Bus boy vs cafeteria assistant

The differences between bus boys and cafeteria assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cafeteria assistant has an average salary of $30,012, which is higher than the $24,432 average annual salary of a bus boy.

The top three skills for a bus boy include customer service, clean tables and dishwashers. The most important skills for a cafeteria assistant are kitchen equipment, cleanliness, and food handling.

Bus boy vs cafeteria assistant overview

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Assistant
Yearly salary	$24,432	$30,012
Hourly rate	$11.75	$14.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	17,550	7,590
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Bus boy vs cafeteria assistant salary

Bus boys and cafeteria assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Assistant
Average salary	$24,432	$30,012
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Allen, TX	Lawrence, MA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Las Fajitas Restaurant	Christian Academy School System
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between bus boy and cafeteria assistant education

There are a few differences between a bus boy and a cafeteria assistant in terms of educational background:

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bus boy vs cafeteria assistant demographics

Here are the differences between bus boys' and cafeteria assistants' demographics:

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Assistant
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between bus boy and cafeteria assistant duties and responsibilities

Bus boy example responsibilities.

Record amount and types of special food items serve to patients.
Prepare and serve meals on a daily basis, noting any allergies or other dietary issues.
Work in a fast pace demanding environment providing assistance in the hospital cafeteria with food preparation for patients and visitors.
Be instrumental in a positive workplace environment with professional appearance and cleanliness, punctuality, and uplifting attitude towards personnel and staff
General dishwasher duties, some basic prep work, and help with the general nightly closing duties throughout the kitchen.
Take all dirty plates and utensils to the dishwasher, and bring out clean ones to the front of the lobby.

Cafeteria assistant example responsibilities.

Experience with HACCP and HSE.
Self-Motivate with strong planning, organizational, and leadership skills.
Operate electronic point-of-sale (POS) equipment such as cash registers, computers and keypads.
Balance receipts with POS, prepare funds for bank deposits and prepare bank deposit report.
Maintain and submit accurate information for payroll reporting.
Hand wash all plates and bowls and stack in rack rinse off then send through dishwasher.

Bus boy vs cafeteria assistant skills

Common bus boy skills

Customer Service, 34%
Clean Tables, 17%
Dishwashers, 13%
Bus Tables, 10%
Clean Linen, 4%
Ice Water, 3%

Common cafeteria assistant skills

Kitchen Equipment, 19%
Cleanliness, 15%
Food Handling, 10%
Cash Handling, 8%
BARS, 6%
Lunch Meals, 5%

Bus Boy vs. similar jobs

Bus Boy related careers

Bus Boy related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Bus Boy
Bus Boy vs Cafeteria Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs