How long does it take to become a Food Runner?

It takes one year or less to become a food runner. That is the time it takes to learn specific food runner skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Food Runner: What It Is and Career Path

What is a food runner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A food runner works in a restaurant to assist servers by delivering food from the kitchen to the customer's table. They ensure that food goes to the right table, and they work with the kitchen staff and servers to ensure that orders are delivered quickly and accurately. Food runners also help to clear tables. This job requires communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

ScoreFood RunnerUS Average

Salary

2.0

Avg. Salary $25,536

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.0

Growth Rate 14%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 6.49%

Black or African American 9.64%

Hispanic or Latino 18.63%

Unknown 6.92%

White 57.47%

Gender

female 40.99%

male 59.01%

Age - 21

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 - 21

Stress Level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.9

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.7

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Food Runner?

Pros

Often receive tips from customers
Can be a fun and social job
Opportunities for advancement within the restaurant
Flexible scheduling
Often receive employee discounts on meals

Cons

Exposure to hot temperatures in the kitchen
High-stress environment with tight deadlines
Low base pay with tips often being the main source of income
Limited autonomy and reliance on management decisions
Late or irregular hours including weekend and holiday work

Key steps to become a food runner

Explore food runner education requirements

Most common food runner degrees

High School Diploma

37.7 %

Bachelor's

34.6 %

Associate

17.1 %

Start to develop specific food runner skills

Skills	Percentages
Cleanliness	20.20%
Wine	8.96%
Culinary	7.11%
Food Orders	6.38%
Fine Dining	5.41%

Complete relevant food runner training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New food runners 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 food runner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real food runner resumes.

Research food runner duties and responsibilities

Manage labor and design of numerous weddings, banquets, buffets, and the restaurant floor.
Manage event reservations and party requests, inform customers about upcoming events and specials.
Provide excellent customer service to guests by describing and suggesting culinary options
Greet customers and prepare drinks (tea, smoothies).

Prepare your food runner resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your food runner 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 food runner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Food Runner Resume templates

Build a professional Food Runner 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 Food Runner resume.

Apply for food runner jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a food runner 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 food runners rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Food Runner reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I like food, I believe that food is a comfort and food brings people together, and I like being apart of this.

Cons

Many restaurants are corporate or franchisees, and they dont really have good management, which leads to not hiring people on skill, but just to fill the space, which leads to high turn over rates for both FOH, BOH and management. There's no stability

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

nothing

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Cons

Disorganized and very little room to improve.

What is a food runner and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a Food Runner?

Food Runner career paths

Key steps to become a food runner

Explore food runner education requirements

Most common food runner degrees

Start to develop specific food runner skills

Complete relevant food runner training and internships

Research food runner duties and responsibilities

Prepare your food runner resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Food Runner Resume templates

Apply for food runner jobs

How Did You Land Your First Food Runner Job

Average food runner salary

How do food runners rate their job?

Food Runner reviews

Food Runner FAQs

How long does it take to become a Food Runner?

Search for food runner jobs

Food Runner jobs by state