What does a cafe attendant do?
Cafe attendant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cafe attendant resumes:
- Operate POS system cash registers.
- assist with taking orders and when need assist at the fryers and hot line.
- Control temperature preparation board accordance to HACCP regulations.
- Train to make and serve Starbucks beverages.
Cafe attendant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Cafe Attendants are proficient in Cleanliness, Food Handling, and Food Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Cafe Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cleanliness, 19%
Cash handling Assist with food prep for guests Deliver food to guests Maintain cafe/kitchen cleanliness
- Food Handling, 11%
Trained and qualified in food handling, preparation, temperature monitoring, operating kitchen equipment and food safety guidelines
- Food Service, 11%
Provided food service within a small team that included cashiering, and food preparation duties.
- POS, 9%
Greeted customers and checked them in, cleaned, took inventory, worked with a POS system and handled money
- Customer Service, 8%
Developed customer relationships and improved customer service skills.
- Wine, 7%
Prepare and serve alcoholic beverages including mixed cocktails, wine, bottled and draft beer.
Most cafe attendants use their skills in "cleanliness," "food handling," and "food service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cafe attendant responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a cafe attendant to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Additionally, a cafe attendant resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "trained in customer service, cash drawer management, and communication skills"
Customer-service skills. Many cafe attendant duties rely on customer-service skills. "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry," so a cafe attendant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways cafe attendant responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "provide high quality guest service and demonstrates outstanding interpersonal relations. "
Physical strength. cafe attendants are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to cafe attendant responsibilities, because "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." A cafe attendant resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "strengthened teamwork skills, fiscal responsibility, accounting, customer satisfaction, multilingual communication, etc. "
The three companies that hire the most cafe attendants are:
- Sonesta Hotels19 cafe attendants jobs
- St Joseph Medical Group14 cafe attendants jobs
- Sedano's Supermarkets
10 cafe attendants jobs
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Compare different cafe attendants
Cafe attendant vs. Food preparer
A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between cafe attendants and food preparer. For instance, cafe attendant responsibilities require skills such as "wine," "cash handling," "coffee drinks," and "food orders." Whereas a food preparer is skilled in "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "kitchen utensils," and "basic math." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Food preparers earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $29,828. On the other hand, cafe attendants are paid more in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $28,142.On average, food preparers reach similar levels of education than cafe attendants. Food preparers are 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cafe attendant vs. Food server
A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options. Aside from serving meals, Food Servers must also accept payments, organize order receipts, replenish stocks in food containers and drinking stations, and clean tables for the new customers.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cafe attendant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "food service," "coffee drinks," and "cash drawers." Meanwhile, a food server has duties that require skills in areas such as "beverage orders," "guest service," "fine dining," and "beverage service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Food servers earn a lower average salary than cafe attendants. But food servers earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $27,445. Additionally, cafe attendants earn the highest salaries in the hospitality with average pay of $28,142 annually.food servers earn similar levels of education than cafe attendants in general. They're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafe attendant vs. Counter helper
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cafe attendants are more likely to have skills like "cleanliness," "food handling," "food service," and "wine." But a counter helper is more likely to have skills like "steam tables," "food preparation," "guest inquiries," and "phone orders."
Counter helpers earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $27,239. Cafe attendants earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $28,142.Most counter helpers achieve a similar degree level compared to cafe attendants. For example, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafe attendant vs. Counter server
Even though a few skill sets overlap between cafe attendants and counter servers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a cafe attendant might have more use for skills like "food products," "punctuality," "room service," and "hot entrees." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of counter servers require skills like "excellent guest," "basic math," "culinary," and "beverage orders. "
Counter servers reach similar levels of education compared to cafe attendants, in general. The difference is that they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of cafe attendant
Updated January 8, 2025
