Restaurant associate vs counter attendant

The differences between restaurant associates and counter attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a counter attendant has an average salary of $32,748, which is higher than the $29,195 average annual salary of a restaurant associate.

The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a counter attendant are cash handling, cleanliness, and POS.

Restaurant associate vs counter attendant overview

	Restaurant Associate	Counter Attendant
Yearly salary	$29,195	$32,748
Hourly rate	$14.04	$15.74
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	64,419	53,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	37	23
Years of experience	-	-

Restaurant associate vs counter attendant salary

Restaurant associates and counter attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Restaurant Associate	Counter Attendant
Average salary	$29,195	$32,748
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $21,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Minot, ND
Highest paying state	-	New Hampshire
Best paying company	-	Osage Casino
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between restaurant associate and counter attendant education

There are a few differences between a restaurant associate and a counter attendant in terms of educational background:

	Restaurant Associate	Counter Attendant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Restaurant associate vs counter attendant demographics

Here are the differences between restaurant associates' and counter attendants' demographics:

	Restaurant Associate	Counter Attendant
Average age	37	23
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 33.8% Female, 66.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	10%	8%

Differences between restaurant associate and counter attendant duties and responsibilities

Restaurant associate example responsibilities.

Manage staff by teaching them the correct procedures along with making sure they are working up to Marriott standards.
Uphold professional image, including restaurant cleanliness and appearance standards.
Develop ability to communicate to a variety of personalities of guests and employees while serving culinary indulgences
Review and evaluate HACCP documents, create corrective action documentation for HACCP errors.
Cut and chop food items and cook on a grill or in fryers.

Counter attendant example responsibilities.

Handle cash and credit transactions at bar and out on golf course using POS system operations.
Take restaurant guests orders on the POS system and serve the guests orders with a friendly smile.
Instill a strong sense of cleanliness and an attention to detail in all forms of service and or safety procedures.
Perform routine inspections to monitor cleanliness of establishment.
Replace or attach bar code labels on every ammunition containers for identification and location.
Have freshly brew Starbucks coffee, ice coffee and ice tea ready at all times.

Restaurant associate vs counter attendant skills

Common restaurant associate skills

Food Service, 43%
Customer Service, 18%
Customer Orders, 17%
Food Handling, 10%
Cleanliness, 5%
Customer Complaints, 3%

Common counter attendant skills

Cash Handling, 18%
Cleanliness, 11%
POS, 10%
Math, 7%
Customer Orders, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Restaurant Associate
Restaurant Associate vs Counter Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

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