Mess attendant vs food service/cashier

The differences between mess attendants and food service/cashiers 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 $28,481 average annual salary of a food service/cashier.

The top three skills for a mess attendant include customer service, food safety and facility residents. The most important skills for a food service/cashier are food service, POS, and cleanliness.

Mess attendant vs food service/cashier overview

	Mess Attendant	Food Service/Cashier
Yearly salary	$32,416	$28,481
Hourly rate	$15.58	$13.69
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	44,739	247,779
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Mess attendant vs food service/cashier salary

Mess attendants and food service/cashiers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mess Attendant	Food Service/Cashier
Average salary	$32,416	$28,481
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $48,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Montclair, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Aspen School District
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between mess attendant and food service/cashier education

There are a few differences between a mess attendant and a food service/cashier in terms of educational background:

	Mess Attendant	Food Service/Cashier
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Mess attendant vs food service/cashier demographics

Here are the differences between mess attendants' and food service/cashiers' demographics:

	Mess Attendant	Food Service/Cashier
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3%	Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%
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 food service/cashier 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

Food service/cashier example responsibilities.

Cashier, serve food, manage calls, drawer counting, heavy lifting, heavy use of POS system and filing.
Greet guests, take food and drink orders, prepare and assemble food items, maintain the cash drawer and POS system
Time management while delivering patients orders and providing exceptional customer service in a fast pace environment.
Order and receive supplies for culinary needs of the fleet.
Maintain food safety and quality by applying HACCP principles throughout service.
Load and unload commercial dishwashers.

Mess attendant vs food service/cashier skills

Common mess attendant skills

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

Common food service/cashier skills

Food Service, 17%
POS, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Math, 7%
Customer Complaints, 7%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Mess Attendant
Mess Attendant vs Food Service/Cashier

Updated January 8, 2025

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