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Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers Salary in Des Moines, IA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers in Des Moines, IA have a median annual salary of $27,730, with 790 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $17,020 at the 10th percentile to $35,000 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$27,730

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$13.33

Employment

790

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$17,020
10th
$19,830
25th
$27,730
Median
$31,150
75th
$35,000
90th

Local compared with national

Des Moines, IA

$27,730

Median annual · 2025

United States

$33,980

Median annual · 2025

The Des Moines, IA median is 18.4% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $6,250).

Top skills

  1. 1.Active ListeningImportance 3.0
  2. 2.CoordinationImportance 3.0
  3. 3.Service OrientationImportance 3.0
  4. 4.SpeakingImportance 2.9
  5. 5.MonitoringImportance 2.9
  6. 6.Social PerceptivenessImportance 2.9
  7. 7.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 2.9
  8. 8.Critical ThinkingImportance 2.8
  9. 9.Reading ComprehensionImportance 2.4
  10. 10.Time ManagementImportance 2.3
  11. 11.Management of Personnel ResourcesImportance 2.3
  12. 12.Active LearningImportance 2.1

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
Job zone
2

Technology used

  • Cafe Cartel Systems
  • Facebook
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Plexis Software Plexis POS
  • RestaurantPlus PRO

Common tasks

  • Carry linens to or from laundry areas.
  • Carry trays from food counters to tables for cafeteria patrons.
  • Run cash registers.
  • Serve ice water, coffee, rolls, or butter to patrons.
  • Scrape and stack dirty dishes and carry dishes and other tableware to kitchens for cleaning.
  • Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths.
  • Set tables with clean linens, condiments, or other supplies.
  • Greet and seat customers.
  • Clean up spilled food or drink or broken dishes and remove empty bottles and trash.
  • Maintain adequate supplies of items, such as clean linens, silverware, glassware, dishes, or trays.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers salary in other locations

Other occupations in Des Moines, IA