Restaurant associate vs food service worker

The differences between restaurant associates and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a restaurant associate has an average salary of $29,195, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

The top three skills for a restaurant associate include food service, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a food service worker are food handling, safety standards, and customer service.

Restaurant associate vs food service worker overview

	Restaurant Associate	Food Service Worker
Yearly salary	$29,195	$28,753
Hourly rate	$14.04	$13.82
Growth rate	14%	2%
Number of jobs	64,419	169,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a restaurant associate do?

A restaurant associate is responsible for ensuring that the guests receive the highest satisfaction for their dining experience. Restaurant associates entertain and greet guests, assist the dining staff in processing orders, respond to inquiries and concerns, and escalate complaints to the supervisor. They also help management in identifying opportunities that would attract customers by researching current industry trends to develop additional services for generating more revenues. A restaurant associate monitors the stock inventory, create purchase requests, and negotiate with trusted suppliers.

What does a food service worker do?

Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness. They may also be assigned to manage inventories, handle stocks and deliveries, and other activities related to the restaurant's successful operations. Foodservice workers must always be hygienic and maintain the sanitation of the area to ensure food safety.

Restaurant associate vs food service worker salary

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

	Restaurant Associate	Food Service Worker
Average salary	$29,195	$28,753
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	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 restaurant associate and food service worker education

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

	Restaurant Associate	Food Service Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Restaurant associate vs food service worker demographics

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

	Restaurant Associate	Food Service Worker
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 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	10%	6%

Differences between restaurant associate and food service worker 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.

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

Restaurant associate vs food service worker skills

Common restaurant associate skills

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

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
Restaurant Associate
Restaurant Associate vs Food Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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