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The differences between food service specialists and shift leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a shift leader has an average salary of $33,841, which is higher than the $29,286 average annual salary of a food service specialist.
The top three skills for a food service specialist include kitchen equipment, preventive maintenance and MOS. The most important skills for a shift leader are patients, customer complaints, and customer service.
| Food Service Specialist | Shift Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $29,286 | $33,841 |
| Hourly rate | $14.08 | $16.27 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 95,112 | 229,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The food service specialists monitor food preparation, ensuring that the guests get their correct orders, providing them the best dining experience and satisfaction. A food service specialist takes the guests' orders, processes their payments, and serves their orders timely and efficiently. They also monitor the stock inventories, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for stock requests, and assist with kitchen duties as needed, especially on high volume days. A food service specialist must have a broad knowledge of the food services industry, analyzing the current food trends to make suggestions for menus, and responding to the guests' concerns.
Shift leaders are tenured or experienced employees who are assigned to oversee employees in specific work shifts. They manage team members who are assigned in their shift. They also ensure that business goals are met. Shift leaders check whether team members are working, and they ensure that they always comply with company policies and guidelines. They also monitor the performance of their employees and coach them should the employees need help in any area of their work. Shift leaders should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Food service specialists and shift leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Specialist | Shift Leader | |
| Average salary | $29,286 | $33,841 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $43,000 | Between $26,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Brookhaven National Laboratory | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a food service specialist and a shift leader in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Specialist | Shift Leader | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food service specialists' and shift leaders' demographics:
| Food Service Specialist | Shift Leader | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |