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The differences between food service workers and food preparers 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 $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.
The top three skills for a food service worker include food handling, safety standards and customer service. The most important skills for a food preparer are food handling, work ethic, and food products.
| Food Service Worker | Food Preparer | |
| Yearly salary | $28,753 | $27,717 |
| Hourly rate | $13.82 | $13.33 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 169,323 | 134,113 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 37 | 23 |
| 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 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 workers and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Worker | Food Preparer | |
| Average salary | $28,753 | $27,717 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $20,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Commack, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Mount Sinai Health System |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a food service worker and a food preparer in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Worker | Food Preparer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 44% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food service workers' and food preparers' demographics:
| Food Service Worker | Food Preparer | |
| Average age | 37 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |