Food runner vs food handler

The differences between food runners 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 $25,536 average annual salary of a food runner.

The top three skills for a food runner include cleanliness, wine and culinary. The most important skills for a food handler are basic math, customer service, and math.

Food runner vs food handler overview

	Food Runner	Food Handler
Yearly salary	$25,536	$32,581
Hourly rate	$12.28	$15.66
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	240,853	171,731
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Food runner vs food handler salary

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

	Food Runner	Food Handler
Average salary	$25,536	$32,581
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $34,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Syracuse, NY
Highest paying state	Vermont	Washington
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Boston	Syracuse University
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between food runner and food handler education

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

	Food Runner	Food Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food runner vs food handler demographics

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

	Food Runner	Food Handler
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%	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 runner and food handler duties and responsibilities

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.

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 runner vs food handler skills

Common food runner skills

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

Common food handler skills

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

Food Runner vs. similar jobs

Food Runner related careers

Food Runner related jobs

Food Runner jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Runner
Food Runner vs Food Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs