Cafe worker vs food handler

The differences between cafe workers and food handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food handler has an average salary of $32,581, which is higher than the $28,625 average annual salary of a cafe worker.

The top three skills for a cafe worker include food handling, food service and customer service. The most important skills for a food handler are basic math, customer service, and math.

Cafe worker vs food handler overview

	Cafe Worker	Food Handler
Yearly salary	$28,625	$32,581
Hourly rate	$13.76	$15.66
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	21,033	171,731
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Cafe worker vs food handler salary

Cafe workers and food handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cafe Worker	Food Handler
Average salary	$28,625	$32,581
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $33,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Waltham, MA	Syracuse, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	MHC Healthcare	Syracuse University
Best paying industry	Retail	Finance

Differences between cafe worker and food handler education

There are a few differences between a cafe worker and a food handler in terms of educational background:

	Cafe Worker	Food Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cafe worker vs food handler demographics

Here are the differences between cafe workers' and food handlers' demographics:

	Cafe Worker	Food Handler
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	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%	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	8%	8%

Differences between cafe worker and food handler duties and responsibilities

Cafe worker example responsibilities.

Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.
Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.

Food handler example responsibilities.

Set up and operate point of sales (POS) cash registers, receive money and return proper change.
Record patient information to gain knowledge of special allergies and special diets to promote better safety and health management.
Enter orders into POS system, report daily sales to managers, conduct monthly inventory, and perform heavy cash flow.
Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assign station and service areas.
Maintain clean work areas including display cases, walk-in coolers, fryers and other cooking equipment.
Prepare and serve food samples using small appliances such as microwaves, fryers, skillets, coffee makers and knives.

Cafe worker vs food handler skills

Common cafe worker skills

Food Handling, 27%
Food Service, 21%
Customer Service, 13%
Cleanliness, 6%
Basic Math, 5%
BARS, 5%

Common food handler skills

Basic Math, 23%
Customer Service, 21%
Math, 14%
Food Service, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Food Orders, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
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Cafe Worker vs Food Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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