Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: $34K vs $44K Median Pay

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

Consider Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers if you want to facilitate food service. Consider First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers if you would rather directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food. Entry credentials differ: Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers, no formal educational credential; First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, high school diploma or equivalent. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

National median pay (2025): $33,980
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Run cash registers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 95,300

Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers brief

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

National median pay (2025): $44,080
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 171,500

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at $44,080, compared with $33,980 for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers.

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at 171,500 annual openings, compared with 95,300 annual openings for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers.

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers is at 5.4% projected growth, compared with 5.3% projected growth for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers.

58.8/ 100

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

64.5/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Dimension	Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Median pay (2025)	$33,980	$44,080
Pay percentile	1.1 percentile	16.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.3%	5.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	95,300	171,500
2025 employment	546,600	1,236,400
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers brief Read First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers brief

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

How the national numbers differ

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers has the edge on projected growth

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers vs First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

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