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Culinary assistant vs food service worker

The differences between culinary assistants and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a culinary assistant has an average salary of $33,149, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

The top three skills for a culinary assistant include culinary, meal service and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a food service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Culinary assistant vs food service worker overview

Culinary AssistantFood Service Worker
Yearly salary$33,149$28,753
Hourly rate$15.94$13.82
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs56,153169,323
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 29%High School Diploma, 44%
Average age3737
Years of experience--

Culinary assistant vs food service worker salary

Culinary assistants and food service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Culinary AssistantFood Service Worker
Average salary$33,149$28,753
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $41,000Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityWorcester, MAUrban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying stateRhode IslandHawaii
Best paying companyThe Walt Disney CompanyUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryMediaRetail

Differences between culinary assistant and food service worker education

There are a few differences between a culinary assistant and a food service worker in terms of educational background:

Culinary AssistantFood Service Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 29%High School Diploma, 44%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsBusiness
Most common college--

Culinary assistant vs food service worker demographics

Here are the differences between culinary assistants' and food service workers' demographics:

Culinary AssistantFood Service Worker
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 53.2% Female, 46.8%Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between culinary assistant and food service worker duties and responsibilities

Culinary assistant example responsibilities.

  • Rotate food for students (FIFO).
  • Prep, cook and serve for buffets.
  • Follow HACCP policies and procedures to ensure the safe preparation of all food items.
  • Prepare a variety of foods using techniques such as baking, grilling, saut ing, roasting, and frying.
  • Mark a variety of meats, chicken, tri-tip, beef roasts, and hamburger patties for later roasting and service.
  • Work closely with the culinary manager to ensure quality food preparation.
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Food service worker example responsibilities.

  • Volunteer at rehabilitation center/ nursing home escorting and communicating with the patients.
  • Learned how to do math quickly and efficiently.
  • Demonstrate money-handling and math skills in processing payments for orders.
  • Prepare all food stuffs, roasting meats, baking cookies, preparing salads.
  • Work in full compliance with values of compassion, dignity, excellence, integrity, and team work.
  • Install and maintain HVAC systems which include walkin coolers and freezers, reach-ins and pass thru and a/c systems
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Culinary assistant vs food service worker skills

Common culinary assistant skills
  • Culinary, 20%
  • Meal Service, 15%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 12%
  • Food Handling, 11%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Compassion, 10%
Common food service worker skills
  • Food Handling, 22%
  • Safety Standards, 9%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Cash Control, 4%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%

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