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The differences between food service associates and food service assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service associate has an average salary of $31,642, which is higher than the $29,354 average annual salary of a food service assistant.
The top three skills for a food service associate include patients, food handling and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a food service assistant are patients, customer service, and food handling.
| Food Service Associate | Food Service Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,642 | $29,354 |
| Hourly rate | $15.21 | $14.11 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 64,167 | 149,665 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A food service associate performs fundamental functions in the food industry. Food service associates prepare and serve food items. They cater to special events, which involve facility preparation, food presentation maintenance, and setting up tables. Their duties include cleaning preparation and service equipment. They restock the work stations for the essential supplies. The skills they need to perform their job include customer service, teamwork, work with diverse cultural, ethnic, and academic backgrounds, and learn safety and health regulations.
A food service assistant helps in food and beverage preparation and serving customers. Foodservice assistants make sure that great customer service is provided to clients. Their duties include answering phone calls for inquiries, providing information, selling products, and solving problems. They may function as cashiers in restaurants or any other food service institution. Upon receiving customer complaints, they escalate them to top management. This job requires people skills, communication skills, and food service knowledge.
Food service associates and food service assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Associate | Food Service Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,642 | $29,354 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $23,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners | Fremont Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a food service associate and a food service assistant in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Associate | Food Service Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food service associates' and food service assistants' demographics:
| Food Service Associate | Food Service Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 8.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |