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 called: Barback · Buffet Attendant · Bus Boy · Bus Person · Busser · Dining Room Attendant
Median pay (national)
$32,670
$22,260–$46,380 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
522,010
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+6.3%
~99,600 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $46,380 versus $22,260 at the bottom 10% — 2.1x. The median of $32,670 leaves roughly 42% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +6.3% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 99,600 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Hawaii pays the most for this role (median $47,190, +44% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $20,670 — a 128% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Serve ice water, coffee, rolls, or butter to patrons.
- Clean up spilled food or drink or broken dishes and remove empty bottles and trash.
- Carry trays from food counters to tables for cafeteria patrons.
- Clean and polish counters, shelves, walls, furniture, or equipment in food service areas or other areas of restaurants and mop or vacuum floors.
- Run cash registers.
- Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
- Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths.
- Set tables with clean linens, condiments, or other supplies.
- Greet and seat customers.
- Maintain adequate supplies of items, such as clean linens, silverware, glassware, dishes, or trays.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Windows
- Cafe Cartel Systems
- Plexis Software Plexis POS
- RestaurantPlus PRO
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Food Production
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Public Safety and Security
- Production and Processing