Cafe worker vs food service worker

The differences between cafe workers and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service worker has an average salary of $28,753, 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 service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Cafe worker vs food service worker overview

	Cafe Worker	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$28,625	$28,753
Hourly rate	$13.76	$13.82
Growth rate	14%	2%
Number of jobs	21,033	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	23	37
Years of experience	-	-

Cafe worker vs food service worker salary

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

	Cafe Worker	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$28,625	$28,753
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $33,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Waltham, MA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	MHC Healthcare	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Retail	Retail

Differences between cafe worker and food service worker education

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

	Cafe Worker	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cafe worker vs food service worker demographics

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

	Cafe Worker	Food Service Worker
Average age	23	37
Gender ratio	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between cafe worker and food service worker 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 service worker example responsibilities.

Volunteer at rehabilitation center/ nursing home escorting and communicating with the patients.
Learned how to do math quickly and efficiently.
Demonstrate money-handling and math skills in processing payments for orders.
Prepare all food stuffs, roasting meats, baking cookies, preparing salads.
Work in full compliance with values of compassion, dignity, excellence, integrity, and team work.
Install and maintain HVAC systems which include walkin coolers and freezers, reach-ins and pass thru and a/c systems

Cafe worker vs food service worker skills

Common cafe worker skills

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

Common food service worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Safety Standards, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Patients, 7%
Cash Control, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cafe Worker
Cafe Worker vs Food Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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