Catering staff vs caterer

The differences between catering staff and caterers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering staff has an average salary of $31,107, which is higher than the $28,891 average annual salary of a caterer.

The top three skills for a catering staff include wine, dishes and food preparation. The most important skills for a caterer are food service, kitchen equipment, and food delivery.

Catering staff vs caterer overview

	Catering Staff	Caterer
Yearly salary	$31,107	$28,891
Hourly rate	$14.96	$13.89
Growth rate	2%	10%
Number of jobs	72,272	1,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Catering staff vs caterer salary

Catering staff and caterers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Catering Staff	Caterer
Average salary	$31,107	$28,891
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	North Andover, MA	Beverly, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Table 301	The College of St. Scholastica
Best paying industry	Education	Hospitality

Differences between catering staff and caterer education

There are a few differences between a catering staff and a caterer in terms of educational background:

	Catering Staff	Caterer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Catering staff vs caterer demographics

Here are the differences between catering staff' and caterers' demographics:

	Catering Staff	Caterer
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 43.0% Female, 57.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between catering staff and caterer duties and responsibilities

Catering staff example responsibilities.

Manage and prioritize restaurant reservations.
prepare food for cater events * waiter * bartending
Prepare and cook a wide range of food and espresso beverages and bartending.
Work with pos system to complete orders, kitchen line with fifthteen people.
Stock and serve buffets lines and also set up and display for private party's.
Decorate event halls and arrange displays, wait tables, work at buffets, bars, coat checks etc.

Caterer example responsibilities.

Help serve foods from buffet to ADM employees.
Plan and prepare meals for the local Headstart program.
Set up's and breaking down of parties, service, bartending
Set up tables, action stations, buffets, service carts, dessert table/carts and cordial carts.
Serve and wait on diners in traditional sit-down meal settings as well as buffets and drink bars.
Perform bartending for many events, often individually.

Catering staff vs caterer skills

Common catering staff skills

Wine, 32%
Dishes, 30%
Food Preparation, 7%
Culinary, 6%
Bartending, 4%
Food Service, 4%

Common caterer skills

Food Service, 28%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Delivery, 8%
Banquet Service, 7%
Bartending, 5%
Fine Dining, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Catering Staff
Catering Staff vs Caterer

Updated January 8, 2025

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