. The term “wait” that “waiter” comes from is pretty archaic.