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Service worker vs food service worker

The differences between service workers and food service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a service worker has an average salary of $30,045, which is higher than the $28,753 average annual salary of a food service worker.

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

Service worker vs food service worker overview

Service WorkerFood Service Worker
Yearly salary$30,045$28,753
Hourly rate$14.44$13.82
Growth rate12%2%
Number of jobs103,584169,323
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%High School Diploma, 44%
Average age4337
Years of experience12-

What does a service worker do?

A service worker is responsible for assisting the community welfare development by providing social services to an organization or specific individual groups, supporting their needs, and addressing their community concerns. Service workers also offer counseling services to their clients to guide them on how they manage their life crises, developing community activities and job opportunities to help citizens with their financial needs by consulting local organizations. A service worker must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as deep engagement with the community to assess the client's situation properly.

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.

Service worker vs food service worker salary

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

Service WorkerFood Service Worker
Average salary$30,045$28,753
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $40,000Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityBeaverton, ORUrban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying stateAlaskaHawaii
Best paying companyMassachusetts General HospitalUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryGovernmentRetail

Differences between service worker and food service worker education

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

Service WorkerFood Service Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%High School Diploma, 44%
Most common majorPsychologyBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern California-

Service worker vs food service worker demographics

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

Service WorkerFood Service Worker
Average age4337
Gender ratioMale, 38.8% Female, 61.2%Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%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 Percentage11%6%

Differences between service worker and food service worker duties and responsibilities

Service worker example responsibilities.

  • Manage a caseload of over one hundr TANF cases.
  • Assist in managing inventory for student and staff culinary and scholastic supplies.
  • Receive specialized training on CPR, human rights and history of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
  • Implement HIPAA standards within the facility.
  • Copy patient medical records when request within HIPPA regulations.
  • Used scrubbers, mops, and seal and wax floors.
  • Show more

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
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Service worker vs food service worker skills

Common service worker skills
  • Customer Service, 20%
  • Cleanliness, 10%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Crisis Intervention, 5%
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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