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Food service attendant vs food service worker

The differences between food service attendants and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service worker has an average salary of $28,753, 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 worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Food service attendant vs food service worker overview

Food Service AttendantFood Service Worker
Yearly salary$25,604$28,753
Hourly rate$12.31$13.82
Growth rate14%2%
Number of jobs229,108169,323
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%High School Diploma, 44%
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 worker do?

Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness. They may also be assigned to manage inventories, handle stocks and deliveries, and other activities related to the restaurant's successful operations. Foodservice workers must always be hygienic and maintain the sanitation of the area to ensure food safety.

Food service attendant vs food service worker salary

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

Food Service AttendantFood Service Worker
Average salary$25,604$28,753
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $33,000Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityBend, ORUrban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying stateUtahHawaii
Best paying companyBrigham and Women's HospitalUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryMediaRetail

Differences between food service attendant and food service worker education

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

Food Service AttendantFood Service Worker
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 42%High School Diploma, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Food service attendant vs food service worker demographics

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

Food Service AttendantFood Service Worker
Average age2337
Gender ratioMale, 40.1% Female, 59.9%Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage8%6%

Differences between food service attendant and food service worker 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 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
  • Show more

Food service attendant vs food service worker 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 worker skills
  • Food Handling, 22%
  • Safety Standards, 9%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Cash Control, 4%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%

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