Fountain worker vs food preparer

The differences between fountain workers and food preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fountain worker has an average salary of $29,234, which is higher than the $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.

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

Fountain worker vs food preparer overview

	Fountain Worker	Food Preparer
Yearly salary	$29,234	$27,717
Hourly rate	$14.05	$13.33
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	22,579	134,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Fountain worker vs food preparer salary

Fountain workers and food preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fountain Worker	Food Preparer
Average salary	$29,234	$27,717
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $20,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Commack, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Mount Sinai Health System
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between fountain worker and food preparer education

There are a few differences between a fountain worker and a food preparer in terms of educational background:

	Fountain Worker	Food Preparer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fountain worker vs food preparer demographics

Here are the differences between fountain workers' and food preparers' demographics:

	Fountain Worker	Food Preparer
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratio	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%	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	8%	8%

Differences between fountain worker and food preparer duties and responsibilities

Fountain worker example responsibilities.

Wait staff: provide friendly customer service; accurately take customer orders; maintain cleanliness of tables and floor.
Stock ingredients, materials, and supply for beverage station.
Operate POS cash register system; responsible for handling money and making transactions.
Clean tables, collect and wash dirty dishes, maintain stock, and perform cleaning duties at closing time.
Maintain legal obligations for responsible bartending by verification of legal age of all customers.
Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.

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.

Fountain worker vs food preparer skills

Common fountain worker skills

Cleanliness, 27%
Customer Service, 17%
POS, 11%
Cash Handling, 10%
Guest Complaints, 7%
Safety Standards, 5%

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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Fountain Worker vs Food Preparer

Updated January 8, 2025

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