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Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (United States side O*NET-SOC 35-9011.00) are the execution and assistance position in the catering front of house: assisting with catering service, cleaning tables, removing dirty tableware, changing soiled linen and setting tables; replenishing clean linen, silverware, glassware and plates and maintaining the supply of condiments and drinks and ice; replenishing food at the service bar and providing customers with ice water, coffee and condiments; greeting and seating guests, carrying food and tableware and trays from the kitchen or supply department to the service counter and assisting servers with serving when necessary; carrying trays to tables for cafeteria customers and operating the cash register to assist with settlement; cleaning up spilled food or drink and broken tableware and emptying bottles and rubbish, cleaning and polishing counters, shelves, walls, furniture and equipment and mopping or vacuuming; washing bar glasses and service equipment, replenishing food and equipment at the steam table or service bar and transporting linen to and from the laundry; preparing flavourings for mixed drinks, slicing and pitting fruit for garnish, storing wine or bottled beer in refrigeration equipment or changing empty kegs, and preparing food such as sandwiches for customers. The outputs are a service area with table setting and restocking completed to standard, order-based serving and clearing, clean tabletops and floors, and inventory and shortage and breakage and handover records. United States scope: in the May 2025 wage data for this occupation the median annual wage is 33,980 USD (median hourly 16.34 USD), with annual percentiles of 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD (hourly percentiles 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39); the O*NET summary page gives 2024 employment of about 527,400 people, growth of 5% to 6% over 2024—2034 (faster than average) and about 99,600 projected job openings, with the main industry being accommodation and food services; the preparation level is Job Zone 1-2 (SVP below 6.0), usually requiring high school graduation or equivalent (74%), with on-the-job training from a few days to a year; the interest code is RCS; the work context includes continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous contact with others 80%, continuous use of hands 80%, being indoors in a controlled environment 67% every day, face-to-face discussion 69% every day, very close physical proximity 53%, and wearing common protective equipment 57% every day. Mainland China scope: there is no uniform mandatory occupational qualification for this occupation, and work contacting ready-to-eat food requires a health certificate under the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services, an annual health examination, a daily morning check and passing food safety training and assessment; the National Occupational Skill Standard for Restaurant Servers (2020 edition) is an optional skill level credential and addresses restaurant servers, being related to but not entirely equivalent to the front-of-house assistance level on this page. Public statistics have not published occupational-level wages corresponding to this occupation, and this page retains the gap as it stands.
Decision center: the work of dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers is to turn front-of-house steps such as turning tables, serving, restocking and clearing into a service chain that customers can see, colleagues can pick up and the shift can hand over cleanly — first greeting and seating guests to standard, then setting tables and replenishing tableware and condiments, then serving food and drinks and clearing dirty dishes, and finally cleaning tables and the area and reporting shortages, breakages and anomalies to the duty supervisor. The focus of judgment is not whether you can carry a plate, but whether every step along the chain of preparation — service — clearing — restocking — handover is clean, timely and verifiable, so that servers, the kitchen, the cashier and the duty supervisor can all carry on.
Worth trying first: you can stand and walk for long periods without falling behind, are willing to work in the standard order (set the table first, clear before restocking, guests before yourself) rather than rushing, can hold the line on hygiene and safety at peak times, are willing to communicate repeatedly with customers, colleagues and suppliers while staying polite; you can accept shift work and weekend and holiday work, and can accept working to the team's rhythm rather than your own.
The work objects include tables, tableware and linen, bar supplies, the food running and clearing routes, cleaning and cashier equipment; the core outputs are a usable service area, timely replenishment and catering assistance. This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules. In China, hygiene is verified against the actual ready-to-eat task and area, and health and mask requirements are not applied uniformly by the Chinese job title.
This table compares dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers with six adjacent positions that are easily confused within the same catering service content or have a job rotation or transfer relationship, row by row across core work and outputs, key differences and basis for choice. The purpose of the comparison is not to rank them but to explain their respective duty boundaries and scopes of authorization — in particular, order taking and order responsibility, drink recipes, dish preparation and outlet management authority cannot be borne by an assistance position.
The comparison should rest on three things: first, the work object (the front-of-house service setting and customer flow, menus and orders, drinks and recipes, dish preparation and serving, operations and scheduling); second, the basis and authorization (the respective application of the institution's service process and standard table setting diagram, order taking and settlement standards, drink management standards, recipes and food safety specifications, and management and cost systems); third, outputs and responsibility (who is responsible for orders and table service, who is responsible for recipes and output, who is responsible for outlet operations). Where the three are inconsistent, the actual duties of the position and the institution's authorization documents should prevail.
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
Insufficient evidence: no mainland China national occupational wage distribution corresponding precisely to 35-9011.00 was obtained in this round; a single industry table is not used to assert that all public material stops at industry level. The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings.
This page does not rewrite the accommodation and catering industry average wage, recruitment platform quotes, daily or hourly quotes, tips or performance pay into the median, percentiles, starting salary or monthly wage of this occupation.
United States statistical scope: O*NET-SOC 35-9011.00 is the precise occupational scope (exact). The May 2025 median wage is 33,980 USD/year (16.34 USD/hour).
Wage percentiles are statistical positions, not grade labels for novice, experienced or management levels; within the same occupation there are large differences by institution, region and working hours.
Observable signal one: you can work in the standard order at busy times (set the table first, clear before restocking, guests before yourself) rather than skipping steps to rush.
Observable signal two: you are willing to treat cleaning and hygiene requirements as hard standards, including hand washing and disinfection, work clothes and hat, and the use of cleaning agents.
Observable signal three: you can stay polite and patient when customers hurry you or complain, confirming the need first and then following the process.
Food and personal hygiene risk in Chinese catering settings: positions that actually contact ready-to-eat food do not meet the corresponding health management conditions, or ignore the clothes and hat and hand hygiene requirements of the applicable area; the specific application is verified against the specifications and the task, and the ILO and NIST do not stand in for food regulations.
Physical safety risk: wet and slippery floors, carrying trays, lifting and equipment use cause slips, burns or cuts.
The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item. The editor verifies the actual position duties, shifts, health and hygiene and employer conditions; there is no representative recruitment sample in this round, and the typical classification does not stand in for a job posting.
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
Annual average openings include growth, occupational change and labour force exit needs and are explained separately from the net increase. United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
Before service, set tables and restock to standard, greet and seat guests, serve food and drinks according to orders and assist servers, promptly remove dirty tableware and clean tabletops and floors, replenish drinks, ice and condiments, assist with cashier settlement, and register shortages and breakages before handover.
This occupation is the front-of-house assistance and execution level: responsible for table setting, assistance with serving food and drinks, clearing, cleaning, restocking and cashier assistance; servers take orders and provide table service and are responsible for orders; bartenders are responsible for drink recipes and mixing; cooks are responsible for dish preparation and serving. The authorization and outputs differ and they cannot be exchanged by name.
AI and information systems can assist with scheduling, inventory and order information and equipment dispatch, but cannot replace on-site judgment, personal hygiene and food safety responsibility and customer communication; this page has no evidence on adoption rates or substitution timelines for this occupation.
Requires caution: if you cannot tolerate standing and walking for long periods, cannot accept repeating the same cleaning and table setting movements for a whole shift, become emotional easily when customers hurry you or complain, or are unwilling to follow the hard requirements of food safety and personal hygiene (health certificate, daily morning check, hand washing and disinfection, wearing work clothes and hat), then the actual work experience usually does not match expectations.
Low-risk verification: use the fictional table list and menu provided on this page to complete a paper exercise in setting a table to standard, serving food and drinks according to the order, and recording two shortages with a handover paragraph; this only verifies whether you are willing to check item by item according to procedure and hand over truthfully. The exercise uses fictional material, does not involve real customers or food, does not involve kitchen preparation or drink mixing, makes no service promise, and does not equal completed training or occupational qualification.
Decision center: whether table setting, serving, clearing, restocking and clearing away between a customer sitting down and leaving can be organised into a service chain that servers, the kitchen and the cashier can carry on and the duty supervisor can review.
The work is mainly in a controlled indoor environment with extensive contact with people: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous contact with others 80%, continuous use of hands 80%; teamwork extremely important 71%, dealing with external customers or the public extremely important 61%; indoors in a controlled environment 67% every day, face-to-face discussion 69% every day; very close physical proximity 53%, wearing common protective equipment 57% every day, facing unpleasant, angry or rude customers once a week or more 54%; decision freedom is some 42%, and freedom to determine tasks and priorities is limited 45%. Workplaces are restaurants, cafeterias, banquet and buffet areas, hotel food and beverage departments and coffee shops, and the pace is determined by dining peaks, table turnover speed and shift arrangements.
Similar names do not mean the same duties: this page is O*NET-SOC 35-9011.00 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers. Adjacent positions have different duties — servers take orders and provide table service and are responsible for orders, bartenders are responsible for drink recipes and mixing, cooks and kitchen helpers are responsible for preparing dishes and serving them, and food service managers are responsible for operations and staff and cost management. This occupation sits in front-of-house assistance and execution: setting tables, assisting with serving food and drinks, clearing, cleaning, restocking and assisting with the cashier. The specific authorization is governed by the institution's rules, the job description and local regulations, is not inferred from the job title, and drink recipes must not be decided independently nor service results promised externally.
Inputs that must be verified: the standard table setting diagram and tableware counts for each shift, the current menu and orders, how allergen and dietary restriction information is conveyed (confirmed by order-taking staff as required by the institution; this occupation does not replace that confirmation), the use and storage requirements of cleaning products and disinfectants, the inventory and shortage list, and the cashier and settlement process. What must not be done: do not change dish or drink recipes on your own, do not promise dish content or waiting times to customers on behalf of order-taking staff, do not omit hand washing and disinfection and work clothes and hat requirements, do not use cleaning agents of unknown origin or mix disinfectants, do not use customer information for purposes other than service, and do not operate the cashier or refunds without authorization.
Fit judgments should be made in combination with whether you can stand and walk for long periods, whether you can keep movements accurate and hygiene standards at peak times, whether you can turn spoken instructions into accurate records, whether you can stay restrained when customers hurry you or complain, and whether your own boundaries of responsibility are clear; they should not be replaced by a self-assessment of having done housework or liking good food; all of these need to be confirmed in a supervised real position and probation period.
All exercises on this page use fictional material; real food preparation, drink mixing, food sample retention and disinfection operations must be carried out by trained and authorized personnel according to institutional rules and requirements such as the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services; work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food requires obtaining a health certificate first and passing the daily morning check. Individuals must not carry out food preparation on their own or make external service promises, and this page does not constitute food safety, compliance or legal advice.
Judgment one: whether preparation is in place to standard — whether tables and chairs are arranged according to the standard setting diagram, whether tableware, glassware, linen and condiments are sufficient, clean and undamaged, and whether shortages are made up before service begins.
Judgment two: whether serving food and drinks is timely and matches the order — whether the pass and food running route are smooth, whether trays and tableware are delivered to match the order, and whether drinks and ice are replenished, avoiding wrong and missed deliveries.
Judgment three: whether clearing and cleaning keep up with table turnover — whether dirty tableware is removed promptly, whether tabletops and chairs are wiped clean, and whether spills and breakages are cleaned up immediately with safety warnings.
Editorial observation: verify hand hygiene, clothes and hat or mask, cleaning agents and aisle safety according to the applicable position requirements; what must be recorded follows the unit category, regulations and procedures, and not every action in every shift is documented. Chapters 14.3—14.5 distinguish hygiene by area and task: hair must be covered by a work hat in food handling areas; clean masks are worn in dedicated rooms and for the expressly listed dedicated operations, and are advisable for other corresponding ready-to-eat operations, so it is not written that all front-of-house staff must wear masks. Hand washing and disinfection follow whether the task involves ready-to-eat food and contact with waste, money, mobile phones and similar specific situations; gloves do not replace hand washing. Chapter 10 requires food-contact tableware to be disinfected after washing and before use, with equipment and agents according to the applicable instructions; Chapter 8.2 requires avoiding dust in the presence of customers. Work clothes must be changed promptly when contaminated, and daily changing is advisable for ready-to-eat positions; these suggestions are not written uniformly as mandatory.
Judgment five: whether inventory and restocking can be verified — whether the stock of linen, tableware, condiments, drinks and ice is counted by shift, and whether shortages and breakages are registered and reported to the duty supervisor.
Judgment six: whether handover and collaboration are clear — whether the handover states what has been done, what has not and what is to be confirmed (such as a table not set, an item out of stock, or an equipment anomaly), so that the next shift can carry on.
O*NET work context survey: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous use of hands 80%, continuous contact with others 80%; face-to-face 69% every day, controlled indoor environment 67%, common PPE57%; close physical proximity or touching 53%, teamwork extremely important 71%, public service extremely important 61%. Contact with angry or rude people is 14% every day, 54% weekly but not daily and 19% monthly; 54% is not written as weekly or more. Weekly hours are exactly 40 for 71% and under 40 for 23%; 55% regular, 30% irregular and 15% seasonal. The survey percentages are not all employer requirements, personal health thresholds or accident rates.
The work of dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers can be divided into three linked but independent work areas. The first is preparation and table setting: arranging tables and chairs and tableware to standard, replenishing linen, glassware and condiments, checking cleaning and equipment condition, and verifying the current menu and buffet layout. The second is table service and clearing: greeting and seating guests, serving food and drinks according to orders and assisting servers, promptly removing dirty tableware and clearing tabletops, maintaining the supply of drinks, ice and condiments, and assisting with cashier settlement. The third is cleaning, restocking and handover: cleaning and polishing counters and equipment and mopping and vacuuming, washing bar glasses and service equipment, counting and replenishing inventory, transporting linen, and registering shortages and breakages and handing over anomalies and unfinished items to the next shift. All three work areas proceed under the institution's service processes and food safety requirements, with the pace determined by dining peaks and table turnover speed.
Preparation and table setting
Check tables and chairs and set them to standard → replenish linen, tableware and glassware → place condiments and check cleanliness → verify the current menu and the buffet and drink equipment → make up shortages before service begins
Set tables and replenished tableware and condiments, and a pre-service shortage and equipment check record
Table service and clearing
Greet and seat guests → serve food and drinks according to orders and assist servers → promptly remove dirty tableware and wipe tabletops → replenish drinks, ice and condiments → clean up spills and breakages with safety warnings → assist with cashier settlement
Timely serving and clearing, clean tabletops and floors, and cashier assistance records
Cleaning, restocking and handover
Clean and polish counters and equipment and mop and vacuum → wash bar glasses and service equipment → count and replenish linen, tableware, condiments and drinks → transport linen to and from the laundry → register shortages and breakages and hand over unfinished items
Where are the boundaries between dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers and servers, bartenders, cooks and kitchen helpers, and food service managers?
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules. Servers' core work is taking orders and table service; bartenders mix and serve drinks; cooks prepare dishes and managers plan, direct and coordinate catering operations, and overlapping tasks do not mean mutual recognition of qualifications.
Make every stage of service from a customer sitting down to leaving timely, clean and handover-ready: tables usable, serving in place, clearing keeping up and shortages replenished by someone.
Core purposes of adjacent positions: servers complete order taking and table service and are responsible for orders; bartenders complete drink mixing; cooks and kitchen helpers complete dish preparation and serving; food service managers ensure the outlet runs and costs stay under control.
Main objects and basis
The objects are tables, tableware, linen and condiments, the current menu and orders, guest dining flow and the buffet and drink equipment; the basis is the institution's standard table setting diagram and service process, food safety and personal hygiene requirements (health certificate, daily morning check, hand washing and disinfection, work clothes and hat) and the duty supervisor's instructions.
Objects and basis of adjacent positions: menus and orders (order taking and table service process); drink recipes and inventory (drink management standards); dish technique and serving rhythm (recipes and hygiene specifications); operating indicators and scheduling (management and cost systems).
Clear tables and dishes, set tables and restock, supply drinks and condiments, assist with service; actual tasks may also include cash register operation and drink ingredients and so on.
Processes of adjacent positions: taking orders and table service and settlement (servers); preparing ingredients and mixing and output (bartenders); preparing ingredients and producing and serving (kitchen); scheduling and cost and quality and compliance (managers).
A service area with table setting and restocking completed, order-based serving and clearing, clean tabletops and floors, inventory and shortage and breakage records, and handover records.
Outputs of adjacent positions: order and service records; mixed drinks; conforming dishes; operating reports and schedules and inspection records.
This occupation bears execution and assistance responsibility within the front-of-house service process, and whether actions are timely, clean and handover-ready is the responsibility of the individual and the shift lead; food safety and personal hygiene requirements are implemented jointly by the institution and the individual.
Responsibilities of adjacent positions: order accuracy and table service rest with servers; drink recipes and output rest with bartenders; dish preparation and serving rest with the kitchen; operating and compliance responsibility rests with managers.
Collaboration and supervision
Collaborate with servers, food runners, the cashier, the kitchen, the storeroom and the duty supervisor, adjusting priorities according to shift instructions and table turnover rhythm; report anomalies and matters beyond authority immediately.
Collaboration of adjacent positions: servers connect front and back of house; bartenders connect the bar with the storeroom; the kitchen connects with the pass; managers connect all positions with suppliers.
Boundaries of the conclusion
Verify receipts and refunds, order taking, menu and drink authority against the actual position and local rules; an occupational title cannot be used to exclude tasks already listed by O*NET as core or supplemental.
The boundaries of adjacent positions are determined by institutional rules and regulations respectively; similar job titles do not mean the duties are interchangeable.
Which judgments are easiest to get wrong in this job, and how should they be verified?
Common errors fall into four categories: omissions and miscounts in table setting and restocking; serving food and drinks that do not match the order or go to the wrong table; clearing and cleaning that cannot keep up with table turnover and leave trip hazards; and missing hygiene, inventory and handover records. The verification method is that each item has a basis that can be reviewed: the standard table setting diagram and tableware list, the order number and table number, cleaning and disinfection records, and the inventory count and handover sheet, rather than memory or verbal understanding.
Is table setting and restocking checked item by item against the standard diagram and list, rather than set from impressions?
Is serving food and drinks checked against the table number and order content, avoiding wrong and missed deliveries?
Are clearing and cleaning done in the order of clear before restock and guests before yourself, and done promptly?
Are hand washing and disinfection, work clothes and hat, and the use of cleaning agents carried out to standard?
The editor verifies the specific hygiene procedures. The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. Chapters 14.3—14.5 distinguish hygiene by area and task: hair must be covered by a work hat in food handling areas; clean masks are worn in dedicated rooms and for the expressly listed dedicated operations, and are advisable for other corresponding ready-to-eat operations, so it is not written that all front-of-house staff must wear masks. Hand washing and disinfection follow whether the task involves ready-to-eat food and contact with waste, money, mobile phones and similar specific situations; gloves do not replace hand washing. Chapter 10 requires food-contact tableware to be disinfected after washing and before use, with equipment and agents according to the applicable instructions; Chapter 8.2 requires avoiding dust in the presence of customers. Work clothes must be changed promptly when contaminated, and daily changing is advisable for ready-to-eat positions; these suggestions are not written uniformly as mandatory.
Are inventory, shortages and breakages counted and registered by shift?
Count linen, tableware, condiments, drinks and ice by shift according to institutional rules, register shortages and breakages and report them to the duty supervisor and make them up; the count results match the handover sheet, making it easier for the next shift to keep replenishing.
When a customer hurries you or complains, is the situation handled by soothing and confirming the need first, then following the process, and involving the supervisor when necessary?
Common inputs: the current menu and orders, the standard table setting diagram and tableware list, linen, condiment and drink inventory, cleaning and disinfection supplies, and the duty supervisor's shift instructions and customer needs.
Core outputs: a service area with table setting and restocking completed to standard, order-based serving and clearing, clean tabletops and floors, and inventory, shortage, breakage and handover records.
Typical process: pre-service preparation and table setting — greeting and seating guests — serving food and drinks according to orders and assisting servers — timely clearing and cleaning — replenishing inventory and clearing the area — registering shortages and handing over unfinished items.
Common collaboration partners: servers and food runners, the cashier, the kitchen and the pass, the storeroom and purchasing, cleaning and equipment maintenance, the duty supervisor and customers.
Common tools and objects: trays, tableware and glassware, linen and cleaning supplies and disinfectants, drinks and ice dispensers, buffet counters and holding equipment, and the POS cash register and ordering system.
Boundaries of responsibility: this occupation bears front-of-house execution and assistance responsibility; do not change dish or drink recipes on your own, do not promise service results on behalf of order-taking staff, do not operate the cashier or refunds without authorization, and report anomalies and matters beyond authority immediately.
Mainly in a controlled indoor environment with extensive contact with people: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous use of hands 80%, continuous contact with others 80%; face-to-face discussion 69% every day and very close physical proximity 53%; wearing common protective equipment 57% every day.
Restaurants, cafeterias, banquet and buffet areas, hotel food and beverage departments, coffee shops and fast food outlets; including front of house, food running routes, buffet counters, the bar and the washing and storeroom areas.
Tableware, glassware and trays, linen and tablecloths, condiments and drinks and ice, cleaning supplies and disinfectants, holding and refrigeration equipment, and the POS cash register and ordering system.
Divided by shift and area: pre-service preparation, table service, clearing and cleaning, restocking and storeroom, and cashier assistance; dispatched on site by the shift lead or duty supervisor.
