Food Counter Attendants
Serve food to customers at a counter.
Quick Facts
View All Career Information
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Wages & Outlook
Typical Wages
Data not available
Employment
Where do Food Counter Attendants most often work?
Current Demand
No data available.
Future Demand
No data available.
On the Job
Food Counter Attendants serve food to diners at a counter or from a steam table. They may work in cafeterias, concession stands, or coffee shops. They do not serve customers at tables (see Waiters and Waitresses).
Physical Demands 
This career requires time standing, walking, or running.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Communicate dining or order details to kitchen personnel.
- Cook foods.
- Cut cooked or raw foods.
- Package food or supplies.
- Prepare hot or cold beverages.
- Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies.
- Store supplies or goods in kitchens or storage areas.
- Clean food service areas.
- Clean tableware.
- Remove trash.
Typical Working Conditions
- Frequent contact with others.
- Standing.
- Working with a group or team.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Exposure to sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Education & Credentials
Educational Requirements
High School or less
Education level attained (national data)
Education Level Attained (national data)| Education Level Attained | Percentage of workers in this occupation |
|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 19.5 |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 40 |
| Some college, no degree | 22.7 |
| Associate degree | 6.6 |
| Bachelors degree | 9.7 |
| Masters degree | 1.1 |
| Doctoral (Ph.D) or professional degree | 0.3 |
Work Experience and Training Requirements
Nationally, this career typically requires:
- No related work experience for entry.
- Short-term on-the-job training to become competent.
Transfer Options
Enrolling in a community college can be a great place to start your four-year degree. While all 31 Minnesota State community colleges,
technical colleges and universities offer all or part of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
(a 40-credit package of general education courses accepted for transfer to other state colleges and universities, the University of Minnesota,
and some private colleges and universities), not all two-year colleges offer degrees intended to transfer to a four-year bachelor's degree.
If you plan to transfer to obtain a four-year bachelor's degree, it is important to know which degree path is right for you:
- Associate of Arts (AA) degrees offered at community colleges are designed to transfer into liberal arts four-year majors.
- Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees offered at community and technical colleges transfer into specific four-year majors and will likely require completing additional general education courses at a university.
- Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees offered at technical and community colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.
- Diplomas and certificates offered at technical colleges are not designed to transfer. They lead to immediate entry into the workplace.
Talk to a transfer specialist as early as possible to determine the best associate degree for your goals. Be sure to review your Degree Audit Report (DARS) each semester to best prepare for transfer. Get more help understanding transfer using the tools below.
Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:
- Accounting
- Business Management
- Culinary Arts
- Economics
- Foods and Nutrition
- Health and Wellness
- Marketing
- Public Speaking
- Sociology
- Team Sports
- World Geography
- World Language
In Minnesota, your school may have developed a Program of Study in this career area.
A Program of Study is an academic and career plan developed by your high school to help move you towards a career
and college path. A Program of Study can help you:
- Select high school classes that prepare you for college and getting a job
- Understand how the classes you're taking in high school lead to a career
- Identify extra-curricular activities that are related to your career interest
- See what classes at your school offer early college credit that will save you time and money towards your college expenses
- Graduate from high school prepared for your next step toward the career you choose
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Skills & Knowledge
Most Important Skills for Food Counter Attendants
- Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Managing Time—Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Solving Complex Problems—Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Most Important Knowledge Areas for Food Counter Attendants
- Food Production—Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
- Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
- English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Production and Processing—Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Personnel and Human Resources—Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:
- Realistic—Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
- Social—Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Learn more about your interests. Take the MnCareers Interest Assessment.
Describe Your Skills
People who have worked in this career typically perform the following tasks.
These statements can help a prospective employer understand what you can do, on a resume or during an interview.
- Collecting information from different sources.
- Guiding, directing, and motivating people that work under you.
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to find or fix problems.
- Creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships.
- Developing and building teams.
- Working directly with the public.
- Identifying information by categorizing, comparing, or detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Selling or influencing people.
Careers that Use Similar Skills
The following careers use skills, knowledge, and abilities that are similar to those used for Food Counter Attendants.
View more careers in the Hospitality and Tourism cluster
View more careers in the Restaurants and Food and Beverage Services pathway
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
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Jobs
Real-time job data provided by Gartner TalentNeuron
Job Title Examples
Cafeteria Worker,
Deli Clerk (Delicatessen Clerk),
Food Service Worker,
Car Hop,
Deli Manager (Delicatessen Manager),
Dietary Aide,
Drive Thru Order Taker,
Drive Thru Window Order Taker,
Food Service Assistant,
Front Line Worker,
Line Server,
Prep Cook (Preparation Cook),
School Cafeteria Cook,
Server
Where Do Food Counter Attendants Work?
Food Counter Attendants often work in the following industries.
Similar Careers
Below are careers that use skill sets that are similar to Food Counter Attendants.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
