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Catering assistant vs assistant

The differences between catering assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant has an average salary of $37,363, which is higher than the $32,101 average annual salary of a catering assistant.

The top three skills for a catering assistant include patients, food service and customer service. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Catering assistant vs assistant overview

Catering AssistantAssistant
Yearly salary$32,101$37,363
Hourly rate$15.43$17.96
Growth rate2%-8%
Number of jobs10,042557,900
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age3750
Years of experience-2

What does a catering assistant do?

A catering assistant is responsible for supporting catering operations, especially on outdoor gatherings and social events. Catering assistants prepare the buffet area and ensure the adequacy of foods and beverages, and provide the best customer service for the guests' satisfaction. Catering assistants must have excellent communication skills, responding to the guests' inquiries and concerns about the dish, and resolving immediate complaints. They maintain the cleanliness of the buffet station, strictly adhering to the sanitary standards and hygienic regulations.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Catering assistant vs assistant salary

Catering assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Catering AssistantAssistant
Average salary$32,101$37,363
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $38,000Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCBoston, MA
Highest paying stateHawaiiMassachusetts
Best paying companyMassachusetts General HospitalLatham & Watkins
Best paying industryManufacturingEducation

Differences between catering assistant and assistant education

There are a few differences between a catering assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:

Catering AssistantAssistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Western Carolina University

Catering assistant vs assistant demographics

Here are the differences between catering assistants' and assistants' demographics:

Catering AssistantAssistant
Average age3750
Gender ratioMale, 32.2% Female, 67.8%Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between catering assistant and assistant duties and responsibilities

Catering assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and prioritize restaurant reservations.
  • Monitor patients who cannot receive anything by mouth (NPO) or on liquid diets.
  • Assist dieticians with monitoring of patients who are NPO, on liquid diets or need to have intake record.
  • Run POS for student payments, including meal cards and cash.
  • Comply with regulator agency standards, including federal, state and JCAHO.
  • Adhere to HIPAA guidelines while processing menu orders with the patient information.
  • Show more

Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
  • Show more

Catering assistant vs assistant skills

Common catering assistant skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Food Service, 21%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Food Safety, 7%
  • Food Delivery, 6%
  • Beverage Service, 4%
Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%

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