O*NET work context survey: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous use of hands 80%, continuous contact with others 80%; face-to-face 69% every day, controlled indoor environment 67%, common PPE57%; close physical proximity or touching 53%, teamwork extremely important 71%, public service extremely important 61%. Contact with angry or rude people is 14% every day, 54% weekly but not daily and 19% monthly; 54% is not written as weekly or more. Weekly hours are exactly 40 for 71% and under 40 for 23%; 55% regular, 30% irregular and 15% seasonal. The survey percentages are not all employer requirements, personal health thresholds or accident rates. The BLS combined profile also gives a background of morning and evening, weekend and holiday, part-time and seasonal arrangements, and it is not asserted that all positions in this occupation share the same lunch or evening shift.
Work closely with servers, food runners, the cashier, the kitchen, the storeroom and the duty supervisor, connecting front and back of house through brief and clear on-site communication.
The editor suggests that the supervisor verifies the pre-service check, anomalies and handover; statutory records are verified according to the unit category and items in Chapter 15, and it is not claimed that every action must be legally documented. Chapter 7.9 food sample retention applies to specified situations such as canteens in schools, kindergartens, aged care and medical institutions, central kitchens, collective distribution, construction site canteens with more than 100 people, and catering for gatherings or major events with more than 100 people, and retention is advisable under the conditions for other providers; a designated person manages the records, and this is not imposed on all front-of-house helpers. Chapter 15 records are established according to the unit category and applicable items, and it is not written that every table wipe or every person's sample retention is a uniform legal requirement. Electronic records are advisable and do not prove that generative AI has been adopted.
Quality looks at whether tables are usable and hygiene meets the standard, whether serving matches the order, whether clearing is timely and aisles are safe, whether inventory and records can be verified, and whether the handover is clear.
O*NET structured fields
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation. The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item.
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee. The current BLS combined OOH includes details for this occupation, and the combined total and industry hourly wages are not applied to this occupation.
The main O*NET2025 industry is accommodation and food services at 83%, an occupational employment industry share rather than pay or an employer survey. Job titles such as barback and busser are examples and do not mean all restaurants have the same authority.
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. The target assessment institution's current application conditions, fees and subsidies, and whether positions require the certificate, were not verified item by item; the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year.
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules.
The basis for choice can follow three clues: if you want to face customers directly and complete table setting, serving and clearing to standard, this occupation is the closest; if you want to take orders and provide table service and be responsible for orders, you can take the server path; if you prefer drink mixing or dish preparation, bartender and restaurant cook are more suitable; if you prefer outlet operations and staff and cost management, food service manager is another path. What needs to be built up when transferring is knowledge of the objects and the scope of authorization, not just proficiency in the movements.
Boundaries and sources: the differences listed in this table are based on the O*NET occupational profiles and work context data, and the requirements of the mainland China National Occupational Skill Standard for Restaurant Servers (2020 edition) and the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services on practitioner health management, personal hygiene and washing and disinfection. The qualification and authorization requirements of adjacent positions cannot substitute for one another; this page does not infer income levels or hiring conditions from job titles, nor does it read assistance duties as order taking, recipe or management authority.
Waiters and waitresses (35-3031.00)
Greet customers, introduce and take orders, serve food and drinks, provide table service and settle bills, and be responsible for order accuracy and the customer experience.
The responsibility differs: servers are responsible for order taking and order accuracy and table service, while this occupation assists with serving food and drinks and clearing and does not confirm dish content or waiting times on behalf of order-taking staff.
If you want to lead communication with customers and be responsible for orders, you can take the server path; if you want to start with execution steps such as table setting, clearing and restocking, this occupation is closer.
Bartenders (35-3011.00)
Mix alcoholic and other drinks according to recipes, manage bar inventory and equipment, verify drinking age and serve to standard.
The objects and authorization differ: bartenders are responsible for drink recipes and output and carry compliance responsibility such as verifying drinking age; this occupation only assists with washing bar glasses and replenishing bar supplies and does not take part in recipe decisions or the output of alcoholic drinks.
If you prefer bar output and drink knowledge, you can take the bartender path and verify the local age and licensing requirements for alcohol service; if you prefer front-of-house service, cleaning and restocking, this occupation is more suitable.
Restaurant cooks (35-2014.00)
The focus differs: cooks are responsible for dish technique, taste and serving times; this occupation is responsible for front-of-house table setting, assistance with serving food and drinks, clearing, cleaning and restocking, and does not take on dish preparation or recipe decisions.
If you prefer kitchen production and output, you can choose the restaurant cook direction; if you would rather work in the front of house and on the customer flow, this occupation is more suitable. The two need close handover at the serving and food running steps.
Food preparation workers (35-2021.00)
The setting and tasks differ: food preparation workers complete productive operations such as washing, cutting and portioning in the back of house; this occupation faces customers in the front of house and takes on greeting, serving food and drinks, clearing, cleaning, restocking and cashier assistance.
If you prefer operational work in the back of house, you can start in a food preparation position; if you want to build customer service and on-site collaboration experience, this occupation is closer.
Fast food and counter workers (35-3023.00)
The task combination differs: fast food and counter positions combine order taking and cashier with serving and cleaning in one front-line role; this occupation focuses more on table service, table setting, clearing and restocking and often works in a division of labour with servers and food runners.
If you prefer fast-paced front-line work with combined duties, you can choose the fast food and counter direction; if you prefer completing table assistance, cleaning and restocking to standard, this occupation is more suitable.
Dishwashers (35-9021.00)
The scope differs: dishwashers are concentrated in the washing area completing cleaning, disinfection and upkeep; apart from assisting with washing bar glasses, this occupation mainly completes table setting, serving, clearing, cleaning, restocking and handover in the front of house.
If you want to start with washing and back-of-house steps and learn food safety requirements, you can begin with a dishwasher position; if you want to face customers and the front-of-house flow, this occupation is more suitable.
Comparison with adjacent positions: six directions that are easily confused
The six rows below compare this occupation with adjacent positions item by item across core work and outputs, key differences and basis for choice. The comparison follows the actual duties of the position and institutional authorization and is not inferred from the job title, nor does it read assistance duties as order taking, recipe or management authority.
Conclusion: the irreplaceable part of this occupation lies in putting the front-of-house service process into verifiable actions such as table setting, assistance with serving food and drinks, clearing, cleaning, restocking and handover; positions with similar names or settings differ in objects, authorization and outputs, and these three points should be verified first when comparing across positions.
Comparison basis: the O*NET occupational profiles and work context data, and the requirements of the mainland China National Occupational Skill Standard for Restaurant Servers (2020 edition) and the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services on health management, personal hygiene and washing and disinfection; source links are used according to their respective scope of application.
If you want to compare this occupation with adjacent positions further, first write one sentence for each of the three columns objects — basis and authorization — outputs and responsibility, and then check whether this table is consistent.
Editorial adoption check questions: do equipment and system compatibility, data reliability, privacy, customer experience, cost and operator training meet the actual purpose? No representative adoption survey was obtained in this round, so these are not proven adoption determinants.
Conditional scenario: if a permitted system genuinely provides validated scheduling or inventory reminders, auxiliary uses can be studied; the functions and effects of individual products were not verified in this round. Responsibility for handling actual table turnover, shortages and customer needs still follows the unit's division of labour, and ordinary automation is not equated with generative AI.
POS is a listed software example, but no error reduction magnitude for this occupation was obtained; verify the actual system and the staff's order confirmation, allergen communication and cashier authority.
Editorial risk judgment: on-site customer communication, complaints and emergencies require verification of the actual division of handling responsibility; it was not verified that all situations must be handled by people or that none can be automated, and a model draft cannot authorize refunds or food operations.
The Chinese Personal Information Protection Law requires handling customer and employee data on a lawful basis, with a clear and reasonable purpose, minimum necessity, notification and security responsibility; sensitive information such as health data additionally requires verification of sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable separate consent or impact assessment, with other statutory bases verified separately. An institutionally approved account does not automatically permit uploading to external AI; de-identification is not anonymisation. Whether an order is personal information depends on identifiability, and lawful processing for purposes other than business is not prohibited across the board.
Organisations should clarify responsibility, anomaly reporting and applicable records according to the actual jurisdiction and position; it was not verified that all responsibility rests only with the supervisor, and a risk framework does not replace food regulations or unit procedures.
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules.
Boundaries of AI and information systems in front-of-house service
The editor may test auxiliary functions such as text organization, but no deployment effect or substitution conclusion for this occupation was obtained; the actual process, hygiene and service authority are verified separately. No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
The following sources are used only to explain the statistical scope of the tasks and work context and this occupation, and do not provide automation rates, substitution probability or timelines for this occupation.
O*NET occupational profile (tasks and work context)
Applies only to the task and context descriptions for United States 35-9011.00 and does not map to Chinese positions.
BLS employment projection and typical training for this occupation
Applies only to the listed occupations, regions and periods and does not provide automation or substitution conclusions.
NIST AI risk management framework
The voluntary NIST AI RMF1.0 governance framework is used to limit purposes and require review and does not set Chinese food work or personnel authority.
Does not provide adoption rates, substitution probability or timelines for this occupation.
Main employment industries for this occupation on O*NET
In 2025 accommodation and food services accounts for 83% of employment in this occupation; an industry share does not indicate AI adoption or personal income.
The employment structure is not a guarantee of individual hiring or income.
O*NET recruitment technology keywords
Among all unique job postings associated with this occupation on O*NET2025, Excel1%; the rest are Not available rather than 0, and there is no conclusion on generative AI adoption.
The keyword denominator is all unique job postings for this occupation, not software users or postings that contain technology; missing is not 0, and generative AI adoption is not proven.
Will AI replace front-of-house service positions?
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
Editorial trial suggestion: start from fictional restocking and handover text and check whether the tool supports the task; real scheduling optimization, equipment dispatch or time-saving functions were not verified.
What cannot be automatically authorized?
Judgments on food safety and personal hygiene, cashier and refund authority, and handling of customer complaints and emergencies.
Who is responsible for errors in tool output?
Can AI directly decide wages or scheduling?
Wages and scheduling should be verified on a lawful basis and against the real employment arrangements, and authorization cannot be derived automatically from an AI draft; automated decisions with a significant impact on individual rights require separate verification of the applicable law, and auxiliary calculation is not prohibited across the board.
How should customer and employee data be protected?
The Chinese Personal Information Protection Law requires handling customer and employee data on a lawful basis, with a clear and reasonable purpose, minimum necessity, notification and security responsibility; sensitive information such as health data additionally requires verification of sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable separate consent or impact assessment, with other statutory bases verified separately. An institutionally approved account does not automatically permit uploading to external AI; de-identification is not anonymisation. Whether an order is personal information depends on identifiability, and lawful processing for purposes other than business is not prohibited across the board.
