Food service associate vs sous chef

The differences between food service associates and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $31,642 average annual salary of a food service associate.

The top three skills for a food service associate include patients, food handling and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a sous chef are culinary, food handling, and food preparation.

Food service associate vs sous chef overview

	Food Service Associate	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$31,642	$48,716
Hourly rate	$15.21	$23.42
Growth rate	2%	15%
Number of jobs	64,167	22,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	37	42
Years of experience	-	6

What does a food service associate do?

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.

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Food service associate vs sous chef salary

Food service associates and sous chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Associate	Sous Chef
Average salary	$31,642	$48,716
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $39,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	RH
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between food service associate and sous chef education

There are a few differences between a food service associate and a sous chef in terms of educational background:

	Food Service Associate	Sous Chef
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Drexel University

Food service associate vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between food service associates' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Food Service Associate	Sous Chef
Average age	37	42
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between food service associate and sous chef duties and responsibilities

Food service associate example responsibilities.

Experience using a cash register and POS system to manage food orders.
Maintain pantry, follow USDA guidelines for proper food storage, and maintenance on equipment.
Help track inventory using FIFO.
Stock product according to date, using the FIFO method.
Perform complex math calculations using fractions, percentile, probabilities and/or ratios.
Rank one of the top math and technology schools in the nation.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Food service associate vs sous chef skills

Common food service associate skills

Patients, 14%
Food Handling, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 11%
Cleanliness, 7%
Math, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

Food Service Associate vs. similar jobs

Food Service Associate related careers

Food Service Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Service Associate
Food Service Associate vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs