SOC 35-9011.00Bright outlook

    Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers

    Facilitate food service.

    Median pay
    $33,980
    Growth
    +5.3%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    95,300
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

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    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $21,300
    Median
    $33,980
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $46,570
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    542,750 people work in this occupation.

    What dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    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.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    77 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    44 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    21 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    60 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    73
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    72
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    68
    Getting Information
    60
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    59
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    57
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    57
    Developing and Building Teams
    54
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    53
    Training and Teaching Others
    53
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Coordination
    • Service Orientation
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Monitoring
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Management of Personnel Resources

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Food Production
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Administration and Management
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Production and Processing
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology

    Abilities

    • Trunk Strength
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Stamina
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Information Ordering
    • Near Vision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity

    Work styles

    • Cooperation
    • Dependability
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Humility
    • Sincerity
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Banquet Houseperson · Banquet Set Up Person · Bar Attendant · Bar Back · Barback · Barmaid · Bartender Helper · Beverage Server · Breakfast Attendant · Breakfast Bar Attendant

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    2 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.