Food and beverage serving and related workers held about 5.4 million jobs in 2018. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up food and beverage serving and related workers was distributed as follows:
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food | 3,704,200 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop | 480,200 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | 465,900 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | 425,600 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | 273,800 |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | 57,000 |
The largest employers of food and beverage serving and related workers were as follows:
| Restaurants and other eating places | 74% |
| Special food services | 5 |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 5 |
| Retail trade | 4 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 4 |
Food and beverage serving and related workers spend most of the time on their feet and often carry heavy trays of food, dishes, and glassware. During busy dining periods, they are under pressure to serve customers quickly and efficiently.
Injuries and Illnesses
Food preparation and serving areas in restaurants often have potential safety hazards, such as hot ovens and slippery floors. "Food preparation and serving related workers, all other," in particular, have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. ("All other" titles represent occupations with a wide range of characteristics that do not fit into any of the other detailed occupations.)
Common hazards include slips, cuts, and burns, but the injuries are seldom serious. To reduce these risks, workers often wear gloves, aprons, or nonslip shoes.
Work Schedules
Many food and beverage serving and related workers are employed part time. Because food service and drinking establishments typically have extended dining hours, early morning, late evening, weekend, and holidays work is common. Those who work in school cafeterias have more regular hours and may work only during the school year, usually 9 to 10 months.
In addition, business hours in restaurants allow for flexible schedules that appeal to many teenagers, who can gain work experience. Compared with all other occupations, a much larger proportion of food and beverage serving and related workers are 16 to 19 years old.
Most food and beverage service workers receive short-term on-the-job training. There are no formal educational requirements.
Most states require workers, such as nonrestaurant servers, who serve alcoholic beverages to be 18 years of age or older.
Education
There are no formal education requirements for becoming a food and beverage serving worker.
Training
Most workers learn through on-the-job training, usually lasting several weeks. Training includes basic customer service, kitchen safety, safe food-handling procedures, and good sanitation habits.
Some employers, particularly those in fast-food restaurants, teach new workers with the use of self-study programs, online programs, audiovisual presentations, or instructional booklets that explain food preparation and service procedures. However, most food and beverage serving and related workers learn duties by watching and working with more experienced workers.
Some full-service restaurants provide new dining room employees with classroom training sessions that alternate with periods of on-the-job work experience. The training communicates the operating philosophy of the restaurant, helps new employees establish a personal rapport with other staff, teaches employees formal serving techniques, and instills a desire in the staff to work as a team.
Some nonrestaurant servers and bartender helpers who work in establishments where alcohol is served may need training on state and local laws concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some states, counties, and cities mandate such training, which typically lasts a few hours and can be taken online or in-person.
Advancement
Advancement opportunities are limited to those who remain on the job for a long time. However, some dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers may advance to waiter, waitress, or bartender positions as they learn the basics of serving food or preparing drinks.
Food and beverage serving and related workers typically have an interest in the Building, Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Building interest area indicates a focus on working with tools and machines, and making or fixing practical things. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
If you are not sure whether you have a Building or Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as a food and beverage serving and related worker, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Food and beverage serving and related workers should also possess the following specific qualities:
Communication skills. Food and beverage serving and related workers must listen carefully to their customers’ orders and relay them correctly to the kitchen staff so that the orders are prepared to the customers’ request.
Customer-service skills. Food service establishments rely on good food and customer service to keep customers and succeed in a competitive industry. As a result, workers should be courteous and be able to attend to customers’ requests.
Physical stamina. Food and beverage serving and related workers spend most of their worktime standing, carrying heavy trays, cleaning work areas, and attending to customers’ needs.
The median hourly wage for food and beverage serving and related workers was $10.45 in May 2018. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.34, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $14.26.
Median hourly wages for food and beverage serving and related workers in May 2018 were as follows:
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | $11.47 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | 11.20 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop | 10.74 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | 10.71 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | 10.65 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food | 10.22 |
In May 2018, the median hourly wages for food and beverage serving and related workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Healthcare and social assistance | $11.42 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 11.38 |
| Retail trade | 11.26 |
| Special food services | 11.06 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 10.13 |
Although some workers in these occupations earn tips, most get their earnings from hourly wages alone. Many beginning or inexperienced workers earn the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour as of July 24, 2009), although many states set minimum wages higher than the federal minimum.
Tipped employees earn at least the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour, as of July 24, 2009), which may be paid as a combination of direct wages and tips, depending on the state. Direct wages may be as low as $2.13 per hour, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Also according to the FLSA , tipped employees are employees who regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor maintains a website listing minimum wages for tipped employees , by state, although some localities have enacted minimum wages higher than their state requires.
In some restaurants, workers may contribute all or a portion of their tips to a tip pool, which is distributed among qualifying workers. Tip pools allow workers who do not usually receive tips directly from customers, such as dining room attendants, to be part of a team and to share in the rewards for good service.
Employers may provide meals and uniforms, but may deduct the costs from the worker’s wages.
Many food and beverage serving and related workers are employed part time. Because of dining hours in food service and drinking establishments, early morning, late evening, weekend, and holidays work is common. Those who work in school cafeterias have more regular hours and may work only during the school year, usually 9 to 10 months.
In addition, business hours in restaurants allow for flexible schedules that appeal to many teenagers, who can gain work experience. Compared with all other occupations, a much larger proportion of food and beverage serving and related workers are 16 to 19 years old.
Overall employment of food and beverage serving and related workers is projected to grow 14 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth, however, will vary by occupation. (See table below for details.)
As a growing population continues to dine out, purchase take-out meals, or have food delivered, more restaurants, particularly fast-food and casual dining restaurants, are expected to open. In response, more food and beverage serving workers, including fast-food workers, will be required to serve customers.
In addition, nontraditional food service operations, such as those inside grocery stores and cafeterias in hospitals and residential care facilities, will serve more prepared meals. Because these workers are essential to the operation of a food-serving establishment, they will continue to be in demand.
Job Prospects
Job prospects for food and beverage serving and related workers will be excellent because many workers leave the occupation each year, resulting in a large number of job openings.
Workers with related work experience and excellent customer-service skills should have the best job prospects at higher paying restaurants. Still, those seeking positions at these establishments will face strong competition because the prospect of higher earnings attracts many applicants.