Mess attendant vs cook/server

The differences between mess attendants and cook/servers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mess attendant has an average salary of $32,416, which is higher than the $29,716 average annual salary of a cook/server.

The top three skills for a mess attendant include customer service, food safety and facility residents. The most important skills for a cook/server are customer service, customer orders, and safety standards.

Mess attendant vs cook/server overview

	Mess Attendant	Cook/Server
Yearly salary	$32,416	$29,716
Hourly rate	$15.58	$14.29
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	44,739	257,582
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 52%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Mess attendant vs cook/server salary

Mess attendants and cook/servers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mess Attendant	Cook/Server
Average salary	$32,416	$29,716
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $48,000	Between $23,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	The Harley School
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between mess attendant and cook/server education

There are a few differences between a mess attendant and a cook/server in terms of educational background:

	Mess Attendant	Cook/Server
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 52%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Mess attendant vs cook/server demographics

Here are the differences between mess attendants' and cook/servers' demographics:

	Mess Attendant	Cook/Server
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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 mess attendant and cook/server duties and responsibilities

Mess 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.
Prepare personalized smoothies and meals for customers

Cook/server example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist customers, bag groceries, replenish carts, and clean store.
Pay close attention to detail while multitasking between communicating over the intercom, utilizing the POS, and order placing.
Make smoothies, coffee, customer service, cashier, fill bakery cooler, inventory, stock, and clean!
Operate the filtration system used for the fryers to keep all sanitation guidelines up to standards as per the health department.
Operate, and maintain clean and safe cooking equipment like pressure cooker deep fryers, plate grills, and deep fryers.

Mess attendant vs cook/server skills

Common mess attendant skills

Customer Service, 32%
Food Safety, 17%
Facility Residents, 9%
Cooking Equipment, 5%
Clean Tables, 5%
Food Line, 4%

Common cook/server skills

Customer Service, 41%
Customer Orders, 8%
Safety Standards, 6%
Food Preparation, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 4%
POS, 4%

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Mess Attendant
Mess Attendant vs Cook/Server

Updated January 8, 2025

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