Bus boy vs cafeteria worker

The differences between bus boys and cafeteria workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cafeteria worker has an average salary of $24,465, 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 worker are food handling, kitchen equipment, and food preparation.

Bus boy vs cafeteria worker overview

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Worker
Yearly salary	$24,432	$24,465
Hourly rate	$11.75	$11.76
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	17,550	31,802
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a bus boy do?

The job of busboys is to assist other staff members at a restaurant by doing varied tasks. These include greeting customers, cleaning and resetting tables, and removing dishes after customers leave. Other tasks include cleaning furniture, fixtures, and kitchen equipment, and tidying up any spills and mopping the floors. Busboys are also responsible for ensuring the availability of clean dining materials such as flatware and glasses. The requirements needed for this role may include a high school diploma, previous work experience, and excellent communication and customer service skills.

What does a cafeteria worker do?

A cafeteria worker is responsible for taking and processing customer orders, ensuring the correct foods are served, providing them the satisfaction of their dining experience. Cafeteria workers maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities, manage the adequacy of inventory stock supplies, coordinate with suppliers for deliveries, process payments, and help out the customers with their inquiries and concerns. A cafeteria worker should also assist the management in developing marketing techniques to boost revenues and increase profitability.

Bus boy vs cafeteria worker salary

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

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Worker
Average salary	$24,432	$24,465
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $18,000 And $32,000
Highest paying City	Allen, TX	Yuba City, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Las Fajitas Restaurant	Jefferson Elementary School District
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between bus boy and cafeteria worker education

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

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bus boy vs cafeteria worker demographics

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

	Bus Boy	Cafeteria Worker
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between bus boy and cafeteria worker 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 worker example responsibilities.

Prepare food, operate dishwasher, manage salad bar, and cash out students, teachers, and faculty.
Clean grills, ovens, and stoves.
Help prepare food, set-up salad bars.
Set up and break down fryers and slicers.
Sanitize and clean equipment according to HACCP standards.
Sell food to student and operating the POS system.

Bus boy vs cafeteria worker skills

Common bus boy skills

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

Common cafeteria worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Preparation, 16%
Customer Service, 4%
Dishwashers, 4%
Nutritious Meals, 3%

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Bus Boy vs Cafeteria Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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