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The differences between food service workers and cafeteria 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 $24,465 average annual salary of a cafeteria worker.
The top three skills for a food service worker include food handling, safety standards and customer service. The most important skills for a cafeteria worker are food handling, kitchen equipment, and food preparation.
| Food Service Worker | Cafeteria Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $28,753 | $24,465 |
| Hourly rate | $13.82 | $11.76 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 169,323 | 31,802 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 45% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A cafeteria worker is responsible for taking and processing customer orders, ensuring the correct foods are served, providing them the satisfaction of their dining experience. Cafeteria workers maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities, manage the adequacy of inventory stock supplies, coordinate with suppliers for deliveries, process payments, and help out the customers with their inquiries and concerns. A cafeteria worker should also assist the management in developing marketing techniques to boost revenues and increase profitability.
Food service workers and cafeteria workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Worker | Cafeteria Worker | |
| Average salary | $28,753 | $24,465 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $18,000 And $32,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Yuba City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Jefferson Elementary School District |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a food service worker and a cafeteria worker in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Worker | Cafeteria Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food service workers' and cafeteria workers' demographics:
| Food Service Worker | Cafeteria Worker | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |