Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
What it pays
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant earn a median of $17.00/hr — about $35,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.48/hr; the top 10% earn $22.17/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant earn a median of $17.00/hr — about $35,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.48/hr; the top 10% earn $22.17/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions.
- Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities.
- Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed.
- Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items.
- Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments.
- Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.1% of food servers, nonrestaurant are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on, people-focused and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Chefs and Head Cooks
- Food Preparation Workers
- Waiters and Waitresses
- Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other
- Cooks, Short Order
- Dishwashers
Quick questions
- How much does a food servers, nonrestaurant make?
- The median pay is $17.00 per hour — roughly $35,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.48/hr (10th percentile) to $22.17/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a food servers, nonrestaurant?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a food servers, nonrestaurant actually do all day?
- Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions. Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities. Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.