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Food service/cashier vs food preparer

The differences between food service/cashiers and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service/cashier has an average salary of $28,481, which is higher than the $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.

The top three skills for a food service/cashier include food service, POS and cleanliness. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.

Food service/cashier vs food preparer overview

Food Service/CashierFood Preparer
Yearly salary$28,481$27,717
Hourly rate$13.69$13.33
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs247,779134,113
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 41%
Average age2323
Years of experience--

What does a food service/cashier do?

Foodservice/cashiers are often employed at food restaurants and played various roles. Their duties include recording orders from customers and making sure their payments are collected. They are responsible for managing financial transactions and creating financial reports at the end of the day, making sure that order receipts correlate to the amount of money collected. They could also function as service members, welcoming customers and taking their orders politely, packaging them, and ensures that they are delivered promptly, taking in and resolving customer's queries and complaints. They can also be tasked to stock supplies and may help in cooking if the needs arise.

What does a food preparer do?

A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.

Food service/cashier vs food preparer salary

Food service/cashiers and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Food Service/CashierFood Preparer
Average salary$28,481$27,717
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $35,000Between $20,000 And $37,000
Highest paying CityMontclair, NJCommack, NY
Highest paying stateNew HampshireNew Hampshire
Best paying companyAspen School DistrictMount Sinai Health System
Best paying industryRetailRetail

Differences between food service/cashier and food preparer education

There are a few differences between a food service/cashier and a food preparer in terms of educational background:

Food Service/CashierFood Preparer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 48%High School Diploma, 41%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Food service/cashier vs food preparer demographics

Here are the differences between food service/cashiers' and food preparers' demographics:

Food Service/CashierFood Preparer
Average age2323
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between food service/cashier and food preparer duties and responsibilities

Food service/cashier example responsibilities.

  • Cashier, serve food, manage calls, drawer counting, heavy lifting, heavy use of POS system and filing.
  • Greet guests, take food and drink orders, prepare and assemble food items, maintain the cash drawer and POS system
  • Time management while delivering patients orders and providing exceptional customer service in a fast pace environment.
  • Order and receive supplies for culinary needs of the fleet.
  • Maintain food safety and quality by applying HACCP principles throughout service.
  • Load and unload commercial dishwashers.
  • Show more

Food preparer example responsibilities.

  • Maintain cleanliness, organization and time management of order preparation, customer service
  • Follow closing procedures and maintain cleanliness of food preparation area and bathrooms.
  • Operate on a POS system, and would prep and serve food.
  • Clean fryers daily, closing shop with overhaul of cleaning routines and stocking freezers.
  • Operate a variety of commercial cooking equipment including grills, deep fryers, and ovens.
  • Clean and sanitize workstations, utensils and equipment according to sanitation guidelines.
  • Show more

Food service/cashier vs food preparer skills

Common food service/cashier skills
  • Food Service, 17%
  • POS, 13%
  • Cleanliness, 9%
  • Basic Math, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • Customer Complaints, 7%
Common food preparer skills
  • Food Handling, 20%
  • Work Ethic, 13%
  • Food Products, 11%
  • Kitchen Utensils, 8%
  • Safety Standards, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%

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