How can you verify whether a tool is actually useful?
Editorial trial suggestion: within the permitted scope, record the timeliness, errors and inventory differences of comparable shifts as an initial screening, and verify confounding factors such as customer flow, tasks, shifts and staffing changes. A simple before-and-after change cannot by itself prove that AI caused the effect, and no food safety effect is signed off; actual review follows the applicable procedures.
Used only within the O*NET 35-9011.00 task and work context scope.
Official recruitment technology keywords
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
International Labour Organization task exposure study
ILO2025 study, not an actors' union; the precise mapping and score for this occupation were not verified in this round, and adoption, layoffs or a substitution date are not inferred.
Official occupational detailed profile
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules. O*NET work context survey: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous use of hands 80%, continuous contact with others 80%; face-to-face 69% every day, controlled indoor environment 67%, common PPE57%; close physical proximity or touching 53%, teamwork extremely important 71%, public service extremely important 61%. Contact with angry or rude people is 14% every day, 54% weekly but not daily and 19% monthly; 54% is not written as weekly or more. Weekly hours are exactly 40 for 71% and under 40 for 23%; 55% regular, 30% irregular and 15% seasonal. The survey percentages are not all employer requirements, personal health thresholds or accident rates.
Occupational certification enquiry entry point
The enquiry entry point does not stand in for the target state's alcohol age or licensing, employer training or Chinese hygiene requirements; all states were not verified in this round.
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee. The employment projection is covered separately in BLS Table 1.2, and the wage page does not provide an employment projection at the same time.
Used only within the original AI risk management scope and does not constitute a list of compliance requirements.
Can assist in generating table setting and restocking lists
Quantities and hygiene standards are verified by people against the standard diagram.
Serve food and drinks and assist servers
Can assist with food running order and table number verification
Order accuracy and the customer experience are the responsibility of servers and the shift lead.
Remove dirty tableware and clean tabletops and floors
Washing equipment supports task execution; no time-saving or safety effect or generative AI application evidence for this occupation was obtained.
Cleaning standards, aisle safety and spill handling are judged on site by people.
Personal hygiene, hand washing and disinfection, and work clothes and hat
Food safety managers perform the pre-shift health check according to the applicable specifications; whether a system can assist with records depends on the real functions and procedures, and the management responsibility cannot be used to derive an absolute ban on assistance, nor can a system record replace the actual check.
Assist with settlement, change and invoicing
POS is listed as an occupational software example; no error reduction effect for this occupation was verified, and it is not treated as evidence of generative AI adoption.
Cashier and refund authority and exception handling are decided by institutional rules and the supervisor.
Count and replenish linen, tableware and condiments
Can assist with inventory reminders and shortage registration
Count results and restocking decisions are confirmed by people and the supervisor.
Register shortages and breakages and hand over unfinished items
Can assist in generating a handover sheet draft
Handover content and the division of responsibility are confirmed and documented by the shift lead.
Organization of scheduling, inventory and order information
Service delivery, hygiene and safety and customer communication
Machine washing and POS assistance are verified separately for function and actual effect, and are not proof of generative AI effects.
Standard execution, exception handling and authorization judgment
Organization of scheduling, attendance and sales data
Minimum necessary personal information handling and documentation
Verify the shift arrangement, standard table setting diagram, menu and inventory.
Use system and equipment assistance only within the scope approved by the institution.
Exceptions and key steps are reviewed by the shift lead or supervisor.
Register and report shortages, breakages and equipment anomalies.
Food safety and service responsibility are documented by the institution and the responsible person.
Errors in scheduling and working hours data
Lead to understaffing or excessive working hours.
The shift lead verifies scheduling and working hours and keeps records.
Inventory and order information out of step
Rely on on-site counting and order verification and register differences.
Cleaning and disinfection processes simplified
Verify cleaning and disinfection and applicable records according to Chapters 10 and 15 and the specific unit procedures; food sample retention follows the designated scenarios and designated person management in Chapter 7.9, and not all helpers are required to retain samples.
Leakage of customer and employee personal information
Creates privacy and compliance risk.
The Chinese Personal Information Protection Law requires handling customer and employee data on a lawful basis, with a clear and reasonable purpose, minimum necessity, notification and security responsibility; sensitive information such as health data additionally requires verification of sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable separate consent or impact assessment, with other statutory bases verified separately. An institutionally approved account does not automatically permit uploading to external AI; de-identification is not anonymisation. Whether an order is personal information depends on identifiability, and lawful processing for purposes other than business is not prohibited across the board.
Over-reliance on systems and neglect of the site
Reduces service quality and responsiveness.
Keep manual patrols and customer feedback channels.
First become proficient in standard table setting, cleaning and safety processes, then learn system operation.
Bring system prompts into the existing verification and handover process.
Set permissions, scope of application and exception handling processes first.
Make service and food safety requirements public and accept supervision.
When comparing real positions, city and commercial district, restaurant or canteen type, shifts and working hours, whether meals and accommodation are included, social insurance and statutory leave, performance and tip distribution methods, and the pretax and post-tax scope must also be verified.
A data gap only means the current sources cannot safely answer precise wages, not that the market has no quotes; when deciding, keep the job description, pay structure, working hours and source dates.
The editor verifies whether the real contract's basic wage, allowances, performance pay and tip or service charge distribution apply, and whether meals and accommodation are a benefit or a charge or deduction; no representative Chinese recruitment sample was collected, so no claim is made that a particular pay combination is general.
Mainland China salary scope
When citing public figures, the city, institution type, position duties, shifts, whether tips or commission are included, the statistical measure and the source date must all be stated.
Insufficient evidence: no national single-occupation wage scope obtained.
The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings.
The main factors affecting pay are the city and commercial district, restaurant type, shifts and working hours, whether tips or commission are included, and whether meals and accommodation are provided.
There is no Chinese causal evidence on AI and wages for this occupation; system or equipment assistance suggestions cannot imply a pay rise or hiring.
This page does not provide recruitment quotes or personal income promises; missing items remain missing and are not replaced with an industry average or an adjacent occupation.
A wage disclosed on an hourly basis cannot be used to derive a stable annual or monthly income directly without the individual's working hours and scheduling arrangements.
Employment scale, projected change and annual average openings answer different questions and cannot be combined into an individual hiring probability.
An industry wage table only explains the coverage of this occupation in a specific industry and statistical period and cannot represent all employers and all regions.
BLS and O*NET serve different purposes: O*NET provides task and work context profiles, and OEWS provides wage statistics; their scopes are retained separately when citing.
United States salary reference
May 2025 wage data (OEWS)
Median 33,980 USD/year (16.34 USD/hour), with annual percentiles of 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD.
How to interpret these figures
Percentiles are positions in the distribution: about 10% of people are below 21,300 USD/year and about 10% are above 46,570 USD/year; this is not a starting salary or a ceiling promise.
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
Industry and employment
O*NET2025 accommodation and food services accounts for 83% of employment in this occupation, which is not an industry wage. United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item.
Work settings include restaurants, canteens, banquets and buffets, hotel food and beverage departments and coffee shops; scheduling and tip arrangements differ considerably between settings.
BLS Table 1.2 gives self-employment in this occupation in 2025 as 0.1%; the employment projection and OEWS employed wages cover different things, and self-employed net income is not compared directly with wages.
Factors affecting wages
City and commercial district, institution type, shifts and working hours, whether tips and commission are included, and experience and attendance records all affect actual income.
This page uses only the precise occupational scope and the data for the listed periods; a proxy scope is not written as precise fact for this occupation.
When comparing opportunities, keep region, period, occupational code and working hours scope consistent, and verify shifts, benefits and tip arrangements.
Employment outlook
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee. United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation. The BLS combined profile explicitly includes this occupation, but its combined total and industry hourly wages are not applied to this occupation.
Observable signal four: you can stand and walk for long periods and still keep movements accurate after the peak ends.
Trainable capabilities include standard table setting and clearing processes, food safety and personal hygiene standards, the use of cleaning and disinfection supplies, and POS cashier and inventory and handover records.
The workload includes continuous standing, walking and hand use, close physical proximity, facing hurry and complaints, and shift work and weekend and holiday work.
Reverse signals include disliking repetitive cleaning and table setting work, tending to conflict with customers or colleagues under pressure, being unwilling to follow hygiene standards, or expecting to move quickly into management and decision-making positions.
Verification method: first do the paper exercises on this page (table setting, serving and shortage records), then seek a supervised internship or part-time position and observe your own tolerance of standing, hygiene requirements and customer communication.
Official interest code RCS; not used for personality diagnosis or hiring.
O*NET interest R77/C60/S44/E21/A0/I0, with RCS retained; these are occupational interest dimension scores, not practitioner population proportions, ability or an individual hiring threshold.
Interests only suggest exploration directions; actual fit is verified through a supervised real position and probation feedback.
What kind of person is this job suited to?
Suited to people who can stand and walk for long periods, are willing to repeat standard processes and hold the line on hygiene and safety, and can stay polite and patient with customers and colleagues.
Interest and personality tests provide exploration clues only; standing tolerance, shift adaptation and operational accuracy are verified under real conditions and feedback, and a test or paper work does not determine physical capability, position qualification or hiring. The O*NET work style scores of cooperation 71, dependability 69, social orientation 49, attention to detail 43, self control 36 and stress tolerance 34 are Impact scores, not Big Five, IQ or EQ scales or population proportions.
Verification action: use the fictional table list and menu on this page to complete one table setting, serving and shortage record exercise, and observe your own tolerance of continuous standing and dealing with customers in a supervised position.
Can you stay meticulous and patient when facing repeated table setting and cleaning?
Verify through actual observation and mentoring feedback in a supervised position.
Interest assessments only suggest exploration directions and are not a personality diagnosis or hiring conclusion.
Can you stand and walk for long periods while keeping movements accurate?
Observe continuous standing and movement stability at peak times in a supervised position.
Observation preferences
Would you rather face customers, or prepare and clean in the back of house?
Compare front-of-house and back-of-house preferences through position experience.
Observation preferences
Preference descriptions are not conclusions about ability.
Motivation observation
Can you accept shift work and weekend and holiday work?
Verify against actual scheduling experience and your own routine.
Motivation observation
Not used as a basis for hiring.
When a shortage or a spill occurs, can you handle it according to the process first and then report it?
Observe the handling order and reporting method in a simulated setting.
Not used for ability scoring.
Collaboration boundaries
Can you hand over clearly with servers, the kitchen and the cashier?
Verify through handover records and team feedback.
Preparation and table setting
Can you verify item by item against the standard diagram and list
Attend to tableware quantities and hygiene standards.
Table service and clearing
Can you serve food and drinks accurately according to the order and table number
Do not promise dish content and waiting times on behalf of order-taking staff.
