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What does a counter attendant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a counter attendant do
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Counter attendant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real counter attendant resumes:

  • Handle cash and credit transactions at bar and out on golf course using POS system operations.
  • Take restaurant guests orders on the POS system and serve the guests orders with a friendly smile.
  • Instill a strong sense of cleanliness and an attention to detail in all forms of service and or safety procedures.
  • Perform routine inspections to monitor cleanliness of establishment.
  • Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.
  • Have freshly brew Starbucks coffee, ice coffee and ice tea ready at all times.

Counter attendant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Counter Attendants are proficient in Cash Handling, Cleanliness, and POS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Counter Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Cash Handling, 18%

    Provided excellent customer service, food preparation, cash handling during point of sale.

  • Cleanliness, 11%

    Performed routine inspections to monitor cleanliness of establishment.

  • POS, 10%

    Received and processed customer payments with Aloha POS system.

  • Math, 7%

    Required to use mental math when counting back change to the customer.

  • Customer Orders, 5%

    Placed customer orders - Assisted in the kitchen Skills and Interests Fluent in Spanish Microsoft Word

  • Customer Service, 5%

    Provided customer service Operated cash register Ran fryer Took/assembled orders Worked at the drive-through window Sanitized and cleaned throughout shift

Most counter attendants use their skills in "cash handling," "cleanliness," and "pos" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential counter attendant responsibilities here:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a counter attendant to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request." Additionally, a counter attendant resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "learned great customer service skills and communication skills. "

Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling counter attendant duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry." According to a counter attendant resume, here's how counter attendants can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "counter attendant greet customers, operate cash registers, taking food and drink orders, and complete transactions. "

Physical strength. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of counter attendants is physical strength. This skill is critical to many everyday counter attendant duties, as "food and beverage serving and related workers need to be able to lift and carry stock and equipment that can weigh up to 50 pounds." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided excellent customer service resolved all customers issues in a timely and efficient matter strengthened ability to communicate and interact with others"

All counter attendant skills

The three companies that hire the most counter attendants are:

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Compare different counter attendants

Counter attendant vs. Associate food scientist

An associate food scientist is primarily responsible for developing new recipes for a company, ensuring quality and marketability. They are also responsible for improving existing recipes, performing support tasks for a head scientist, conducting market research and analysis, monitoring the progress of projects, and maintaining all recipes' data and records, including nutrition value and ingredients. Furthermore, there are instances when an associate food scientist must manage the packaging and storing processes of food, ensuring consumers' health and safety.

If we compare the average counter attendant annual salary with that of an associate food scientist, we find that associate food scientists typically earn a $11,117 higher salary than counter attendants make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both counter attendant and associate food scientist positions are skilled in cleanliness, pos, and customer orders.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, counter attendant responsibilities require skills like "cash handling," "math," "safety standards," and "professional appearance." Meanwhile a typical associate food scientist has skills in areas such as "quality food," "quality customer service," "groceries," and "quality standards." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Associate food scientists tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $47,462. In contrast, counter attendants make the biggest average salary, $32,852, in the retail industry.The education levels that associate food scientists earn slightly differ from counter attendants. In particular, associate food scientists are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a counter attendant. Additionally, they're 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Counter attendant vs. Ice cream scooper

A cafe server is responsible for serving customer orders, ensuring timeliness and efficiency. In some establishments, they are the first to greet the customers, taking their orders courteously and professionally. They also assist by answering inquiries, offering products and other services, and solving issues and concerns if there is any to ensure customer satisfaction. They coordinate directly with kitchen staff to prepare orders and relay particular requests. Moreover, a cafe server also maintains the cleanliness of different areas and prepares tables for new customers.

A career as a ice cream scooper brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a counter attendant. In fact, ice cream scoopers salary is $4,032 lower than the salary of counter attendants per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Counter attendants and ice cream scoopers both require similar skills like "pos," "math," and "customer orders" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real counter attendant resumes. While counter attendant responsibilities can utilize skills like "cash handling," "cleanliness," "safety standards," and "professional appearance," ice cream scoopers use skills like "scoops," "coffee drinks," "mathematics," and "ben."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Ice cream scoopers tend to reach similar levels of education than counter attendants. In fact, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Counter attendant vs. Ice cream server

An average ice cream server eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of counter attendants. The difference in salaries amounts to ice cream servers earning a $7,072 lower average salary than counter attendants.counter attendants and ice cream servers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "pos," "customer orders," and "customer service," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from counter attendant resumes include skills like "cash handling," "cleanliness," "math," and "safety standards," whereas an ice cream server is more likely to list skills in "ice cream machines," "clean tables," "clean store," and "ice cream parlor. "

When it comes to education, ice cream servers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to counter attendants. In fact, they're 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Counter attendant vs. Cafe server

Cafe servers typically earn lower pay than counter attendants. On average, cafe servers earn a $5,781 lower salary per year.According to resumes from counter attendants and cafe servers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "cash handling," "cleanliness," and "pos. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A counter attendant uses "math," "safety standards," "professional appearance," and "computer system." Cafe servers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "core values," "support tasks," "inventory standards," and "waste logs. "The average resume of cafe servers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to counter attendants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of counter attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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