What does a cafeteria attendant do?
Cafeteria attendant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cafeteria attendant resumes:
- Manage VIP's with personal requirements and assist in their room set up and hospitality experience.
- Adhere to HACCP laws and following all food safety rules and regulations.
- Set up dish machine, intake trays, plates and cups, scrap plates clean and run through machine.
- Sanitize, sterilize and maintain cleanliness of utensils and kitchen products.
- Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
- Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, and griddles.
Cafeteria attendant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Cafeteria Attendants are proficient in Cleanliness, Kitchen Equipment, and Culinary. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Cafeteria Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cleanliness, 24%
Sanitized, sterilized and maintained cleanliness of utensils and kitchen products.
- Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Cleaned food service area, tables and kitchen equipment and appliances
- Culinary, 15%
Utilized culinary skills, exercised customer service, oral communication, and multitasking skills
- Safety Standards, 14%
Prepared, served, and adhered NYS safety standards Customer service, sweep and mop, restocked, and washed dishes
- Food Handling, 8%
Cleaned and sanitized all food prep areas to support safe food handling habits and provide protection from food borne illnesses.
- Meal Preparation, 3%
Performed cashier duties as well as meal preparation in high volume cafeteria while following all Health, State and Federal guidelines.
Common skills that a cafeteria attendant uses to do their job include "cleanliness," "kitchen equipment," and "culinary." You can find details on the most important cafeteria attendant responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a cafeteria attendant to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what cafeteria attendants do because "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen to customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared as requested." Additionally, a cafeteria attendant resume shows how cafeteria attendants use communication skills: "improved customer satisfaction ratings from park cleanliness and better communication techniques assisted in the increasing of collections. "
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform cafeteria attendant duties is customer-service skills. Cafeteria attendants responsibilities require that "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." Cafeteria attendants also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "perform serving, cleaning, or stocking duties in cafeteria, to facilitate customer service. "
Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of cafeteria attendants is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday cafeteria attendant duties, as "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." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assisted with patients that are up under the supervision of the physical therapist. "
The three companies that hire the most cafeteria attendants are:
- Hyatt Hotels20 cafeteria attendants jobs
- Marriott International15 cafeteria attendants jobs
- Hilton11 cafeteria attendants jobs
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Compare different cafeteria attendants
Cafeteria attendant vs. Bus boy
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a cafeteria attendant are more likely to require skills like "cleanliness," "kitchen equipment," "culinary," and "food handling." On the other hand, a job as a bus boy requires skills like "customer service," "clean tables," "bus tables," and "ice water." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Bus boys earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $26,928. On the other hand, cafeteria attendants are paid more in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $30,366.The education levels that bus boys earn slightly differ from cafeteria attendants. In particular, bus boys are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a cafeteria attendant. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafeteria attendant vs. Dining room hostess
Busser, also known as dining room attendants or bartender helpers, is an entry-level position in the restaurant and dining industry. The bussers help in preparing the dining areas before guests arrive and decorating tables with a set of candles, napkins, linens, flowers, or other ornaments, especially if with a special theme for the day, usually when it's a national celebration or holidays. Also, they assist in cleaning the tables, clearing plates, used utensils, drinkware, and other dishes to the kitchen to be washed, refilling diners' glasses with water, and make the tables ready for the next set of service.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, cafeteria attendant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "kitchen equipment," "culinary," "safety standards," and "food handling." Meanwhile, a dining room hostess has duties that require skills in areas such as "reservations," "cpr," "customer service," and "seat guests." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Dining room hostesses tend to reach similar levels of education than cafeteria attendants. In fact, they're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cafeteria attendant vs. Busser
A dining room server performs various tasks to give patrons a positive dining experience. Their job usually entails greeting customers and presenting the menu, taking their orders, answering inquiries, recommending products and other services, serving drinks and food, and handling concerns professionally and courteously. They are also responsible for coordinating with cashiers and kitchen staff, cleaning and preparing tables for new customers, and assisting staff as needed. In some establishments, a dining room server may also participate in preparing drinks or ingredients, monitoring supply inventories, and collecting payments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from cafeteria attendant resumes include skills like "kitchen equipment," "culinary," "safety standards," and "meal preparation," whereas a busser is more likely to list skills in "work ethic," "tip," "bus tables," and "wine. "
Bussers make a very good living in the hospitality industry with an average annual salary of $25,199. On the other hand, cafeteria attendants are paid the highest salary in the hospitality industry, with average annual pay of $30,366.Most bussers achieve a similar degree level compared to cafeteria 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.Cafeteria attendant vs. Dining room server
Types of cafeteria attendant
Updated January 8, 2025
