Food production worker vs food service worker

The differences between food production workers and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food production worker has an average salary of $30,076, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

The top three skills for a food production worker include basic math, safety regulations and math. The most important skills for a food service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Food production worker vs food service worker overview

	Food Production Worker	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$30,076	$28,753
Hourly rate	$14.46	$13.82
Growth rate	-	2%
Number of jobs	120,493	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	37
Years of experience	-	-

Food production worker vs food service worker salary

Food production workers and food service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Production Worker	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$30,076	$28,753
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Hawaii
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Retail

Differences between food production worker and food service worker education

There are a few differences between a food production worker and a food service worker in terms of educational background:

	Food Production Worker	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food production worker vs food service worker demographics

Here are the differences between food production workers' and food service workers' demographics:

	Food Production Worker	Food Service Worker
Average age	38	37
Gender ratio	Male, 50.0% Female, 50.0%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between food production worker and food service worker duties and responsibilities

Food production worker example responsibilities.

Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
Ensure employees produce products to client's specs and to FDA or USDA standards in a timely manner.
Clean the equipment as well as the area to FDA standards.
Tend or operate and sanitize equipment such as kettles and cookers to the standards of the USDA.
Adhere to safe work practices, follow GMP s, maintain sanitary conditions and ensure that product quality is maintained.
Perform housekeeping responsibilities ensuring adherence to USDA guidelines.

Food service worker example responsibilities.

Volunteer at rehabilitation center/ nursing home escorting and communicating with the patients.
Learned how to do math quickly and efficiently.
Demonstrate money-handling and math skills in processing payments for orders.
Prepare all food stuffs, roasting meats, baking cookies, preparing salads.
Work in full compliance with values of compassion, dignity, excellence, integrity, and team work.
Install and maintain HVAC systems which include walkin coolers and freezers, reach-ins and pass thru and a/c systems

Food production worker vs food service worker skills

Common food production worker skills

Basic Math, 28%
Safety Regulations, 10%
Math, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%
Assembly Line, 8%
Production Process, 6%

Common food service worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Safety Standards, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Patients, 7%
Cash Control, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Food Production Worker
Food Production Worker vs Food Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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