Soda fountain operator vs counter attendant

The differences between soda fountain operators 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 $30,611 average annual salary of a soda fountain operator.

The top three skills for a soda fountain operator include equipment temperatures, customer service and customer orders. The most important skills for a counter attendant are cash handling, cleanliness, and POS.

Soda fountain operator vs counter attendant overview

	Soda Fountain Operator	Counter Attendant
Yearly salary	$30,611	$32,748
Hourly rate	$14.72	$15.74
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	35,897	53,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	23	23
Years of experience	-	-

Soda fountain operator vs counter attendant salary

Soda fountain operators and counter attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Soda Fountain Operator	Counter Attendant
Average salary	$30,611	$32,748
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	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 soda fountain operator and counter attendant education

There are a few differences between a soda fountain operator and a counter attendant in terms of educational background:

	Soda Fountain Operator	Counter Attendant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Soda fountain operator vs counter attendant demographics

Here are the differences between soda fountain operators' and counter attendants' demographics:

	Soda Fountain Operator	Counter Attendant
Average age	23	23
Gender ratio	Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%	Male, 33.8% Female, 66.2%
Race ratio	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%	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	8%	8%

Differences between soda fountain operator and counter attendant duties and responsibilities

Soda fountain operator example responsibilities.

Used commercial culinary equipment including espresso machine, commercial ovens and bread slicers.
Prepare sandwiches, salads, wraps, smoothies, and other beverages.

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.

Soda fountain operator vs counter attendant skills

Common soda fountain operator skills

Equipment Temperatures, 84%
Customer Service, 7%
Customer Orders, 4%
Drive-Thru, 2%
Customer Satisfaction, 2%

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
Soda Fountain Operator
Soda Fountain Operator vs Counter Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

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