How To Become A Catering Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a catering associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A catering associate serves food and beverages at special events hosted by catering companies, such as weddings, parties, and banquets. They may set up buffets, circulate trays of appetizers, and refill guests' drinks; their main goal is to provide outstanding customer service.

Additionally, prior to an event, they may assist the catering manager with planning the event and with primary business operations to gain experience for a higher-level job in the future.

In general, this job has very few educational requirements. However, it is crucial to have the right attitude and excellent customer service skills.

On the other hand, catering associates can build upon professional experience and pursue educational opportunities in order to further their careers in the catering business.

ScoreCatering AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,648

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.1

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.75%

Asian 7.75%

Black or African American 7.59%

Hispanic or Latino 14.56%

Unknown 4.87%

White 64.47%

Gender

female 69.61%

male 30.39%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a catering associate

Explore catering associate education requirements

Most common catering associate degrees

High School Diploma

34.0 %

Bachelor's

32.1 %

Associate

20.1 %

Start to develop specific catering associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	29.13%
Tray Assembly	7.81%
Allergies	6.60%
Tray Delivery	5.55%
Hippa	5.46%

Complete relevant catering associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New catering associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a catering associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real catering associate resumes.

Research catering associate duties and responsibilities

Manage and prioritize restaurant reservations.
Take patients menu selections as allowed on prescribe diet in accordance with food allergies and sensitivities.
Maintain cleanliness of work areas and complete closing duties (including restocking foods and snacks for patients).
Monitor staff to ensure HACCP and proper sanitation.

Prepare your catering associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your catering associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a catering associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable catering associate resume templates

Build a professional catering associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your catering associate resume.