Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
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.
Also known as: Banquet Houseperson, Banquet Set Up Person, Bar Attendant, Bar Back, Barback, Barmaid, Bartender Helper, Beverage Server, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths.
- Set tables with clean linens, condiments, or other supplies.
- Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
- Clean up spilled food or drink or broken dishes and remove empty bottles and trash.
- Perform serving, cleaning, or stocking duties in establishments, such as cafeterias or dining rooms, to facilitate customer service.
- Maintain adequate supplies of items, such as clean linens, silverware, glassware, dishes, or trays.
- Serve ice water, coffee, rolls, or butter to patrons.
- Fill beverage or ice dispensers.
- Stock cabinets or serving areas with condiments and refill condiment containers.
- Locate items requested by customers.
- Carry food, dishes, trays, or silverware from kitchens or supply departments to serving counters.
- 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.
- Carry trays from food counters to tables for cafeteria patrons.
- Run cash registers.
- Greet and seat customers.
- Replenish supplies of food or equipment at steam tables or service bars.
- Wash glasses or other serving equipment at bars.
- Garnish foods and position them on tables to make them visible and accessible.
- Carry linens to or from laundry areas.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.