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The differences between dietary assistants and food service assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service assistant has an average salary of $29,354, which is higher than the $28,234 average annual salary of a dietary assistant.
The top three skills for a dietary assistant include patients, food service and meal trays. The most important skills for a food service assistant are patients, customer service, and food handling.
| Dietary Assistant | Food Service Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $28,234 | $29,354 |
| Hourly rate | $13.57 | $14.11 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 12,812 | 149,665 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A dietary assistant is in charge of the food preparation of individuals in various settings. Dietary aides, dietary assistants cook food, check the compliance of proper procedure in safety and health measures, and maintain a clean environment in the kitchen. The assistants may work part-time or full-time, and during holidays, weekends, or evenings to accommodate customers. People in this position are expected to have experience in food preparation, strong teamwork, and customer-oriented approaches.
A food service assistant helps in food and beverage preparation and serving customers. Foodservice assistants make sure that great customer service is provided to clients. Their duties include answering phone calls for inquiries, providing information, selling products, and solving problems. They may function as cashiers in restaurants or any other food service institution. Upon receiving customer complaints, they escalate them to top management. This job requires people skills, communication skills, and food service knowledge.
Dietary assistants and food service assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietary Assistant | Food Service Assistant | |
| Average salary | $28,234 | $29,354 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $35,000 | Between $23,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Lifespan | Fremont Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a dietary assistant and a food service assistant in terms of educational background:
| Dietary Assistant | Food Service Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dietary assistants' and food service assistants' demographics:
| Dietary Assistant | Food Service Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 8.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |