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Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $33,980 Median per year · $16.34/hr Most earn $21,300–$46,570

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Run cash registers.
  • Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
  • Carry food, dishes, trays, or silverware from kitchens or supply departments to serving counters.
  • Fill beverage or ice dispensers.
  • Perform serving, cleaning, or stocking duties in establishments, such as cafeterias or dining rooms, to facilitate customer service.
  • Perform serving, cleaning, or stocking duties in establishments, such as cafeterias or dining rooms, to facilitate customer service.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth; Numerous Job Openings

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 95,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Full-service restaurants60.2%
  • Elementary and secondary schools5.3%
  • Special food services4.6%
  • Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)2.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: Up to 1 month

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: Up to 1 monthEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. Most people start with a high school diploma and learn the work on the job, usually within about a month. Many people start right after high school or while still in school.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school gives you the basic education most employers ask for, and part-time food or customer service jobs during this time can help you get started.

  2. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant

    Up to 1 month of training

    You clean tables, reset them, restock linens, silverware, and dishes, and bring food and drinks to customers. Most employers train you on the job, and this role is often the first step into food service.

Where it can lead

  1. Bartender

    6 months to 1 year of experience first

    Bartenders mix drinks and handle payments, so you need to learn drink recipes, safe alcohol service rules, and how to work the bar, which often means some on-the-job experience first.

  2. Restaurant Shift Supervisor

    1 to 3 years of experience first

    Supervisors schedule staff, train new workers, and keep the dining area running smoothly, so employers usually look for reliable work history and strong teamwork skills.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take a family and consumer sciences or food safety classThese classes teach kitchen cleanliness and food handling, which are the basics of working safely around food and dining areas.
  • Get a part-time job at a restaurant, cafeteria, or event venueEven a few hours a week show you how a dining room runs and give you real experience to list on future applications.
  • Volunteer at a community meal or church dinnerHelping set tables, serve food, and clean up teaches teamwork and gives you experience in a real service setting.
  • Join a business or hospitality-related student clubClubs that focus on leadership and customer service help you practice speaking with adults and working on a team.
  • Practice good customer service at home and schoolGreeting people politely, staying calm, and following directions are the everyday skills employers look for in this job.

In college

  • Get a food handler or food manager certificationMany towns and schools offer these courses, and having one on your resume shows employers you understand food safety.
  • Work at a campus dining hall or catering serviceA campus job teaches you how a large dining operation runs, from setting tables to restocking supplies, and it is often flexible around class schedules.
  • Take courses in hospitality, business, or nutritionThese classes build knowledge of how food service businesses operate and how to work with customers and staff.
  • Join a student organization that involves events or hospitalityHelping run campus events gives you experience with setup, service, and organizing a team under time pressure.
  • Volunteer at local events, festivals, or banquetsEvent work exposes you to different kinds of dining settings and helps you build a record of dependable service.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a manager what training they offer, and show that you are reliable by arriving on time and learning how each task is done.
  • Look into a food handler card or food safety course, which many towns and schools offer and which employers often like to see.
  • Pay attention to how experienced staff talk to customers, since friendly, calm service matters as much as the cleaning and setup work.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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