Cafeteria worker vs cafeteria assistant

The differences between cafeteria workers and cafeteria assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cafeteria assistant has an average salary of $30,012, which is higher than the $24,465 average annual salary of a cafeteria worker.

The top three skills for a cafeteria worker include food handling, kitchen equipment and food preparation. The most important skills for a cafeteria assistant are kitchen equipment, cleanliness, and food handling.

Cafeteria worker vs cafeteria assistant overview

	Cafeteria Worker	Cafeteria Assistant
Yearly salary	$24,465	$30,012
Hourly rate	$11.76	$14.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	31,802	7,590
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Cafeteria worker vs cafeteria assistant salary

Cafeteria workers and cafeteria assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cafeteria Worker	Cafeteria Assistant
Average salary	$24,465	$30,012
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $32,000	Between $21,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Yuba City, CA	Lawrence, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Jefferson Elementary School District	Christian Academy School System
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between cafeteria worker and cafeteria assistant education

There are a few differences between a cafeteria worker and a cafeteria assistant in terms of educational background:

	Cafeteria Worker	Cafeteria Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cafeteria worker vs cafeteria assistant demographics

Here are the differences between cafeteria workers' and cafeteria assistants' demographics:

	Cafeteria Worker	Cafeteria Assistant
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cafeteria worker and cafeteria assistant duties and responsibilities

Cafeteria worker example responsibilities.

Prepare food, operate dishwasher, manage salad bar, and cash out students, teachers, and faculty.
Clean grills, ovens, and stoves.
Help prepare food, set-up salad bars.
Set up and break down fryers and slicers.
Sanitize and clean equipment according to HACCP standards.
Sell food to student and operating the POS system.

Cafeteria assistant example responsibilities.

Experience with HACCP and HSE.
Self-Motivate with strong planning, organizational, and leadership skills.
Operate electronic point-of-sale (POS) equipment such as cash registers, computers and keypads.
Balance receipts with POS, prepare funds for bank deposits and prepare bank deposit report.
Maintain and submit accurate information for payroll reporting.
Hand wash all plates and bowls and stack in rack rinse off then send through dishwasher.

Cafeteria worker vs cafeteria assistant skills

Common cafeteria worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Preparation, 16%
Customer Service, 4%
Dishwashers, 4%
Nutritious Meals, 3%

Common cafeteria assistant skills

Kitchen Equipment, 19%
Cleanliness, 15%
Food Handling, 10%
Cash Handling, 8%
BARS, 6%
Lunch Meals, 5%

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Cafeteria Worker vs Cafeteria Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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