Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
Hospitality and TourismO*NET 35-9011.00United States
Facilitate food service. Clean tables; remove dirty dishes; replace soiled table linens; set tables; replenish supply of clean linens, silverware, glassware, and dishes; supply service bar with food; and serve items such as water, condiments, and coffee to patrons.
- Median annual earnings
- $33,868
- Projected change
- +9.4%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 548.81K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
96.4% of the workforce
Growing to 600.17K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths.
- Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
- Serve ice water, coffee, rolls, or butter to patrons.
- Run cash registers.
- Set tables with clean linens, condiments, or other supplies.
- Greet and seat customers.
- Clean up spilled food or drink or broken dishes and remove empty bottles and trash.
- Maintain adequate supplies of items, such as clean linens, silverware, glassware, dishes, or trays.
- Fill beverage or ice dispensers.
- Locate items requested by customers.
- Perform serving, cleaning, or stocking duties in establishments, such as cafeterias or dining rooms, to facilitate customer service.
- Carry food, dishes, trays, or silverware from kitchens or supply departments to serving counters.
- Carry trays from food counters to tables for cafeteria patrons.
- Stock cabinets or serving areas with condiments and refill condiment containers.
- Serve food to customers when waiters or waitresses need assistance.
- Clean and polish counters, shelves, walls, furniture, or equipment in food service areas or other areas of restaurants and mop or vacuum floors.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $21,180
- 25th percentile
- $28,208
- 50th percentile
- $33,868
- 75th percentile
- $37,229
- 90th percentile
- $46,873
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $33,868 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9.4%faster than average
2025548,808 jobs
2035 projected600,173 jobs
51,365 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 96.4%
- Certificate
- 2.5%
- Associate degree
- 1.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Food Service Workers24,872 postings
- 02Bussers13,927 postings
- 03Breakfast Attendants6,817 postings
- 04Food Service Workers/Cashiers4,242 postings
- 05Food Service Assistants3,311 postings
- 06Banquet Captains2,240 postings
- 07Catering Attendants2,015 postings
- 08Food Service Utilities1,918 postings
- 09Bussers/Food Runners1,507 postings
- 10Food and Beverage Attendants1,491 postings
- 11Restaurant Bussers1,344 postings
- 12Dietary Aides1,334 postings
- 13Dining Room Attendants1,131 postings
- 14Team Members1,125 postings
- 15Food Service Aides1,112 postings
- 16Food Service Assistant Managers1,059 postings
- 17Cafeteria Workers1,054 postings
- 18Food Service Lead Workers998 postings
- 19Hotel Breakfast Bar Attendants944 postings
- 20Server Assistants/Bussers880 postings
Top employers
- 01Compass Group7,540 postings
- 02Aramark6,071 postings
- 03Sodexo4,547 postings
- 04Marriott International2,261 postings
- 05Chili's Grill & Bar1,718 postings
- 06Hilton1,544 postings
- 07Morrison Healthcare1,507 postings
- 08Target1,275 postings
- 09Chartwells K121,171 postings
- 10Babson College1,071 postings
- 11First Watch797 postings
- 12Whitsons Culinary Group758 postings
- 13Hyatt659 postings
- 14Elior Group643 postings
- 15Healthcare Services Group637 postings
- 16Costco631 postings
- 17Taher610 postings
- 18Kwik Trip604 postings
- 19The USA Exchange600 postings
- 20CEC Entertainment589 postings
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