Servers: orders and table service
Editorial task comparison: verify menu communication, order taking and full table service responsibility
The original link target is the server role, not an independent cleaning position.
Bartenders: recipes and drink service
Editorial task comparison: verify drink mixing and supply and the actual alcohol service rules
Bar restocking experience is transferable, but does not automatically meet the target jurisdiction's qualification.
Restaurant cooks: cooking and output
Editorial task comparison: verify ingredient preparation, seasoning and cooking and equipment and serving rhythm
The target is a cook rather than a cashier, and existing handover experience does not replace cooking capability.
Food service managers: organization and operations
Editorial task comparison: verify staff, cost, quality and operational coordination
The target is a manager rather than long-term physical tolerance; a fixed promotion duration or hiring was not verified.
Can you remember standard table settings and common menus and table number arrangements?
Can you accept on-site feedback from the mentor and supervisor and improve immediately?
When facing customer complaints or negative reviews, can you stay restrained and handle them according to the process?
Are you interested in front-of-house catering service itself?
Interest is a starting point; what is more reliable is experiencing one complete peak shift in a supervised position.
Is a lot of communication with strangers required?
Yes: dealing with external customers or the public is extremely important at 61%, and continuous contact with others is 80%; the content of communication is mainly service and collaboration.
Are there requirements about dress and appearance?
Chinese specifications generally require clean work clothes, hair not left loose, and hygienic nails and no nail jewellery; food handling areas also require a work hat covering all hair. The health certificate applies to tasks involving contact with ready-to-eat food, and the pre-shift health check each day is performed by the food safety manager; not all front-of-house positions are made subject to the same clothes and hat or certificate conditions.
Can you accept shift work and weekend and holiday work?
Front-of-house catering commonly has lunch and dinner peaks, shift work, and weekend and holiday work; scheduling and working hours follow institutional rules and local regulations.
Where should someone with no background start practising?
Start with basic steps such as standard table setting and clearing and cleaning and hand washing and disinfection, then learn order verification, inventory counting and handover records; practise in a supervised position or formal training and do not skip hygiene and safety requirements.
Should I do a personality assessment first?
It can be a starting point for self-understanding, but do not use it to decide whether to enter the field; a more reliable way is to complete the paper exercises on this page and experience one complete peak shift.
How to verify the next step?
Complete the paper exercises on this page and seek one supervised part-time or internship experience, recording your genuine feelings about standing, hygiene requirements and customer communication.
The tasks and work context of O*NET 35-9011.00: used to explain the on-site requirements and physical load of this occupation.
This source is the national wage statistics presented by O*NET; the employment projection must be checked separately in BLS Table 1.2, and the wage page does not prove tasks or qualifications.
Institutional job descriptions and scheduling rules: used to explain shifts, working hours and duty boundaries.
Interest assessment tool: only suggests exploration directions and is not a personality diagnosis or hiring basis.
The adjacent server profile is used to compare order taking and table service tasks and is not evidence of authority in all jurisdictions or of direct transfer.
The actual link is the food service manager profile, used to compare organizational coordination and management tasks, not the original bartender or cook tasks.
The catering food specifications support health and hygiene requirements by task and area; Chinese uniform conditions are not inferred from this position's United States profile.
Editorial compilation: used for the exercises and boundary design on this page and does not constitute external fact or qualification evidence.
Pay and working hours risk: paid by the hour but shifts cancelled at short notice, unclear overtime and working hours records, or opaque tip and commission distribution.
Authorization and process risk: operating the cashier and refunds without authorization, giving discounts or promises beyond authority, or altering orders and accounts.
Customer and information risk: customer personal information and in-store surveillance or customer photographs being handled or circulated improperly.
Handling customer complaints and negative reviews: soothe and confirm the need first, handle according to the process, and involve the supervisor when necessary, avoiding arguing with customers or promising compensation without authorization.
Risks and control points for dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
First identify five categories of risk: food and personal hygiene, physical safety, pay and working hours, authorization and process, and customers and information.
O*NET work context survey: continuous walking or running 88%, continuous standing 84%, continuous use of hands 80%, continuous contact with others 80%; face-to-face 69% every day, controlled indoor environment 67%, common PPE57%; close physical proximity or touching 53%, teamwork extremely important 71%, public service extremely important 61%. Contact with angry or rude people is 14% every day, 54% weekly but not daily and 19% monthly; 54% is not written as weekly or more. Weekly hours are exactly 40 for 71% and under 40 for 23%; 55% regular, 30% irregular and 15% seasonal. The survey percentages are not all employer requirements, personal health thresholds or accident rates. The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. Chapter 7.9 food sample retention applies to specified situations such as canteens in schools, kindergartens, aged care and medical institutions, central kitchens, collective distribution, construction site canteens with more than 100 people, and catering for gatherings or major events with more than 100 people, and retention is advisable under the conditions for other providers; a designated person manages the records, and this is not imposed on all front-of-house helpers. Chapter 15 records are established according to the unit category and applicable items, and it is not written that every table wipe or every person's sample retention is a uniform legal requirement. Electronic records are advisable and do not prove that generative AI has been adopted.
This page cannot replace institutional safety and service systems, food safety regulations or local employment rules.
Use of customer and employee information and images
Front-of-house service, cashier and shift lead
Using customer information, surveillance footage or customer photographs for purposes other than service or circulating them externally.
Creates privacy and compliance risk and damages customer trust.
Front-of-house service, food running and lifting
Wet and slippery floors, carrying trays, lifting and equipment use causing slips, burns or cuts.
Causes personal injury and lost work time and affects continuity of service.
Positions paid by the hour or by shift
The editor verifies shift cancellation, actual working hours and wage and tip rules, and does not draw labour remuneration legal conclusions from food specifications; local working hours, minimum wage and tip systems were not verified in this round.
Affects actual income and working hours compliance.
Cashier assistance and order-taking support positions
Operating the cashier and refunds without authorization, giving discounts or making promises beyond authority, or altering orders and accounts.
Causes account errors and liability risk.
Front of house, cashier and storeroom
Editorial risk scenario: identifiable customer or employee data provided to external tools without a lawful basis or beyond the purpose; inventory commercial information and personal information are identified separately. The Chinese Personal Information Protection Law requires handling customer and employee data on a lawful basis, with a clear and reasonable purpose, minimum necessity, notification and security responsibility; sensitive information such as health data additionally requires verification of sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable separate consent or impact assessment, with other statutory bases verified separately. An institutionally approved account does not automatically permit uploading to external AI; de-identification is not anonymisation. Whether an order is personal information depends on identifiability, and lawful processing for purposes other than business is not prohibited across the board.
Causes information leakage and compliance risk.
Handling customer complaints and negative reviews
Front-of-house service and shift lead
Arguing when a customer complains or leaves a negative review, delaying handling, or promising compensation without authorization.
Escalates conflict and damages the outlet's reputation.
The environmental risk card uses O*NET tasks and context; the wage page does not prove the incidence of risk.
No employer procedures were sampled in this round; the combined BLS OOH gives only group-level background on standing, lifting, scheduling and injury risk and is not passed off as employer systems.
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. Chapters 14.3—14.5 distinguish hygiene by area and task: hair must be covered by a work hat in food handling areas; clean masks are worn in dedicated rooms and for the expressly listed dedicated operations, and are advisable for other corresponding ready-to-eat operations, so it is not written that all front-of-house staff must wear masks. Hand washing and disinfection follow whether the task involves ready-to-eat food and contact with waste, money, mobile phones and similar specific situations; gloves do not replace hand washing. Chapter 10 requires food-contact tableware to be disinfected after washing and before use, with equipment and agents according to the applicable instructions; Chapter 8.2 requires avoiding dust in the presence of customers. Work clothes must be changed promptly when contaminated, and daily changing is advisable for ready-to-eat positions; these suggestions are not written uniformly as mandatory.
The link is in fact the O*NET35-9011 detailed profile, supporting tasks and context, not a film or actors' union.
The link for this position is changed to the Chinese Personal Information Protection Law, supporting a lawful basis, purpose and security responsibility; an AI framework cannot replace the actual data law requirements. The Chinese Personal Information Protection Law requires handling customer and employee data on a lawful basis, with a clear and reasonable purpose, minimum necessity, notification and security responsibility; sensitive information such as health data additionally requires verification of sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable separate consent or impact assessment, with other statutory bases verified separately. An institutionally approved account does not automatically permit uploading to external AI; de-identification is not anonymisation. Whether an order is personal information depends on identifiability, and lawful processing for purposes other than business is not prohibited across the board.
| Entry directions | What you mainly do at first | Employer requirements and basis for observation | How to prove it without experience | Difference from other directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-of-house server (entry) | Set tables to standard and replenish tableware and condiments, greet and seat guests, serve food and drinks and clear, clean and restock. | Editorial observation suggestion, no employer sample collected; verify against the target position's training, health, alcohol service and safety conditions. | Paper table setting and serving exercises, and mentor comments from supervised shifts. | An editorial example of entry assistance; real tasks may include the cashier or service, verified against position authorization, and order-related duties are not excluded across the board. |
| Food running and serving assistance | Run food from the pass according to the order and table number, verify dishes and quantities, and keep the food running route clear. | Editorial observation suggestion, no employer sample collected; verify against the target position's training, health, alcohol service and safety conditions. | Food running records and error rate feedback. | Focuses more on order verification and front-to-back connection, working in a division of labour with servers. |
| Bar assistance (barback) | Replenish ice, drink and alcohol inventory, wash glasses and service equipment, and keep the bar tidy. | Editorial observation suggestion, no employer sample collected; verify against the target position's training, health, alcohol service and safety conditions. | Bar restocking and washing records. | Bar supply support; O*NET also lists supplemental tasks such as drink ingredients, and actual drink operations are verified against authorization and jurisdictional rules. |
| Buffet and banquet service | Set up and replenish the buffet counter, replenish plates and tableware, and maintain the serving flow and cleanliness. | Editorial observation suggestion, no employer sample collected; verify against the target position's training, health, alcohol service and safety conditions. | Buffet counter setup and restocking records. | Facing bulk and banquet settings, with a more concentrated pace. |
| Cleaning and back-of-house assistance | Clean and polish counters and equipment, mop and vacuum, transport linen, and maintain the washing and storeroom areas. | Editorial observation suggestion, no employer sample collected; verify against the target position's training, health, alcohol service and safety conditions. | Cleaning and disinfection records and inspection results. | More back-of-house and logistics, adjacent to dishwasher and cleaning positions. |
Scheduling and working hours records
Can provide available time slots and attendance records and explain adaptability to lunch and dinner shifts and weekend and holiday rotation.
Health certificate and training records
Verify by the target jurisdiction and actual task: work contacting ready-to-eat food must meet the applicable health certificate conditions, and food safety training and assessment follow the specifications and unit rules; additional employer requirements are verified separately and are not treated as a uniform certificate for all front-of-house staff.
