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Food service attendant vs food service assistant

The differences between food service attendants and food service assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service assistant has an average salary of $29,354, which is higher than the $25,604 average annual salary of a food service attendant.

The top three skills for a food service attendant include food handling, patients and customer service. The most important skills for a food service assistant are patients, customer service, and food handling.

Food service attendant vs food service assistant overview

Food Service AttendantFood Service Assistant
Yearly salary$25,604$29,354
Hourly rate$12.31$14.11
Growth rate14%2%
Number of jobs229,108149,665
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age2337
Years of experience--

What does a food service attendant do?

A Food Service Attendant works in various establishments such as hotels, cafeterias, and bars to deal with service, meal preparation, and food handling. They work under the control of a kitchen manager or food service director and deliver their services all days of the week. Their primary duties include taking delivery orders and answering customer phones, and assisting wait staff and cashiers in collecting money. Moreover, they respond to customer queries and making menu suggestions. Also, they clean workplaces, follow meal safety guidelines and prepare food and drinks.

What does a food service assistant do?

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 attendant vs food service assistant salary

Food service attendants and food service assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Food Service AttendantFood Service Assistant
Average salary$25,604$29,354
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $33,000Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityBend, ORSpringfield, MA
Highest paying stateUtahMassachusetts
Best paying companyBrigham and Women's HospitalFremont Public Schools
Best paying industryMediaRetail

Differences between food service attendant and food service assistant education

There are a few differences between a food service attendant and a food service assistant in terms of educational background:

Food Service AttendantFood Service Assistant
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Food service attendant vs food service assistant demographics

Here are the differences between food service attendants' and food service assistants' demographics:

Food Service AttendantFood Service Assistant
Average age2337
Gender ratioMale, 40.1% Female, 59.9%Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 8.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage8%6%

Differences between food service attendant and food service assistant duties and responsibilities

Food service attendant example responsibilities.

  • Process payment transactions on a POS system.
  • Wait on customers, take orders, run cash register, help prepare food on grill and deep fryer.
  • Follow established procedures and standards for cleanliness to ensure a healthy and safe environment
  • Learned to cook and pre pare pizza, learned to make drinks associate with Starbucks
  • Create Facebook and other social media accounts for athletes and business owners to promote their upcoming activities or increase sales.

Food service assistant example responsibilities.

  • Sanitize rooms per OSHA requirements.
  • Perform regular station audits in accordance to OSHA guidelines.
  • Experience includes bag room, mail/cargo, ramp, and De-icing.
  • Maintain cleanliness of kitchenware and food preparation areas in a fast-pace restaurant kitchen.
  • Streamline kitchen processes for this fast-pace environment, maintaining cleanliness and safe equipment operation.
  • Monitor radio and delivery system by annotating order tickets resulting in satisfy and hunger free patients.
  • Show more

Food service attendant vs food service assistant skills

Common food service attendant skills
  • Food Handling, 29%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Cash Handling, 8%
  • Basic Math, 5%
  • Guest Service, 4%
Common food service assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Food Handling, 9%
  • Basic Math, 8%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 7%
  • Safety Standards, 6%

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