Food prep vs food handler

The differences between food preps 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 $25,840 average annual salary of a food prep.

The top three skills for a food prep include food service, food handling and taking care. The most important skills for a food handler are basic math, customer service, and math.

Food prep vs food handler overview

	Food Prep	Food Handler
Yearly salary	$25,840	$32,581
Hourly rate	$12.42	$15.66
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	168,743	171,731
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food prep vs food handler salary

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

	Food Prep	Food Handler
Average salary	$25,840	$32,581
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $35,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Syracuse, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	Grand Ledge High School	Syracuse University
Best paying industry	Retail	Finance

Differences between food prep and food handler education

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

	Food Prep	Food Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food prep vs food handler demographics

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

	Food Prep	Food Handler
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 51.1% Female, 48.9%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
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 food prep and food handler duties and responsibilities

Food prep example responsibilities.

Provide quality customer service while providing assistance in food preparation and maintaining store cleanliness.
Operate blenders, stoves, and steamers.
Fast pace and quick learning worker also good math skills.
Clean dishes, meat and cheese slicers, refrigerators and coolers.
Detail cleaning include, broilers, fryers, walk in refrigerator/freezer, dining and restrooms.
Operate flat top grill, salamander grill, deep fryer, mixer and tortilla steamers.

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 prep vs food handler skills

Common food prep skills

Food Service, 17%
Food Handling, 13%
Taking Care, 12%
Cleanliness, 9%
Good Communication, 6%
Math, 5%

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
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Food Prep vs Food Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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