Mentor comments from a supervised position
Can provide specific comments from the mentor or supervisor on table setting, cleaning and customer communication.
Service timeliness and error records
Can provide service timeliness, error and inventory difference records for comparable shifts.
A one-page service process summary
Write on one page the steps and checkpoints from pre-service preparation to table service to clearing and cleaning to restocking and handover.
A correction record
Record how a missed setting, missed delivery or drop was discovered, how it was corrected and how repetition will be avoided.
Table setting and inventory list templates
Self-made standard table setting checklists and shift inventory count sheets.
A reflection note
Explain how you felt during the peak and which steps still need practice.
| Scenario | What to verify | How to observe | What cannot be inferred from this |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before interview and hiring | Verify available time slots, health status and health certificate requirements, and whether long periods of standing and walking are possible. | Ask about their understanding of shift work, weekend and holiday work and hygiene requirements. | If the conditions do not match, recruitment and the hiring department decide rather than the individual. |
| Induction training period | Complete food safety and personal hygiene training, standard table setting and cleaning processes, and learning of the POS and inventory systems. | Observe whether work follows the standard order and hand washing and disinfection and work clothes and hat requirements are met. | If training is not passed or a health certificate is not obtained, work contacting ready-to-eat food is not permitted. |
| Supervised independent operation period | Independently complete table setting, clearing, restocking and cashier assistance at peak times. | Sample the completeness of table setting and restocking, the accuracy of serving food and drinks, and cleaning and handover records. | If omissions or hygiene problems recur, transfer to the mentoring person and retrain. |
| Routine independent position period | Independently take on front-of-house execution and handover within the shift, and take part in inventory counts and equipment checks. | Verify hygiene and safety execution, customer feedback and team collaboration performance. | If a safety incident or conduct beyond authority occurs, report and handle it according to institutional rules. |
| Qualification/preparation item | Who it mainly suits | Practical role in job seeking | Whether it is a universal entry threshold | Registration/processing conditions | Investment considerations | Important limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health certificate (positions contacting ready-to-eat food) | Front-of-house, food running and washing and disinfection positions contacting ready-to-eat food | Hard condition for taking up the post: without a health certificate, work contacting ready-to-eat food must not be carried out. | Yes: a health certificate is required for work contacting ready-to-eat food. | The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. | The time and cost of the medical examination and the certificate application. | A health certificate does not exempt the daily check; anyone with symptoms reports according to Chapter 14.1.2 and has their ready-to-eat work adjusted, and individuals do not authorize their own return. |
| Passing food safety training and assessment | Catering service enterprise practitioners | Requirement for taking up the post: only after passing food safety training and assessment, and retraining at the prescribed frequency. | Yes: carried out according to the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services. | Enterprise practitioners once a year, and certain catering service providers every half year for training and assessment. | Training and assessment time. | Training and assessment do not equal an occupational qualification and do not replace a health certificate. |
| Restaurant server occupational skill level certificate (mainland China, levels five to one) | People who want to study front-of-house service systematically and obtain a skill level credential | The editor may treat it as skill evidence; a general bonus, wage or hiring preference effect was not verified. | The current entry catalogue and each position requirement were not verified item by item in this round, and no nationwide mandatory or exempt conclusion is derived from the standard. | The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. The target assessment institution's current application conditions, fees and subsidies, and whether positions require the certificate, were not verified item by item; the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. | Reference study hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100; specific branches, training, fees and subsidies are verified against the institution's current notice. | The standard addresses restaurant servers and is related to but not entirely equivalent to the front-of-house assistance level on this page; the certificate does not equal a United States licence or a wage level. |
| Adjacent skill certificates such as barista, bartender or tea specialist | People who want to move toward drinks and the bar | Direction related: preparation for bar and drink positions, but it does not change the duty boundaries of this occupation. | An adjacent certificate does not stand in for the target position and jurisdictional requirements, and all standards and licensing were not verified item by item in this round. | The specific target professional standard, application branches and institutional notice must be verified separately. | Training and assessment time and cost. | Holding an adjacent certificate does not mean being able to take on drink recipe decisions or output responsibility, which follows institutional authorization. |
| Basic first aid, fire safety and safety training | Front-of-house and kitchen front-line staff | On-site capability: helps with handling burns, slips and emergencies. | Depends on institutional requirements: some institutions require all staff to attend. | Attend and retrain periodically as arranged by the institution. | Training time. | First aid training does not mean obtaining practice or management authorization. |
| Short-term on-the-job training (typical United States classification) | New entrants with no background | The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item. | The typical BLS training classification is not a uniform course length for all employers nationwide. | Verify against the real position training plan, with alcohol service, food safety and other applicable conditions verified separately. | Time investment and learning pace. | Completing training does not mean obtaining an occupational qualification or a higher grade. |
The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item.
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year.
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. The target assessment institution's current application conditions, fees and subsidies, and whether positions require the certificate, were not verified item by item; the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority.
The editor first verifies the target position's jurisdiction, education, experience, training, health and alcohol service conditions; a course or skills certificate is not position authorization, and an exercise is not taking up the post.
Entering dining room and cafeteria attendant and bartender helper work is not just enrolling on a course; first verify the target position's duties, shifts, health certificate and training requirements and employer conditions.
Stage one: practise table setting, restocking, order verification, cleaning and handover with fictional material.
Stage two: complete limited tasks in a supervised position and keep mentoring feedback and correction records.
Fictional material
A fictional table list (6 tables), the current menu (8 dishes), a tableware, linen and condiment inventory sheet, and an order list.
All material is fictional and contains no real customer information.
Portfolio task
Within 30 minutes, complete standard table setting for 6 tables, mark the serving order for 3 tables according to the order, record two shortages and write a handover paragraph.
Paper verification only, with no contact with real food or customers and no service promise.
Reference result
Each of the 6 tables has 4 sets of tableware and 2 portions of condiments; 3 tables are marked in serving order; 2 shortages (glassware, sugar-free drinks) are registered and reported to the shift lead; the handover states the 1 table whose setting was not completed.
The reference result is for self-checking and is not the only correct answer.
Boundary note
The exercise is for career exploration and does not constitute food safety training, occupational qualification or position authorization; real operations must be carried out by trained and authorized personnel according to institutional rules and operating specifications, and real operations must not be carried out without training and protection.
Day 1: read and understand the material
Read the fictional menu and table list, circle uncertain items and write a question list.
Day 2: complete the table setting
Complete the table setting according to the standard diagram and verify tableware and condiment quantities.
Day 3: order verification
Mark the serving order and table numbers according to the order and identify possible errors and omissions.
Day 4: cleaning process
List the steps and checkpoints for hand washing and disinfection and tabletop and floor cleaning according to the specifications.
Day 5: inventory and handover
Complete the shift count and write a handover paragraph stating shortages and unfinished items.
Day 6: repeat under time limits
Redo it under time limits and record energy and error types.
Day 7: compare and decide
Compare the two versions and write continue, caution or stop with reasons.
Getting started, qualifications and career development
Common entry directions and initial tasks
Entry requirements, health certificate, training and duty boundaries are verified by the specific jurisdiction, institution or employer; the exercises on this page do not constitute food safety training or position authorization.
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. The target state alcohol service age and training or licensing in the United States were not verified item by item, and it cannot be asserted that the whole country is exempt from licensing on the basis of no results from a certification entry point.
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. The target assessment institution's current application conditions, fees and subsidies, and whether positions require the certificate, were not verified item by item; the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority.
The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item. The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year.
Preparation and table setting
Arrange tables and tableware to the standard diagram, replenish linen and condiments, and check cleaning and equipment condition.
Table service and clearing
Greet and seat guests, serve food and drinks according to orders, clear and clean promptly, and assist with cashier settlement.
Cleaning and safety maintenance
Wash hands and disinfect and clean equipment and areas according to the specifications, and maintain aisle safety and hygiene standards.
Restocking, handover and mentoring
Count inventory, register shortages and breakages, complete the shift handover and be able to mentor newcomers.
Front-of-house and counter service
Entry assistance
Set tables and restock to standard, greet and seat guests, serve food and drinks and clear.
Be able to complete table setting and restocking against the checklist while maintaining hygiene and safety.
Obtain a health certificate and complete food safety training as required by the institution.
Once proficient, expand to more areas and shifts.
Stable execution
Independently complete front-of-house execution at peak times while maintaining service timeliness and accuracy.
Service timeliness, error rate and customer feedback records.
Take part in retraining as required by the institution.
Learn inventory, handover and cashier assistance.
Multi-area collaboration
Collaborate and rotate between different settings such as buffet, banquet and takeaway windows.
Multi-scenario scheduling records and supervisor comments.
Take part in scenario training as required by the institution.
Take part in mentoring newcomers and process improvement.
Mentoring and shift responsibility
Mentor newcomers and take responsibility for area allocation and handover within the shift.
Mentoring records and shift handover records.
Attend mentoring and management training as required by the institution.
Move toward duty supervisor or front-of-house management.
Table service and clearing
Food running and order verification
Run food from the pass according to the order and table number and verify dishes and quantities.
Food running records and error rate feedback.
Attend training as required by the institution.
Expand to more cuisines and pass collaboration.
Table assistance
Assist servers with serving food and drinks, replenish tableware and condiments, and handle customers' immediate needs.
Mentor comments and customer feedback.
Attend training as required by the institution.
Learn more table service techniques.
Clearing and table turnover
Remove dirty tableware promptly, clean tabletops and floors, and prepare the next table to the turnover rhythm.
Turnover timeliness and cleaning inspection results.
Attend training as required by the institution.
Take on area coordination at peak times.
Banquet and bulk service
Take on bulk table setting, restocking and clearing in banquet and buffet settings.
Banquet service records and supervisor comments.
Take part in banquet service training as required by the institution.
Move toward banquet or front-of-house coordination.
Cleaning, restocking and collaboration
Cleaning and hygiene execution
Complete hand washing and disinfection and tabletop, floor and equipment cleaning according to the specifications and document it.
Cleaning and disinfection records and inspection results.
Take part in food safety and hygiene training as required by the institution.
Learn more efficient cleaning and inspection methods.
Inventory and restocking
Count and replenish linen, tableware, condiments and drinks by shift.
Count and shortage and breakage records.
Take part in inventory and inventory system training as required by the institution.
Take part in storeroom and ordering collaboration.
Cashier and system assistance
Within the scope of authorization, assist with settlement and invoicing and register anomalies.
Cashier and anomaly registration records.
Take part in cashier and system training as required by the institution.
Learn more system functions and reconciliation.
Safety and handover
Maintain aisle and equipment safety, register shortages and breakages and hand over unfinished items.
Safety inspections and handover records.
Take part in safety training as required by the institution.
Move toward duty supervisor.
The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item. The wage page does not prove entry requirements; BLS Table 1.2 is used instead.
