What is a restaurant worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a restaurant worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.12 an hour? That's $27,292 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 775,300 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreRestaurant WorkerUS Average
Salary
2.1

Avg. Salary $27,292

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 38.65%

male 61.35%

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

Restaurant Worker career paths

Key steps to become a restaurant worker

  1. Explore restaurant worker education requirements

    Most common restaurant worker degrees

    High School Diploma

    36.5 %

    Bachelor's

    30.8 %

    Associate

    17.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific restaurant worker skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Food Handling24.48%
    Cleanliness18.49%
    Customer Service14.59%
    POS10.89%
    Food Service7.26%
  3. Complete relevant restaurant worker training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New restaurant workers 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 restaurant worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real restaurant worker resumes.
  4. Research restaurant worker duties and responsibilities

    • Succeed in achieving the management goals of cleanliness, hospitality, accuracy, maintenance, product quality, and speed.
    • Cut lawn using hand, power, or riding mowers and trim edges around walks flower beds, and walls.
    • Work as waiter, cook, and delivery driver.
    • Work as prep-cook, saut cook, busboy and dishwasher.
  5. Prepare your restaurant worker resume

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

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Restaurant Worker Resume templates

    Build a professional Restaurant Worker 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 Restaurant Worker resume.
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
    Restaurant Worker Resume
  6. Apply for restaurant worker jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Restaurant Worker Job

Zippi

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Average restaurant worker salary

The average Restaurant Worker salary in the United States is $27,292 per year or $13 per hour. Restaurant worker salaries range between $21,000 and $34,000 per year.

Average Restaurant Worker Salary
$27,292 Yearly
$13.12 hourly

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Restaurant Worker reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

The customers that treat you with respect are friendly kind and leave with a smile on there faces


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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