Pantry worker vs food service assistant

The differences between pantry workers and food service assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service assistant has an average salary of $29,354, which is higher than the $29,031 average annual salary of a pantry worker.

The top three skills for a pantry worker include kitchen equipment, culinary and food products. The most important skills for a food service assistant are patients, customer service, and food handling.

Pantry worker vs food service assistant overview

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,031	$29,354
Hourly rate	$13.96	$14.11
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	31,402	149,665
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Pantry worker vs food service assistant salary

Pantry workers and food service assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Assistant
Average salary	$29,031	$29,354
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Fremont Public Schools
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between pantry worker and food service assistant education

There are a few differences between a pantry worker and a food service assistant in terms of educational background:

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pantry worker vs food service assistant demographics

Here are the differences between pantry workers' and food service assistants' demographics:

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 8.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pantry worker and food service assistant duties and responsibilities

Pantry worker example responsibilities.

Manage saut station, fry station, grill station, and steamer station.
Assemble care packages and distribute groceries to the community.
Assist with planning and directing food preparation and culinary activities along with safely handling and storing all products appropriately.
Put away food and supplies order according to the fifo system.

Food service assistant example responsibilities.

Sanitize rooms per OSHA requirements.
Perform regular station audits in accordance to OSHA guidelines.
Experience includes bag room, mail/cargo, ramp, and De-icing.
Maintain cleanliness of kitchenware and food preparation areas in a fast-pace restaurant kitchen.
Streamline kitchen processes for this fast-pace environment, maintaining cleanliness and safe equipment operation.
Monitor radio and delivery system by annotating order tickets resulting in satisfy and hunger free patients.

Pantry worker vs food service assistant skills

Common pantry worker skills

Kitchen Equipment, 37%
Culinary, 23%
Food Products, 15%
Food Handling, 11%
Safety Procedures, 5%
Food Donations, 2%

Common food service assistant skills

Patients, 12%
Customer Service, 12%
Food Handling, 9%
Basic Math, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Safety Standards, 6%

Pantry Worker vs. similar jobs

Pantry Worker related careers

Pantry Worker related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Pantry Worker
Pantry Worker vs Food Service Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs