Pantry worker vs food service worker

The differences between pantry workers and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pantry worker has an average salary of $29,031, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

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

Pantry worker vs food service worker overview

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$29,031	$28,753
Hourly rate	$13.96	$13.82
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	31,402	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Pantry worker vs food service worker salary

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

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$29,031	$28,753
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between pantry worker and food service worker education

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

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pantry worker vs food service worker demographics

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

	Pantry Worker	Food Service Worker
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pantry worker and food service worker 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 worker example responsibilities.

Volunteer at rehabilitation center/ nursing home escorting and communicating with the patients.
Learned how to do math quickly and efficiently.
Demonstrate money-handling and math skills in processing payments for orders.
Prepare all food stuffs, roasting meats, baking cookies, preparing salads.
Work in full compliance with values of compassion, dignity, excellence, integrity, and team work.
Install and maintain HVAC systems which include walkin coolers and freezers, reach-ins and pass thru and a/c systems

Pantry worker vs food service worker 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 worker skills

Food Handling, 22%
Safety Standards, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Patients, 7%
Cash Control, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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 Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs