What does a dish washer do?
A dishwasher is responsible for keeping and maintaining a kitchen clean by properly washing, sorting, and stacking the kitchen wares, and setting up dish stations. Though the job requires only minimal work experience and a high school diploma, it is said to be a hard one since it involves strong problem-solving and good communication skills, exceptional time management skills, and the ability to work on extended hours. However, since a dishwasher seldom leaves the kitchen area and does not provide direct service to customers, he/she usually get tips directly if service staff share their tips with them.
Dish washer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dish washer resumes:
- Wash dishes, bus tables, maintain an overall satisfactory restaurant, and help with any customer or team member needs.
- Keep utensils going to the rightful owners' (cooks, servers, )
- Stock and restock supplies for the servers and the cooks.
- Raise and maintain high standards for cleanliness and safety within the DMO team.
- Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits.
- Rinse, wash and sort all utensils, glass and tableware, return back to proper location.
- Wash all dishes using a conveyor belt style machine, clean, restock, organize, help prep cooks when need.
- Prep food items and refrigerate appropriately, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, wash all dishes associate with the daily operations
- Monitor dishwasher water temperature to ensure a sanitary wash cycle.
- Assist in repairing food equipment such as industrial size rice cookers and stoves whether it are electrical or mechanical problems.
- Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, ovens, burners and griddles.
- Use a variety of cooking equipment such as wood-ovens, grills, fryers, and various other pieces.
Dish washer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Dish Washers are proficient in Food Handling, Work Ethic, and Fine Dining. They’re also known for soft skills such as Sense of taste and smell, Dexterity, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Dish Washers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Food Handling, 33%
Clean and prepare food in the morning and throughout the work day; to follow suitable food handling guidelines.
- Work Ethic, 21%
Served as a dependable and reliable dishwasher with good work ethic and positive attitude.
- Fine Dining, 12%
Assisted in raising client morale by engaging in various activities such as fine dining.
- Washing Machines, 7%
Handled automatic dishwashing systems, hand trucks, pot washing machines and power washers.
- Team Work, 6%
Team work was a large part of this job and I excelled at it.
- Basic Math, 4%
Used basic math to add up bill.
"food handling," "work ethic," and "fine dining" are among the most common skills that dish washers use at work. You can find even more dish washer responsibilities below, including:
The three companies that hire the most dish washers are:
- Cracker Barrel1,720 dish washers jobs
- Compass Group USA1,499 dish washers jobs
- Red Lobster1,369 dish washers jobs
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Compare different dish washers
Dish washer 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dish washer responsibilities require skills like "pet," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "washing machines." Meanwhile a typical kitchen staff has skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "quality food," "food products," and "meal preparation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Kitchen staff really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $30,914. Comparatively, dish washers tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $30,013.On average, kitchen staff reach similar levels of education than dish washers. Kitchen staff are 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dish washer vs. Kitchen aide
Kitchen helpers perform various kitchen tasks in restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. Their duties and responsibilities include assisting cooks in the preparation of meal ingredients, helping other staff with unloading food items from delivery trucks, and washing and drying the utensils, dishes, and cookware. Kitchen helpers are also responsible for removing and replacing garbage bags and storing ingredients and food supplies in compliance with food safety standards. The requirements for this position may include a high school diploma, a license in food handling, and knowledge of food safety standards.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, dish washer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "work ethic," "fine dining," and "strong work ethic." Meanwhile, a kitchen aide has duties that require skills in areas such as "meal preparation," "cleanliness," "patients," and "functional operation." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Kitchen aides may earn a lower salary than dish washers, but kitchen aides earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $29,166. On the other hand, dish washers receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $30,013.In general, kitchen aides achieve similar levels of education than dish washers. They're 0.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dish washer vs. Utility aide
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a dish washer is likely to be skilled in "food handling," "pet," "work ethic," and "fine dining," while a typical utility aide is skilled in "safety rules," "cleanliness," "hvac," and "infection control."
Utility aides typically earn similar educational levels compared to dish washers. Specifically, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dish washer vs. Kitchen helper
Even though a few skill sets overlap between dish washers and kitchen helpers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a dish washer might have more use for skills like "pet," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "washing machines." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of kitchen helpers require skills like "food service," "cleanliness," "culinary," and "english communication. "
Kitchen helpers enjoy the best pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $27,239. For comparison, dish washers earn the highest salary in the health care industry.kitchen helpers reach similar levels of education compared to dish washers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of dish washer
Updated January 8, 2025
