Food porter vs food handler

The differences between food porters and food handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food handler has an average salary of $32,581, which is higher than the $31,881 average annual salary of a food porter.

The top three skills for a food porter include cleanliness, casino floor and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a food handler are basic math, customer service, and math.

Food porter vs food handler overview

	Food Porter	Food Handler
Yearly salary	$31,881	$32,581
Hourly rate	$15.33	$15.66
Growth rate	9%	14%
Number of jobs	57,175	171,731
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	42	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food porter vs food handler salary

Food porters and food handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Porter	Food Handler
Average salary	$31,881	$32,581
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Syracuse, NY
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Syracuse University
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between food porter and food handler education

There are a few differences between a food porter and a food handler in terms of educational background:

	Food Porter	Food Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Liberal Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food porter vs food handler demographics

Here are the differences between food porters' and food handlers' demographics:

	Food Porter	Food Handler
Average age	42	23
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.8% 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	7%	8%

Differences between food porter and food handler duties and responsibilities

Food porter example responsibilities.

Organize schedules for employees and set payroll -Provide direction and solve employee problems -Be extremely personable & manage stock control
Maintain cleanliness of the dining area and food prep stations throughout the day.
Maintain cleanliness of restaurant exterior and interior.
Assist with planning and directing food preparation and culinary activities along with safely handling and storing all products appropriately.
Operate dishwasher or assist with washing/ sterilizing dishes, glassware, silverware, utensils, etc.
Receive numerous awards for upselling specials and increasing check averages.

Food handler example responsibilities.

Set up and operate point of sales (POS) cash registers, receive money and return proper change.
Record patient information to gain knowledge of special allergies and special diets to promote better safety and health management.
Enter orders into POS system, report daily sales to managers, conduct monthly inventory, and perform heavy cash flow.
Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assign station and service areas.
Maintain clean work areas including display cases, walk-in coolers, fryers and other cooking equipment.
Prepare and serve food samples using small appliances such as microwaves, fryers, skillets, coffee makers and knives.

Food porter vs food handler skills

Common food porter skills

Cleanliness, 34%
Casino Floor, 23%
Kitchen Equipment, 22%
Food Handling, 15%
Customer Orders, 2%
Food Carts, 2%

Common food handler skills

Basic Math, 23%
Customer Service, 21%
Math, 14%
Food Service, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Food Orders, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Porter
Food Porter vs Food Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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