Prep person vs food prep/dishwasher

The differences between prep people and food prep/dishwashers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a prep person has an average salary of $33,901, which is higher than the $29,964 average annual salary of a food prep/dishwasher.

The top three skills for a prep person include cleanliness, food products and dishwashers. The most important skills for a food prep/dishwasher are food preparation equipment, work ethic, and wash dishes.

Prep person vs food prep/dishwasher overview

	Prep Person	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Yearly salary	$33,901	$29,964
Hourly rate	$16.30	$14.41
Growth rate	16%	2%
Number of jobs	165,758	113,200
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 58%
Average age	38	37
Years of experience	4	-

Prep person vs food prep/dishwasher salary

Prep people and food prep/dishwashers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Person	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Average salary	$33,901	$29,964
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $57,000	Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	24 Carrots Catering and Events	University of Wisconsin System
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between prep person and food prep/dishwasher education

There are a few differences between a prep person and a food prep/dishwasher in terms of educational background:

	Prep Person	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 58%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Prep person vs food prep/dishwasher demographics

Here are the differences between prep people' and food prep/dishwashers' demographics:

	Prep Person	Food Prep/Dishwasher
Average age	38	37
Gender ratio	Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5%	Male, 79.9% Female, 20.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between prep person and food prep/dishwasher duties and responsibilities

Prep person example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Receive and put away all food orders utilizing FIFO.
Prepare and produce food using large-volume cooking equipment such as grills and deep-fat fryers.
Help with waste control and FIFO.
Promote from dishwasher to prep person with the lead over dishwashers
Cook foods by baking, roasting, frying, sauteing and grilling.

Food prep/dishwasher example responsibilities.

Prep food items and refrigerate appropriately, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, wash all dishes associate with the daily operations
Operate industrial dishwasher ensuring sanitation of all dishes.
Operate dishwasher keep kitchen clean organize and sanitize.
Take proper care of ranges, ovens, broilers, fryers, griddles, utensils and other equipment.
Gain knowledge of how to use kitchen tools such as blenders, fryers, coffee maker, and food processor.
Make smoothies, clean up after every smoothie, clean whole store, prep fruits and juices

Prep person vs food prep/dishwasher skills

Common prep person skills

Cleanliness, 59%
Food Products, 30%
Dishwashers, 5%
Food Handling, 4%
Customer Service, 1%
Kitchen Equipment, 0%

Common food prep/dishwasher skills

Food Preparation Equipment, 17%
Work Ethic, 17%
Wash Dishes, 14%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Service, 9%
Dishwashers, 8%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Prep Person
Prep Person vs Food Prep/Dishwasher

Updated January 8, 2025

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