Kitchen clerk vs food prep/dishwasher

The differences between kitchen clerks and food prep/dishwashers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen clerk has an average salary of $32,512, which is higher than the $29,964 average annual salary of a food prep/dishwasher.

The top three skills for a kitchen clerk include food handling, food products and customer service. The most important skills for a food prep/dishwasher are food preparation equipment, work ethic, and wash dishes.

Kitchen clerk vs food prep/dishwasher overview

	Kitchen Clerk	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$32,512	$29,964
Hourly rate	$15.63	$14.41
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	82,660	113,200
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 58%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Kitchen clerk vs food prep/dishwasher salary

Kitchen clerks and food prep/dishwashers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Clerk	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Average salary	$32,512	$29,964
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	University of Wisconsin System
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between kitchen clerk and food prep/dishwasher education

There are a few differences between a kitchen clerk and a food prep/dishwasher in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Clerk	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 58%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Kitchen clerk vs food prep/dishwasher demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen clerks' and food prep/dishwashers' demographics:

	Kitchen Clerk	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%	Male, 79.9% Female, 20.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between kitchen clerk and food prep/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Kitchen clerk example responsibilities.

Assist the catering manager to manage, prepare, cook and deliver each day s caterings.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, and handle assembly and disassembling of smoothie machine.
Mix water with detergents and acids to prepare cleaning solutions according to specifications, general cleanliness according to safety and company guidelines
Brew, serve, and sell coffee at Starbucks kiosk within the store.

Food prep/dishwasher example responsibilities.

Prep food items and refrigerate appropriately, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, wash all dishes associate with the daily operations
Operate industrial dishwasher ensuring sanitation of all dishes.
Operate dishwasher keep kitchen clean organize and sanitize.
Take proper care of ranges, ovens, broilers, fryers, griddles, utensils and other equipment.
Gain knowledge of how to use kitchen tools such as blenders, fryers, coffee maker, and food processor.
Make smoothies, clean up after every smoothie, clean whole store, prep fruits and juices

Kitchen clerk vs food prep/dishwasher skills

Common kitchen clerk skills

Food Handling, 53%
Food Products, 13%
Customer Service, 9%
Display Cases, 8%
Slicers, 4%
Food Service, 2%

Common food prep/dishwasher skills

Food Preparation Equipment, 17%
Work Ethic, 17%
Wash Dishes, 14%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Service, 9%
Dishwashers, 8%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Kitchen Clerk
Kitchen Clerk vs Food Prep/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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