Food service
Food servers, nonrestaurant
Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
Median pay
$35,360
Growth to 2035
+5%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
48,800
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Food servers, nonrestaurant
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time standing
Exposure to disease
Food servers, nonrestaurant: 22% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Place food servings on plates or trays according to orders or instructions.
- Clean or sterilize dishes, kitchen utensils, equipment, or facilities.
- Monitor food distribution, ensuring that meals are delivered to the correct recipients and that guidelines, such as those for special diets, are followed.
- Examine trays to ensure that they contain required items.
- Load trays with accessories, such as eating utensils, napkins, or condiments.
- Take food orders and relay orders to kitchens or serving counters so they can be filled.
- Monitor food preparation or serving techniques to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
- Remove trays and stack dishes for return to kitchen after meals are finished.
Also called: Food Server · Food Service Worker · Kitchen Runner · Room Server · Room Service Server · Tray Server
Outlook and AI
Food servers, nonrestaurant held 296,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 309,600 by 2035 (+5%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Fast food and counter workers
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Waiters and waitresses
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Food preparation worker
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Dishwasher
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Cooks, restaurant
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Cooks, short order
- Food servers, nonrestaurant vs. Food service manager