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What does a dietary assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a dietary assistant do

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.

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Dietary assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real dietary assistant resumes:

  • Prepare trays for patients within the hospital's care, taking into consideration dietary requirements and allergies.
  • Enhance communication skills by providing assistance, companionship and compassion to patients.
  • Prepare and serve food to visitors and staff upholding HACCP standards.
  • Insure that patient s food allergies, and intolerance are taken care of and note.
  • Provide janitorial services to maintain high safety standards and cleanliness.
  • Develop and deliver exceptional meal services to all patients and visitors through cafeteria operations and individual deliveries.
  • Work directly with assist living and skil nursing residents to provide culinary services while following specific diets.
  • Record food and dishwasher temperature to prevent contamination.
  • Operate an industrial automate dishwasher correctly and safely.
  • Experience on the grill, fryers, steamers, steam pot.
  • Process diet orders in meditech and cbord.
  • Process new diet orders and make changes as required using MediTech software.
  • Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, and grills.
  • Develop popular daily specials with personally source ingredients for broiler and saut e stations.
  • Distribute meals, help with cleanup and adhere to hospital sanitation policies.

Dietary assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Dietary Assistants are proficient in Patients, Food Service, and Meal Trays. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Physical strength, and Dexterity.

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

  • Patients, 15%

    Developed and delivered exceptional meal services to all patients and visitors through cafeteria operations and individual deliveries.

  • Food Service, 11%

    Provided food service for residents of a retirement and assisted living community.

  • Meal Trays, 9%

    Retrieved meal trays from patients when the meal was finished or otherwise no longer needed.

  • Food Handling, 8%

    Followed departmental guidelines for safe food handling and sanitation to ensure adherence to regulatory standards.

  • Food Preparation, 7%

    Performed food preparation and assisted in maintaining preparation and service area in sanitary condition.

  • Customer Service, 7%

    Key reservation information accurately into the computer system while providing the highest quality of customer service.

"patients," "food service," and "meal trays" are among the most common skills that dietary assistants use at work. You can find even more dietary assistant responsibilities below, including:

All dietary assistant skills

The three companies that hire the most dietary assistants are:

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Dietary Assistant Resume
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Dietary Assistant Resume
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Dietary Assistant Resume
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Dietary Assistant Resume
Dietary Assistant Resume
Dietary Assistant Resume

Compare different dietary assistants

Dietary assistant vs. Food service worker

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.

We looked at the average dietary assistant salary and compared it with the wages of a food service worker. Generally speaking, food service workers are paid $519 higher than dietary assistants per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between dietary assistants and food service workers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like patients, food service, and meal trays.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a dietary assistant are more likely to require skills like "compassion," "food trays," "diet orders," and "team work." On the other hand, a job as a food service worker requires skills like "safety standards," "pet," "cash control," and "rehabilitation." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Food service workers really shine in the retail industry with an average salary of $30,177. Comparatively, dietary assistants tend to make the most money in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $30,315.The education levels that food service workers earn slightly differ from dietary assistants. In particular, food service workers are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a dietary assistant. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dietary assistant vs. Food prep/dishwasher

A food prep/dishwasher's role is to perform food preparation and cleaning duties in a kitchen, under the supervision and directives of a chef or manager. One of their primary responsibilities is washing dishes, sanitizing utensils, and preparing ingredients by washing, peeling, and cutting them according to size. They may also participate in organizing, sorting, and putting them in proper storage. There are also instances when they have to perform basic cooking tasks ranging from boiling and frying to baking. Furthermore, a food prep/dishwasher may have the duty of maintaining the kitchen's cleanliness and other areas.

A career as a food prep/dishwasher brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a dietary assistant. In fact, food prep/dishwashers salary is $1,730 higher than the salary of dietary assistants per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Dietary assistants and food prep/dishwashers both require similar skills like "food service," "food preparation," and "customer service" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real dietary assistant resumes. While dietary assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "meal trays," "food handling," and "tray line," food prep/dishwashers use skills like "food preparation equipment," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "wash dishes."

Food prep/dishwashers may earn a higher salary than dietary assistants, but food prep/dishwashers earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $30,657. On the other hand, dietary assistants receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $30,315.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Food prep/dishwashers tend to reach similar levels of education than dietary assistants. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dietary assistant vs. Kitchen staff

The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals. Their responsibilities include the cleanup of dishes, cooking equipment, and the working stations. They also take charge of food safety regulations, storing and sorting of ingredients, and preparing foodstuff.

An average kitchen staff eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of dietary assistants. The difference in salaries amounts to kitchen staff earning a $1,582 higher average salary than dietary assistants.Using the responsibilities included on dietary assistants and kitchen staff resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "food service," "food handling," and "food preparation.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from dietary assistant resumes include skills like "patients," "meal trays," "tray line," and "compassion," whereas a kitchen staff is more likely to list skills in "sanitation standards," "quality food," "food products," and "safety standards. "

Kitchen staff earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $30,914. Comparatively, dietary assistants have the highest earning potential in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $30,315.kitchen staff typically earn similar educational levels compared to dietary assistants. Specifically, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dietary assistant vs. Bakery clerk

A bakery clerk is an employee who is responsible for running the bakery department of supermarkets, boutique bakeries, or baking facilities. Bakery clerks are usually tasked to manage the bakery's cash register, bagging baked goods and then taking customers' payments. They ensure that the display cases inside the bakery are fully stocked with fresh bread and other baked goods. They also assist bakers with baking tasks such as measuring ingredients, mixing dough, or pouring batter.

Bakery clerks typically earn higher pay than dietary assistants. On average, bakery clerks earn a $417 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, dietary assistants and bakery clerks both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "food handling," "food preparation," and "customer service. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patients," "food service," "meal trays," and "tray line" are skills that commonly show up on dietary assistant resumes. On the other hand, bakery clerks use skills like basic math, bakery products, math, and help support on their resumes.In general, bakery clerks earn the most working in the retail industry, with an average salary of $30,395. The highest-paying industry for a dietary assistant is the hospitality industry.In general, bakery clerks hold similar degree levels compared to dietary assistants. Bakery clerks are 0.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of dietary assistant

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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