Preparator vs food service worker

The differences between preparators and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a preparator has an average salary of $47,473, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

The top three skills for a preparator include exhibition design, hand tools and AV. The most important skills for a food service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Preparator vs food service worker overview

	Preparator	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$47,473	$28,753
Hourly rate	$22.82	$13.82
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	738	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

Preparator vs food service worker salary

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

	Preparator	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$47,473	$28,753
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $100,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Schaeffler	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between preparator and food service worker education

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

	Preparator	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Fine Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Preparator vs food service worker demographics

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

	Preparator	Food Service Worker
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 75.5% Female, 24.5%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 26.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 50.6% 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 preparator and food service worker duties and responsibilities

Preparator example responsibilities.

Manage visual resource center, including acquisition, cataloging, budget management and other relevant issues.
Assist in the creation and installation of MFA solo show
Respond to all health and safety emergencies in the chemistry teaching labs.
Assist in maintaining cleanliness of the several chemistry laboratories.
Perform inventory, descriptive cataloging, and photography of archaeological and ethnographic object collections and preparation for display in digital environment.
Develop the design of the online exhibit by coding in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

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

Preparator vs food service worker skills

Common preparator skills

Exhibition Design, 21%
Hand Tools, 14%
AV, 10%
Museum Exhibits, 7%
Artifact, 6%
Museum Standards, 6%

Common food service worker skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Preparator
Preparator vs Food Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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