There is no real employer sample in this round; the combined BLS OOH provides typical training background, not institutional scheduling or authority rules.
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health each day before work begins, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. The skill standard is set out separately in the original PDF.
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. The target assessment institution's current application conditions, fees and subsidies, and whether positions require the certificate, were not verified item by item; the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority.
These national figures correspond only to United States 35-9011.00 and do not represent a particular state, a particular restaurant type, the Chinese market or an individual probability of being hired.
The United States BLS catering service combined occupation description mentions hourly wages and a possible tip pool, which is multi-occupation background and does not prove that most pay in this position is hourly or the share of service charges. Specific wages, tip pools and deductions are verified against the position contract; no representative sample of national pay and employment composition for this occupation in China was obtained in this round.
When observing real opportunities, record the city, institution type, shifts, pay method, qualification requirements and date, and de-duplicate by source rather than looking at a single job advertisement.
Career outlook and transitions to related occupations
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
Contracts and employment arrangements differ by institution; this page does not provide a hiring or income promise.
A job advertisement only reflects demand at the time of posting and cannot represent the national market or a long-term trend.
Editorial task comparison: customer communication, on-site collaboration and service process; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: order taking, menu communication and full table service responsibility; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: bar restocking, glassware and drink ingredient preparation may overlap; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: mixing and serving drinks and the applicable alcohol service rules; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: kitchen handover, hygiene and limited food preparation may overlap; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: cooking and seasoning technique, restaurant equipment and serving rhythm; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: hygiene, lifting and limited food preparation may overlap; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: non-cooking food preparation such as cold dishes, meat cutting and coffee and tea making; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: customer service, cashier and replenishment may overlap; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: the integration of counter or steam table order taking and serving and possibly payment or food and drink preparation duties; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: tableware washing and cleaning may overlap; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: more concentrated washing of tableware, kitchen and food preparation equipment and utensils, and front-of-house service is not in turn required; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: handover, on-site collaboration and mentoring connect; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: target 11-9051 plans, directs and coordinates catering operations, staff and costs and is not only banquet flow; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Editorial task comparison: food delivery, customer communication and handover connect; overlapping occupational tasks do not mean the individual already has them.
For a move across, verify the target: target 35-3041 serves in hotel rooms, hospitals or care institutions or vehicles and other non-restaurant settings, not a move into management; the target institution's conditions and jurisdictional qualification are verified separately.
An editorial direction comparison; transfer distance, success rates or a fixed study duration were not verified.
Current employment growth and openings use BLS Table 1.2; the older wage page supports wages only.
This position now cites the O*NET trend for this occupation; the original certification entry point does not support employment scale.
The combined BLS OOH typical training background is used instead; there is no recruitment sampling and it cannot be passed off as a job posting.
O*NET 35-9011.00: used for tasks and work context and preparation level.
Order and settlement systems, inventory and scheduling software, and dishwashing and disinfection equipment; these tools improve efficiency, but order confirmation, hygiene and safety and exception handling remain the responsibility of people.
Completing table setting and clearing to standard, standard execution of hygiene and hand washing and disinfection, accurate verification of orders and table numbers, and the ability to communicate with customers and escalate exceptions.
The United States May 2025 median wage is 33,980 USD/year (16.34 USD/hour); no corresponding national single-occupation scope for mainland China was obtained, so no median or percentile is given. When comparing real positions, the city, institution type, shifts and working hours, whether tips or commission and meals and accommodation are included, and the pretax and post-tax scope must be verified.
In the United States 74% require high school or equivalent and 22% require below high school; on-the-job training usually runs from a few days to a year. The reference ordinary education level in mainland China is junior high school graduation or equivalent according to the National Occupational Skill Standard for Restaurant Servers (2020 edition), with the actual requirement following the employer and position.
This occupation is not in the entry-controlled occupational qualification catalogue in mainland China and has no uniform mandatory certificate; however, work contacting ready-to-eat food requires a health certificate first and an annual examination. The restaurant server occupational skill level certificate is an optional credential.
First do the paper exercises on this page (table setting, serving and shortage records), then seek a supervised part-time or internship position; at the same time confirm whether you can stand for long periods and adapt to shift work, and obtain a health certificate and complete food safety training as required.
Consider the physical load of standing and walking (continuous walking 88%, continuous standing 84%), shift work and weekend and holiday work, the emotional load of facing hurry and complaints, and whether the institution provides training and compliant scheduling and pay.
FermatMind career content production
O*NET35-9011 tasks, context, interests and technology; OEWS2025 wages; BLS2025—2035 Table 1.2; the Chinese 2018 food specifications, the 2020 related server skill standard and the 2025 accommodation and catering industry wages.
2026-10-09: nine-module author revision and self-review in this round, with independent review pending a later stage.
Different material supports tasks and surveys, employed wages, employment projections and the related Chinese industry, skill and hygiene requirements respectively; the United States narrow occupation and the related Chinese server standard are not one-to-one equivalents. Industry wages are not occupational wages, an entry point query is not a licensing conclusion, and a paper work is not a pass or authorization.
Verify the duty boundaries of servers in order taking and table service.
For adjacent occupation comparison only and does not represent automatic job transfer or mutual recognition of qualifications.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only and does not represent automatic job transfer or mutual recognition of qualifications.
2026-09-19
Verify the front-line duty form of fast food and counter positions, which combine order taking and cashier with serving and cleaning.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between dish preparation and serving responsibility and the front-of-house duties of this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
May 2025 wage data; accessed 2026-09-19
official wage statistics
Occupation-specific
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee.
2026-10-09
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. The old URL was the administration's homepage; the full text is listed separately as r5-cn-food.
State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
Released 2018-06-22, in force 2018-10-01; accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Industry reference
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. The old URL was the administration's homepage; the full text is listed separately as r5-cn-food.
Verify the difference between back-of-house operational tasks and the customer service duties of this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between drink recipe and mixing responsibility and the bar assistance of this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between the washing and logistics scope and the front-of-house duties of this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Used to retrieve public documents and interpretations such as the Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services.
The policy database entry point does not replace the original text of a specific document or local requirements.
Chinese government website
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
official_portal
The policy database entry point does not replace the original text of a specific document or local requirements.
2026-09-19
The old separate OOH address did not yield main text in this round; the current actual combined OOH includes details for this occupation and is listed separately as r5-ooh-parent; it is not employer systems.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
Capture unavailable in this round; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation outlook
Occupation-specific
The old separate OOH address did not yield main text in this round; the current actual combined OOH includes details for this occupation and is listed separately as r5-ooh-parent; it is not employer systems.
2026-10-09
Verify the difference between food service in non-restaurant settings and on-site service in this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Used to explain that interest codes only suggest exploration directions.
Interest assessments are not a personality diagnosis or hiring basis.
O*NET OnLine
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Occupation-specific
Interest assessments are not a personality diagnosis or hiring basis.
2026-09-19
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. Whether the target assessment institution currently requires the certificate for application, fees, subsidies and positions was not verified item by item, and the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. The old URL was the human resources and social security homepage; the original text is listed separately as r5-cn-standard.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
official occupational standard
Industry reference
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level four, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. Whether the target assessment institution currently requires the certificate for application, fees, subsidies and positions was not verified item by item, and the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. The old URL was the human resources and social security homepage; the original text is listed separately as r5-cn-standard.
Supports bringing system output into a governable process: clear purpose, validation, human oversight, documentation and risk handling.
Provides a risk management method and does not provide adoption rates, substitution probability or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology
United States
NIST AI 100-1, 2023; accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
contextual
Provides a risk management method and does not provide adoption rates, substitution probability or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
2026-09-19
Used to explain the source and method of the wage statistics for this occupation.
A national statistical position is not an individual starting salary or a regional quote.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
May 2025 wage data scope; accessed 2026-09-19
official employment projections and wage table
Occupation-specific
A national statistical position is not an individual starting salary or a regional quote.
2026-09-19
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules. United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor
United States
updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
This occupation is defined as clearing tables, clearing dishes, changing linen, setting tables, replenishing tableware and serving bar supplies, and providing catering assistance such as water, coffee and condiments. Of the 24 tasks, 16 are core, 7 supplemental and 1 new; operating the cash register is core (importance 88), so it is not the case that it is always only assisting with the cashier. Mixing drink ingredients and cutting fruit garnishes and so on are listed as supplemental tasks; sandwich preparation is a new task with no importance provided, and 0 is not filled in. Tasks may overlap with other catering positions, and the actual menu and drink operations, order taking, receipts and refunds and service promises are still verified against position authorization and local rules. United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
O*NET OnLine
United States
updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official technology keywords
Occupation-specific
No generative AI adoption rate, time-saving or error effect, substitution rate or wage causation for this occupation was obtained. The O*NET software examples include POS, Windows, Excel and Facebook, and among all unique United States job postings associated with this occupation in 2025 the Excel keyword appears at 1%, with Windows and Facebook Not available rather than 0; a tool list or keyword is not evidence of general adoption or generative AI. Machine washing, POS and generative AI are verified separately. ILO2025 is a task exposure study, and the precise mapping of this narrow occupation to ISCO and its score were not verified; the NIST AI RMF1.0 is a voluntary risk framework and does not grant authority for food, cashier or refund operations.
2026-10-09
The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings. The old URL was the statistics bureau homepage; the actual statistics are listed separately as r5-nbs-current.
National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
2025; accessed 2026-09-19
official industry wage statistics
Industry reference
The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings. The old URL was the statistics bureau homepage; the actual statistics are listed separately as r5-nbs-current.
2026-10-09
Used to explain OEWS sampling, pay scope and publication method.
A method note is not a specific wage conclusion for this occupation.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Industry reference
A method note is not a specific wage conclusion for this occupation.
2026-09-19
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
May 2025 wage data; accessed 2026-09-19
official wage statistics
Occupation-specific
United States 35-9011.00, May 2025 national wage 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles: annual 21,300 / 28,330 / 33,980 / 37,250 / 46,570 USD; hourly 10.24 / 13.62 / 16.34 / 17.91 / 22.39 USD. OEWS straight-time pretax wages include tips, basic wages, specified allowances and incentives such as commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and the self-employed; they do not exclude all allowances or all contract employees across the board. Percentiles are not starting salaries, years of service, take-home income or a benefit guarantee.
2026-10-09
Used to verify the licence and certification enquiry entry points for this occupation.
This page does not list a mandatory certificate for this occupation; the requirements for taking up a post follow the institution and jurisdiction.
O*NET OnLine
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Occupation-specific
This page does not list a mandatory certificate for this occupation; the requirements for taking up a post follow the institution and jurisdiction.
2026-09-19
Distinguishes task-level generative AI exposure from actual adoption and changes in position numbers.
Does not provide adoption rates, layoff rates or causal employment evidence for this occupation.
International Labour Organization
Global
ILO 2025; accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
market_signal
Does not provide adoption rates, layoff rates or causal employment evidence for this occupation.
2026-09-19
Verify the skills, knowledge and work activity details for this occupation.
Supports the United States precise occupational scope only and does not map to Chinese positions or qualifications.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor
United States
updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
Supports the United States precise occupational scope only and does not map to Chinese positions or qualifications.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between catering operations and staff and cost management responsibility and this occupation.
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Full-time and part-time employees, straight time, pretax, excluding the self-employed; includes piece-rate, commission and production bonuses and some allowances, and excludes overtime premiums and shift differentials and so on, and performance pay is not excluded across the board. Personal annual working hours and take-home pay are verified separately.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
Current methodology; retrieved 2026-10-09 in this batch
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
Full-time and part-time employees, straight time, pretax, excluding the self-employed; includes piece-rate, commission and production bonuses and some allowances, and excludes overtime premiums and shift differentials and so on, and performance pay is not excluded across the board. Personal annual working hours and take-home pay are verified separately.
2026-10-09
6 / 13 / 21 / 28—30 / 51 / 55 / 73: identifiable medical and health data are sensitive, requiring a specific purpose, sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable notification and prior impact assessment; consent as a basis requires separate consent, but Article 13 has other lawful bases. Ordinary contact details are not inherently all sensitive, and this is verified specifically in the medical context. De-identification is not anonymisation, and an account does not automatically authorize uploading to external AI; the cross-border supporting provisions were not fully verified.
National People's Congress / Cyberspace Administration of China
Mainland China
2021 law; actually read in this batch; retrieved 2026-10-09
official law
contextual
6 / 13 / 21 / 28—30 / 51 / 55 / 73: identifiable medical and health data are sensitive, requiring a specific purpose, sufficiency and necessity, strict protection and applicable notification and prior impact assessment; consent as a basis requires separate consent, but Article 13 has other lawful bases. Ordinary contact details are not inherently all sensitive, and this is verified specifically in the medical context. De-identification is not anonymisation, and an account does not automatically authorize uploading to external AI; the cross-border supporting provisions were not fully verified.
2026-10-09
Voluntary AI governance recommendations are not medical regulations, sterilization standards or practice authorization, nor are they a measured test of tool adoption or efficiency gains.
NIST
Cross-market
Voluntary framework 1.0; actually read in this batch; retrieved 2026-10-09
official framework
contextual
Voluntary AI governance recommendations are not medical regulations, sterilization standards or practice authorization, nor are they a measured test of tool adoption or efficiency gains.
2026-10-09
The ILO2025 summary was actually read in this batch, and the reliable mapping of SOC35-9011 to ISCO and its score were not verified for this occupation; it is not claimed that the complete study has no score; exposure is not adoption, effect or substitution.
ILO
Cross-market
2025 study summary; actually read in this batch; retrieved 2026-10-09
official research summary
contextual
The ILO2025 summary was actually read in this batch, and the reliable mapping of SOC35-9011 to ISCO and its score were not verified for this occupation; it is not claimed that the complete study has no score; exposure is not adoption, effect or substitution.
2026-10-09
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
O*NET OnLine
United States
2025—2035
official projections
Occupation-specific
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation.
2026-10-09
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation. The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025—2035
official projections
Occupation-specific
United States 35-9011 for the current 2025—2035: employment 546,600 in 2025→a projected 575,500 in 2035, a net increase of 28,900; BLS Table 1.2 gives growth of 5.3%, the O*NET national trend rounds to 5%, and the summary grouping is 5 to 6%, with the precision of each source retained. There are 95,300 annual average openings including growth and replacement, not a ten-year total or an annual net increase; self-employment 0.1%. A national projection is not an individual probability of being hired and does not prove AI employment causation. The typical BLS Table 1.2 entry is no formal educational credential, no related work experience and short-term on-the-job training. O*NET Job Zone1 to 2, with SVP below 6; a few days to a year is a description of that preparation group, not a fixed training period for every employer in this occupation. The responses of 74% high school or equivalent, 22% below high school and 2% postsecondary certificate are opinions on the education needed by new hires, not employer proportions, employee education or a Chinese threshold. State-level alcohol service age, training, licensing and employer conditions were not verified item by item.
The combined group includes fast food and counter workers, 35-9011 helpers, hosts and hostesses and non-restaurant food servers; the combined employment of 5143000 and 1078500 annual average openings must not be applied to this occupation. The main text is used for group-level background on standing, lifting, scheduling, short-term on-the-job training and possible alcohol regulation training; the 35-9011 detail is 546600→575500. Group-level industry hourly wages are not filled in as this occupation's industry wages; tips may be distributed through a tip pool to eligible persons, which still follows the actual rules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025—2035
official occupation outlook
parent_proxy
The combined group includes fast food and counter workers, 35-9011 helpers, hosts and hostesses and non-restaurant food servers; the combined employment of 5143000 and 1078500 annual average openings must not be applied to this occupation. The main text is used for group-level background on standing, lifting, scheduling, short-term on-the-job training and possible alcohol regulation training; the 35-9011 detail is 546600→575500. Group-level industry hourly wages are not filled in as this occupation's industry wages; tips may be distributed through a tip pool to eligible persons, which still follows the actual rules.
2026-10-09
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. Chapters 14.3—14.5 distinguish hygiene by area and task: hair must be covered by a work hat in food handling areas; clean masks are worn in dedicated rooms and for the expressly listed dedicated operations, and are advisable for other corresponding ready-to-eat operations, so it is not written that all front-of-house staff must wear masks. Hand washing and disinfection follow whether the task involves ready-to-eat food and contact with waste, money, mobile phones and similar specific situations; gloves do not replace hand washing. Chapter 10 requires food-contact tableware to be disinfected after washing and before use, with equipment and agents according to the applicable instructions; Chapter 8.2 requires avoiding dust in the presence of customers. Work clothes must be changed promptly when contaminated, and daily changing is advisable for ready-to-eat positions; these suggestions are not written uniformly as mandatory. Chapter 7.9 food sample retention applies to specified situations such as canteens in schools, kindergartens, aged care and medical institutions, central kitchens, collective distribution, construction site canteens with more than 100 people, and catering for gatherings or major events with more than 100 people, and retention is advisable under the conditions for other providers; a designated person manages the records, and this is not imposed on all front-of-house helpers. Chapter 15 records are established according to the unit category and applicable items, and it is not written that every table wipe or every person's sample retention is a uniform legal requirement. Electronic records are advisable and do not prove that generative AI has been adopted.
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level five, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. Whether the target assessment institution currently requires the certificate for application, fees, subsidies and positions was not verified item by item, and the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. In this round the relevant PDF text, p0 through 5, was read; direct download returned 403 and no displayable screenshot was obtained, so no claim is made of visual PDF acceptance or that the remaining skill tables have all been reviewed.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; published by Shanghai human resources and social security
Mainland China
2020 edition
official occupational standard
related_occupation
The 2020 restaurant server standard 4-03-02-05 sets junior high school or equivalent education and levels five to one; the definition includes seating and order taking and side dishes and banquet design and layout and is broader than the United States assistance narrow occupation, so it is not a one-to-one equivalent. Level five may be applied for through specified training completion or 1 accumulated year of related work; level four has branches such as 4 years after level five, 6 accumulated years or a specified school, and level three has branches such as 5 years after level five, a related school or major, or a related college qualification plus 2 years after level four, with levels two and one following the corresponding experience and school conditions. The hours 260 / 240 / 200 / 100 / 100 are reference study hours for each level and are not applied to all branches or calendar durations; theory, skills and the applicable comprehensive review each require 60, and technicians and senior technicians include a comprehensive review. Whether the target assessment institution currently requires the certificate for application, fees, subsidies and positions was not verified item by item, and the certificate does not automatically bring wages, hiring or alcohol service authority. In this round the relevant PDF text, p0 through 5, was read; direct download returned 403 and no displayable screenshot was obtained, so no claim is made of visual PDF acceptance or that the remaining skill tables have all been reviewed.
The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings.
National Bureau of Statistics
Mainland China
2025
official industry wage statistics
Industry reference
The National Bureau of Statistics 2025 accommodation and catering industry urban non-private 62,461 and private 55,123 yuan pretax annual average covers multiple occupations in the industry and is related unit background, not the median, starting salary or monthly position wage for this occupation. The survey covers urban legal entities with 5 or more people, non-private is not only state-owned enterprises, and sole traders and freelance workers are excluded; canteens operated by schools or hospitals themselves do not necessarily belong to accommodation and catering units, so this is not applied to all settings.
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
State Administration for Market Regulation; reproduced by Shicheng County government
Mainland China
2018 specifications; reproduced 2021-10-14
official guidance
Industry reference
The relevant requirements of the 2018 Chinese Food Safety Operating Specifications for Catering Services are in Chapter 14, not Chapters 11 and 12. 14.1.1: people who contact ready-to-eat food (including the corresponding processing, food running and washing and disinfection staff and new or temporary staff) must first obtain a health certificate and undergo an annual health examination and, where necessary, a temporary examination; 14.1.2: food safety managers check practitioners' health before each shift, and anyone with fever, diarrhoea, throat inflammation or infected skin wounds must report first and be suspended from work involving direct contact with ready-to-eat food until the cause is identified and the relevant illness cured, and not all non-contact positions are stopped across the board. 14.2: training and assessment must be passed before taking up a post, with enterprises training and assessing annually and certain catering providers every half year. Chapters 14.3—14.5 distinguish hygiene by area and task: hair must be covered by a work hat in food handling areas; clean masks are worn in dedicated rooms and for the expressly listed dedicated operations, and are advisable for other corresponding ready-to-eat operations, so it is not written that all front-of-house staff must wear masks. Hand washing and disinfection follow whether the task involves ready-to-eat food and contact with waste, money, mobile phones and similar specific situations; gloves do not replace hand washing. Chapter 10 requires food-contact tableware to be disinfected after washing and before use, with equipment and agents according to the applicable instructions; Chapter 8.2 requires avoiding dust in the presence of customers. Work clothes must be changed promptly when contaminated, and daily changing is advisable for ready-to-eat positions; these suggestions are not written uniformly as mandatory. Chapter 7.9 food sample retention applies to specified situations such as canteens in schools, kindergartens, aged care and medical institutions, central kitchens, collective distribution, construction site canteens with more than 100 people, and catering for gatherings or major events with more than 100 people, and retention is advisable under the conditions for other providers; a designated person manages the records, and this is not imposed on all front-of-house helpers. Chapter 15 records are established according to the unit category and applicable items, and it is not written that every table wipe or every person's sample retention is a uniform legal requirement. Electronic records are advisable and do not prove that generative AI has been adopted.
2026-10-09
2026-10-09