Fast food cashier vs food runner

The differences between fast food cashiers and food runners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fast food cashier has an average salary of $31,913, which is higher than the $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.

The top three skills for a fast food cashier include cash handling, basic math and math. The most important skills for a food runner are cleanliness, wine, and culinary.

Fast food cashier vs food runner overview

	Fast Food Cashier	Food Runner
Yearly salary	$31,913	$25,536
Hourly rate	$15.34	$12.28
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	249,916	240,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Fast food cashier vs food runner salary

Fast food cashiers and food runners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fast Food Cashier	Food Runner
Average salary	$31,913	$25,536
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $18,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between fast food cashier and food runner education

There are a few differences between a fast food cashier and a food runner in terms of educational background:

	Fast Food Cashier	Food Runner
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fast food cashier vs food runner demographics

Here are the differences between fast food cashiers' and food runners' demographics:

	Fast Food Cashier	Food Runner
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between fast food cashier and food runner duties and responsibilities

Fast food cashier example responsibilities.

Insure the cleanliness of the food line and the restaurant front line area to include the lobby and entry way.
Cook, clean, take orders on the cash register and drive-thru, handle monetary transactions and provide customer service.
Work with accuracy and quick math skills.
Used math and language skills daily at cash register
Prepare food in accordance with Wendy's corporate guidelines.
Collect monies due or apply charges to credit card or guest account using POS terminal.

Food runner example responsibilities.

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).
Expedite the kitchen to ensure food leaves fast and accurately.
Demonstrate strong computational skills for tendering receipt of payments from clients.

Fast food cashier vs food runner skills

Common fast food cashier skills

Cash Handling, 17%
Basic Math, 15%
Math, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
POS, 8%
Cleanliness, 6%

Common food runner skills

Cleanliness, 20%
Wine, 9%
Culinary, 7%
Food Orders, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Handling, 5%

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Fast Food Cashier vs Food Runner

Updated January 8, 2025

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