Diet clerk vs kitchen assistant

The differences between diet clerks and kitchen assistants 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 $27,455 average annual salary of a kitchen assistant.

The top three skills for a diet clerk include patients, allergies and tube feedings. The most important skills for a kitchen assistant are wine, kitchen equipment, and POS.

Diet clerk vs kitchen assistant overview

	Diet Clerk	Kitchen Assistant
Yearly salary	$31,802	$27,455
Hourly rate	$15.29	$13.20
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	68,546	78,120
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 34%
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 kitchen assistant do?

A kitchen assistant is responsible for assisting chefs, cooks, or managers. Most of the duties are given by supervising officers, and it will revolve around preparing ingredients, cutting or washing meat and vegetables, and performing basic cooking tasks such as boiling and frying. A kitchen assistant is also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen, washing used materials, sanitizing utensils, organizing food inventory. Other tasks include unloading deliveries of food supplies and sorting the ingredients accordingly.

Diet clerk vs kitchen assistant salary

Diet clerks and kitchen assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Diet Clerk	Kitchen Assistant
Average salary	$31,802	$27,455
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $21,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Alaska
Best paying company	University of Washington	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Construction

Differences between diet clerk and kitchen assistant education

There are a few differences between a diet clerk and a kitchen assistant in terms of educational background:

	Diet Clerk	Kitchen Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Dietetics	Business
Most common college	-	-

Diet clerk vs kitchen assistant demographics

Here are the differences between diet clerks' and kitchen assistants' demographics:

	Diet Clerk	Kitchen Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 13.0% Female, 87.0%	Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between diet clerk and kitchen assistant 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.

Kitchen assistant example responsibilities.

Assist the catering manager to manage, prepare, cook and deliver each day s caterings.
Prepare and store vegetables; maintain cleanliness and organization of kitchen; observe food safety and health regulations
Mix water with detergents and acids to prepare cleaning solutions according to specifications, general cleanliness according to safety and company guidelines
Operate dishwasher and train volunteers.
Maintain the dishwasher and efficiently clean kitchenware.
Skil in grilling, roasting, steaming, platting individual and buffet style.

Diet clerk vs kitchen assistant skills

Common diet clerk skills

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

Common kitchen assistant skills

Wine, 17%
Kitchen Equipment, 15%
POS, 15%
Culinary, 11%
Kitchen Operations, 8%
Cooking Equipment, 8%

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Diet Clerk
Diet Clerk vs Kitchen Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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