Lunchroom attendant vs cafeteria worker

The differences between lunchroom attendants and cafeteria workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lunchroom attendant has an average salary of $27,623, which is higher than the $24,465 average annual salary of a cafeteria worker.

The top three skills for a lunchroom attendant include safety practices, food service equipment and food service facilities. The most important skills for a cafeteria worker are food handling, kitchen equipment, and food preparation.

Lunchroom attendant vs cafeteria worker overview

	Lunchroom Attendant	Cafeteria Worker
Yearly salary	$27,623	$24,465
Hourly rate	$13.28	$11.76
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	44,628	31,802
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Lunchroom attendant vs cafeteria worker salary

Lunchroom attendants and cafeteria workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lunchroom Attendant	Cafeteria Worker
Average salary	$27,623	$24,465
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $18,000 And $32,000
Highest paying City	-	Yuba City, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Jefferson Elementary School District
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between lunchroom attendant and cafeteria worker education

There are a few differences between a lunchroom attendant and a cafeteria worker in terms of educational background:

	Lunchroom Attendant	Cafeteria Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 44%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lunchroom attendant vs cafeteria worker demographics

Here are the differences between lunchroom attendants' and cafeteria workers' demographics:

	Lunchroom Attendant	Cafeteria Worker
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.9% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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%

Differences between lunchroom attendant and cafeteria worker duties and responsibilities

Lunchroom attendant example responsibilities.

Manage VIP's with personal requirements and assist in their room set up and hospitality experience.
Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, and griddles.

Cafeteria worker example responsibilities.

Prepare food, operate dishwasher, manage salad bar, and cash out students, teachers, and faculty.
Clean grills, ovens, and stoves.
Help prepare food, set-up salad bars.
Set up and break down fryers and slicers.
Sanitize and clean equipment according to HACCP standards.
Sell food to student and operating the POS system.

Lunchroom attendant vs cafeteria worker skills

Common lunchroom attendant skills

Safety Practices, 26%
Food Service Equipment, 15%
Food Service Facilities, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Counter Tops, 6%
POS, 6%

Common cafeteria worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Preparation, 16%
Customer Service, 4%
Dishwashers, 4%
Nutritious Meals, 3%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Lunchroom Attendant
Lunchroom Attendant vs Cafeteria Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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