Careers / Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

Food Servers, Nonrestaurant — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$35,360

United States, 2025

Employment

293,900

United States, 2025

Typical education

High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.

O*NET code
35-3041.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • 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.
  • Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
  • Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$28,030
10th
$31,190
25th
$35,360
Median
$38,500
75th
$46,120
90th

10th percentile

$28,030

25th percentile

$31,190

75th percentile

$38,500

90th percentile

$46,120

Most important skills

  • Active Listening3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Service Orientation3.0
  • Coordination2.9
  • Critical Thinking2.9
  • Time Management2.9
  • Social Perceptiveness2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
  • Monitoring2.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.8
  • Management of Personnel Resources2.3
  • Quality Control Analysis2.1

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 3 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

3

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Speaking3.02.5Not selected2.5
Active Listening3.02.4Not selected2.4
Service Orientation3.02.1Not selected2.1

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Kahului, HI$62,9602002025
San Jose, CA$46,2101,9602025
Hanford, CA$45,030502025
San Francisco, CA$44,7104,1602025
Napa, CA$41,8502402025
Burlington, VT$41,0903102025
Seattle, WA$40,6404,8002025
Ithaca, NY$40,2401202025
Santa Rosa, CA$40,1805202025
Denver, CO$39,8504,5702025
Lawton, OK$39,720502025
Anchorage, AK$39,5502502025
NY$39,37017,5202025
New York, NY$39,12019,4502025
CA$39,01032,4302025
Goldsboro, NC$38,980502025
Boulder, CO$38,9306502025
Vallejo, CA$38,9103002025
CO$38,9007,7502025
WA$38,8708,0502025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Food Servers, Nonrestaurant to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.