Bus boy vs food runner

The differences between bus boys and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food runner has an average salary of $25,536, 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 food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Bus boy vs food runner overview

	Bus Boy	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$24,432	$25,536
Hourly rate	$11.75	$12.28
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	17,550	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	39	23
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 food runner do?

Food Runners are responsible for assisting waitstaff on serving customers at a restaurant or similar establishment. Among their duties include maintaining cleanliness in particular areas, setting tables, refilling drinks, assisting customers with everything that they need, and coordinating with the workforce in and out of the kitchen. Furthermore, Food Runners need to ensure that all deliveries are accurate according to what is ordered by a customer. It is essential to stay presentable and helpful at all times as the main priority is customer satisfaction.

Bus boy vs food runner salary

Bus boys and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bus Boy	Food Runner
Average salary	$24,432	$25,536
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $36,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Allen, TX	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Vermont
Best paying company	Las Fajitas Restaurant	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between bus boy and food runner education

There are a few differences between a bus boy and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Bus Boy	Food Runner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bus boy vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between bus boys' and food runners' demographics:

	Bus Boy	Food Runner
Average age	39	23
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
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, 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%

Differences between bus boy and food runner 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.

Food runner example responsibilities.

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).
Expedite the kitchen to ensure food leaves fast and accurately.
Demonstrate strong computational skills for tendering receipt of payments from clients.

Bus boy vs food runner skills

Common bus boy skills

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

Common food runner skills

Cleanliness, 20%
Wine, 9%
Culinary, 7%
Food Orders, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Handling, 5%

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Bus Boy vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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