Diet clerk vs food service worker

The differences between diet clerks and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a diet clerk has an average salary of $31,802, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

The top three skills for a diet clerk include patients, allergies and tube feedings. The most important skills for a food service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Diet clerk vs food service worker overview

	Diet Clerk	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$31,802	$28,753
Hourly rate	$15.29	$13.82
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	68,546	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a diet clerk do?

A diet clerk is an assistant who serves meals to patients as well as assists in various processes that are related to the preparation and delivery of meals. Diet clerks must create cafeteria menu items while analyzing the nutritional values of the food that is served. They are required to check food production and food service to ensure proper procedures are always followed and maintained. Diet clerks must also supervise food service workers as well as provide training for them.

What does a food service worker do?

Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness. They may also be assigned to manage inventories, handle stocks and deliveries, and other activities related to the restaurant's successful operations. Foodservice workers must always be hygienic and maintain the sanitation of the area to ensure food safety.

Diet clerk vs food service worker salary

Diet clerks and food service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Diet Clerk	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$31,802	$28,753
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	University of Washington	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between diet clerk and food service worker education

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

	Diet Clerk	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Dietetics	Business
Most common college	-	-

Diet clerk vs food service worker demographics

Here are the differences between diet clerks' and food service workers' demographics:

	Diet Clerk	Food Service Worker
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between diet clerk and food service worker duties and responsibilities

Diet clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Assist patients with making menu choices in an informative and helpful fashion and keep track of patient's allergies and diet changes
Demonstrate ability to adjust patient menus base on food preferences, allergies, disease/condition according to physician specifications.
Develop and apply creative problem-solving methods for patients challenge with specialize diet regiments.
Experience hospital representative directly responsible for counseling and assisting patients on nutritional care and management.
Prepare confidential reports, PowerPoint presentations, correspondence, organizational charts and other documents as required.

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

Diet clerk vs food service worker skills

Common diet clerk skills

Patients, 29%
Allergies, 10%
Tube Feedings, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Menu Selections, 8%
Food Service, 8%

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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Diet Clerk
Diet Clerk vs Food Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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