How to hire a cafeteria worker

How to hire a cafeteria worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cafeteria worker hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a cafeteria worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cafeteria worker
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a cafeteria worker do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a cafeteria worker, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A cafeteria worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, cafeteria workers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of cafeteria workers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Cafeteria Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Cafeteria Worker	Food and beverage serving and related workers perform a variety of customer service, food preparation, and cleaning duties in restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating and drinking establishments.	$8-15
   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... Show more	$7-17
   Server And Hostess	A server and hostess is an employee who plays the dual role of both a hostess and a server. As implied by this, a server and hostess is in-charge of welcoming guests as they enter the restaurant, ensuring that the guests' tables are ready before leading them to their assigned tables, handing over the menu, and waiting for the guests to finalize their order... Show more	$10-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Food Preparation
   • Customer Service
   • Dishwashers
   • Nutritious Meals
   • Spoons
   • Slicers
   • Food Service Facilities
   • POS
   • Food Products
   • Food Stations
   • Safety Regulations
   • Prep Food

   Check all skills

   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.

   More cafeteria worker duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cafeteria worker job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A cafeteria worker can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, cafeteria workers' average salary in mississippi is 55% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level cafeteria workers 44% less than senior-level cafeteria workers.
   • Certifications. A cafeteria worker with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a cafeteria worker's salary.

   Average cafeteria worker salary

   $11.76hourly

   $24,465 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level cafeteria worker salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average cafeteria worker salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$33,167	$16
   2	Massachusetts	$28,063	$13
   3	Colorado	$26,996	$13
   4	Arizona	$25,795	$12
   5	Utah	$25,305	$12
   6	Illinois	$24,873	$12
   7	New York	$24,810	$12
   8	Michigan	$24,048	$12
   9	Delaware	$23,329	$11
   10	Pennsylvania	$22,667	$11
   11	Indiana	$22,616	$11
   12	Missouri	$21,850	$11
   13	Virginia	$21,062	$10
   14	Texas	$20,596	$10
   15	Oklahoma	$20,478	$10
   16	Georgia	$20,405	$10
   17	Florida	$20,164	$10
   18	Tennessee	$19,497	$9

   Average cafeteria worker salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Jefferson Elementary School District	$32,585	$15.67	1
   2	Yuba City Unified School District	$32,194	$15.48	2
   3	Publix	$30,077	$14.46	27
   4	Lehigh Valley Health Network	$29,906	$14.38
   5	Prime Healthcare	$29,821	$14.34	22
   6	Bear Valley Unified School District	$29,404	$14.14	1
   7	Mission Regional Medical Center	$29,083	$13.98	34
   8	Flour Bluff ISD	$28,802	$13.85
   9	American Addiction Centers	$28,791	$13.84
   10	Rochester Regional Health	$28,759	$13.83
   11	Clovis Municipal School District	$28,638	$13.77
   12	Massachusetts General Hospital	$28,318	$13.61
   13	Glendale Unified School District	$28,182	$13.55	2
   14	West Liberty Foods	$28,111	$13.51	5
   15	SLA Management	$27,687	$13.31	5
   16	Bonita Unified School District	$27,587	$13.26
   17	Bristol Public School District	$27,500	$13.22	6
   18	Riverside Unified School District	$27,380	$13.16
   19	Assabet Valley Regional Technical School	$27,097	$13.03
   20	UMiami Health System	$26,596	$12.79

4. Writing a cafeteria worker job description

   A good cafeteria worker job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a cafeteria worker job description:

   Cafeteria worker job description example

   Auxiliary/Food Service
   
   Date Posted:
   6/1/2022
   
   Location:
   JISD Service Center
   Job Title: Part Time Warehouse Cafeteria Worker Wage/Hour Status: Nonexempt
   
   Reports To: Director of Child Nutrition Pay Grade: Aux PG 1
   
   Dept./School: Child Nutrition/Service Center Minimum: $12.74/hr.
   
   Term of Contract: 2 days per week, 8 hours per day for 44 weeks a year
   
   Federally Funded:
   
   The salary for this position is paid from federal funds. Federally funded positions are supplemental and therefore subject to available federal funds.
   
   Primary Purpose:
   
   Assists in the delivery of food, materials, and equipment to various campus and building locations. Assists in putting away food and materials at the campus level.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Education/Certification:
   
   High School Diploma or equivalent
   
   Valid Texas motor vehicle operator's license, class C
   
   Special Knowledge/Skills:
   
   Ability to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously
   
   Ability to work well with employees and management
   
   Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
   
   Experience:
   
   One to three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience
   
   Major Responsibilities and Duties:
   Verifies accuracy of shipments received. Unpacks and inspects items received. Moves inventory to proper location. Sorts and stores items according to established procedures. Receives, reads, and fills requisitions for stock items. Loads and unloads delivery trucks. Assists in the delivery of food service supplies and equipment to campus locations. Operate mechanical equipment such as forklift, pallet jack, and hand truck. Follows all rules, regulations and policies of Joshua ISD and follows directives from supervisor. Help maintain the cleanliness of the Child Nutrition delivery truck. Other duties as assigned.
   
   Working Conditions:
   
   Mental Demands/Physical Demands;Environmental Factors:
   
   Ability to communicate effectively (verbal and written); maintain emotional control under stress. Frequent district-wide travel; working inside and without air conditioning depending on facility requirements; occasional prolonged and irregular hours; frequent standing, stooping, bending, and kneeling up to 30 times per 8-hour work shift; repetitive hand motions; reaching above the head and in front of the body at least 24 inches; pushing and pulling items weighing up to 150 pounds; climbing to third step on 6 ft. stepladder and to the top of an extension ladder; lifting and lowering equipment, weighing up to 70 pounds periodically; walking at a pace necessary to complete work schedule; gripping small hand tools and equipment with enough strength to use them in the manner intended.
   
   The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find cafeteria workers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any cafeteria workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level cafeteria workers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cafeteria worker job on Zippia to find and recruit cafeteria worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit cafeteria workers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cafeteria worker

   Once you've selected the best cafeteria worker candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new cafeteria worker first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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