How To Become A Bus Boy: What It Is and Career Path

What is a bus boy and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Busboys are employed in restaurants and catering companies to support other staff. They remove used dishes and utensils between meal courses. They clean and clear the table to prepare for the next diners. Oftentimes, they help the servers deliver food and assist with refills. Furthermore, they ensure clean dishes, flatware, glasses, straws, napkins, and other dining materials are available. Asides from that, they carry used tableware to the dishwasher to be cleaned and help maintain the restaurant's sanitation standards

To become a busboy, you need a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must have previous experience in a similar role. You must possess customer service, dexterity, attention to detail, teamwork, and communication skills. Also, you must be able to work evenings, weekends, or even holidays. Depending on the employer, busboys can earn as high as $82,000. They earn an average annual salary of $31,445 with a low of $12,000.

ScoreBus BoyUS Average

Salary

1.9

Avg. Salary $24,432

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.2

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.02%

Asian 7.13%

Black or African American 10.12%

Hispanic or Latino 19.52%

Unknown 5.20%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 4.97%

male 95.03%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.1

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a bus boy

Explore bus boy education requirements

Most common bus boy degrees

High School Diploma

46.6 %

Bachelor's

29.4 %

Associate

13.3 %

Start to develop specific bus boy skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	33.51%
Clean Tables	16.59%
Dishwashers	12.61%
Bus Tables	10.11%
Clean Linen	4.41%

Complete relevant bus boy training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New bus boys learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a bus boy based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real bus boy resumes.

Research bus boy duties and responsibilities

Record amount and types of special food items serve to patients.
Prepare and serve meals on a daily basis, noting any allergies or other dietary issues.
Work in a fast pace demanding environment providing assistance in the hospital cafeteria with food preparation for patients and visitors.
Be instrumental in a positive workplace environment with professional appearance and cleanliness, punctuality, and uplifting attitude towards personnel and staff

Prepare your bus boy resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your bus boy resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a bus boy resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Bus Boy Resume templates

Build a professional Bus Boy resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Bus Boy resume.

Apply for bus boy jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a bus boy job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do bus boys rate their job?